Virgil | Tenth Amendment Center

Vergil: Poet Laureate of the American Founding

by Rob Natelson | Sep 26, 2025 | Ancients, History

The reverse side of the dollar bill reproduces the Great Seal of the United States. On the left is the back of the seal. It features two Latin phrases. Annuit coeptis means “He [i.e., God] has approved our undertakings.” It is an abbreviation of a line from a prayer...

The ideas that formed the Constitution: Virgil alone

by Rob Natelson | Jan 30, 2023 | Founding Principles

The previous (ninth) essay in this series identified three Roman poets quoted by participants in the constitutional debates of 1787–1790—Ovid, Horace, and Virgil. The essay explained why Virgil was the most influential: “If the American Founding had a poet laureate,”...

The ideas that formed the Constitution: Virgil and other poets

by Rob Natelson | Jan 24, 2023 | Founding Principles

Answering Questions About This Series Some questions have arisen on this series, which I think best to clear up now. First: As the series title indicates, these essays are about the ideas contributing to the American Constitution, not about the goals of the American...

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Vergil: Poet Laureate of the American Founding

The ideas that formed the Constitution: Virgil alone

The ideas that formed the Constitution: Virgil and other poets

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