The Greek Vision of America during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1830)

When the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821, the name "America" had already been standing for a symbol of freedom and democracy throughout Europe for nearly 50 years. This powerful symbol of liberty was integrated in the Greek vision of freedom. The United States of America instantly became a point of reference in the Greek public speech and the political discourse of the educated Greeks. The Greeks tried to legitimize their Revolution by making comparisons and finding similarities with the American Revolution. Moreover, the American Declaration of Independence (1776) and the American Constitution of 1787 influenced the Greek political thought and the formation of the Greek revolutionary constitutions. American democracy became a basic argument among those liberals who wanted to advocate in favor of an uncrowned republic, as the most suitable political system for Greece. The most prominent of them was Adamantios Korais, who discovered in the perfect function of American institutions an inspirational political model. On the other hand, there were many who considered that the American version of democracy was too premature for the newly born Greek nation-state. These are the main subjects of this article, which is also focusing on the formation of the Greek image of America within the framework of the needs, hopes and dreams of the Greek War of Independence.