The Great Revival style appeared in America in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century. The United States (U.S) borrowed elements of the classical Greek building style and applied them in constructing different buildings in the country. Thomas Jefferson played a critical role in introducing the Greek Revival in the U.S that inspired its citizens to embrace democracy. The increasing acceptance of democracy made Greek architecture attractive and widespread across the country, thus adopted as the favoured form of government.
Significance of Greek Revival Design to the U.S Citizens
The Greek Revival design played a significant role in the political underpinnings of the United States citizens. During that era, the early citizens of the American republic had to outline the country's national character from scratch. The ancient building style became a perfect method of expression. The Greek Revival style likened the young American nation to the Roman Republic, which was powerful and influential at the time, thus a significant political symbol for the U.S citizens. In addition, the Greek style was embedded with democratic roots, adaptability, and balance, which Americans looked at as their form of inspiration. Since America was a young nation at the time, the spirit of the Ancient Greek Republic made the citizens feel the strength of their country. The Greek Revival became popular in the U.S in 1820. By the 1830s, the majority of the public buildings were designed with Greek Revival architecture, including temples, monuments, courthouses, libraries, houses, and several other structures. The style became a national model of building the U.S as a new nation. The Greek democratic roots-inspired democracy in the U.S. The meaning and symbolism in the Greek Revival architecture had profound significance to the U.S in defining itself as a new democratic nation. The American citizens gradually started rejecting the Federal style, which had the British influences, and sought to adopt the American style defined by democracy (Macaulay-Lewis, 2021). Therefore, the Ancient Greeks encouraged Americans to embrace the values of the nation, which has established democracy.
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The Greek Revival design played an essential role in the cultural underpinnings of the American citizens. The prevailing architectural style and the Greek philosophy, art, and culture are still part of today's American culture. As the Greek Revival bloomed and became widespread in America, it was adapted to the local styles, building materials, and tastes, thus greatly influencing American culture. The American citizens gained interest in the ancient Greece culture, which encouraged them to outline a new national style that fitted perfectly to their cultural ideals. They needed a new look for their own and thus were inspired to base their style on the Greek democratic principles and the ancient Greek forms. The National Style was popular because it was the first architectural style in the U.S (Khan, n.d).
The Greek Revival architectural style had a great significance in individuals' social status within American society. According to Goodsell (2021), the architectural style was considered a luxury reserved for wealthy people during that era. In addition, the architectural tradition promoted the ideals of moderation and harmony, and these are crucial values in a society. For instance, these principles were revealed in the gigantic shapes and timbers, symbolizing unity and balance in society. There was a belief that the new national style would set the groundwork that would promote morality, social harmony, and responsibility among individuals in society.
It is evident that the Greek Revival played a considerable role in the political, social, and cultural foundation of the U.S. The political democracies in the U.S were established based on the democratic principles of Ancient Greek. To date, Greek architecture is still being used in major monuments and public buildings in the country. It is a symbolic replication of the U.S democratic ideals. Therefore, the Greek Revival had a great influence on America's political, social, and cultural underpinnings.
References
Goodsell, C. T. (2021). Architectural Power. In What Political Science Can Learn from the Humanities (pp. 181-231). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Khan, M. N. The Role of Architects in Shaping the Cultural Identity of a Nation through Architecture. Identity , 97 , 100.
Macaulay-Lewis, E. (2021). Antiquity in Gotham: The Ancient Architecture of New York City . Fordham Univ Press.
