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Salutati had invited Chrysoloras to Florence to teach Greek. It was at this time that Leonardo Bruni, one of Salutati’s pupils, became acquainted with and studied under Chrysoloras. Under the tutelage of these two great men, Leonardo Bruni grew to be the greatest leader of the civic humanism movement. Like Salutati, Bruni was an expert in Latin, advocated for liberal arts education, found more ancient manuscripts, became a tutor in the Medici house, and was Salutati’s successor as Chancellor of Florence. Bruni encouraged the skill of oratory. He was excited when the writings of Quintilian, heralded as the best orator of his time, were discovered. To understand why Bruni placed such value on the works of this great orator, we must understand a prominent phrase of the time. That is, sapientia et eloquentia. This Latin phrase is translated into English as “wisdom with eloquence.” This phrase accurately reflects the passion of the time, and also in civic humanism, to use education to reach and persuade a large audience. The civic humanists weren’t learning just for the sake of gathering information. They wanted to use their education towards purposes that benefited the community by becoming engaged in politics. With that as their goal, they needed the skills of both reason and oration to build strong arguments and communicate them to others. The backbone of civic humanism was bettering oneself by accumulating knowledge and then refining the virtuous skills of oratory and eloquence in order to convince others of your ideas. In essence, “sapientia et eloquentia.” These leaders of civic humanism in the renaissance period, Salutati and Bruni, were also examples for the founders of The United States of America. The founding fathers followed the same pattern of investing in education so they could serve their fellowman. One well known example of this is our first president, George Washington. During his first inaugural address4 he referred multiple times to the important role God had in providing for the freedom Americans had gained, as well as God’s importance in the creation of their Republican government. Washington also beautifully expressed his love for his country and his people. He relayed that he had so looked forward to returning home to private life and rest. But, as he said, “I was summoned by my Country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love.”5 This displays the dedicated commitment Washington had to serving his people, which is a sentiment that Salutati and Bruni also shared, as well as a shared faith in Christian religion. Further, they shared a love for the Republican form of government, which allowed for a sovereign populace which had a high level of responsibility and engagement in politics. Although there may not be evidence that the founding fathers were directly familiar with (or had access to) the works of Leonardo Bruni or Coloccio Salutati, it is apparent that the founding fathers immersed themselves in the study of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and the structure of their republics. One of the ancient texts that the early Americans relied on the most to help them structure their new republic was Cicero’s De Republica.6 Bruni heralded that same work by Cicero as the most desirable book to scholars.7 Additionally, because Salutati and Bruni played a major role in recovering the ancient manuscripts from Greece and Rome, they were necessary predecessors to America’s founding. Without them and their work, which they did based on moral motivations and a desire to serve their community, our founding fathers would not have had the texts from the ancient political philosophers that were required to form our country. Nor would the founding fathers have had access to the broader classical education that increased their intelligence and capacity to serve their country. According to one source, by the time they were fifteen every signer of the constitution would have studied Cicero, Plato, Virgil, Homer, and more great classical authors.8 This would not have been possible without the work of Salutati, Bruni, and others of their time who revived the great classics. Twenty-first century Americans clearly have inherited a legacy of gaining knowledge to serve their country. Most people are aware of anecdotes that relay the spirit of selflessness and sacrifice of the early patriots, but they are likely unaware of the legacy of renaissance civic humanism that they have also inherited, through the early American patriots. But, regardless, how do U.S. citizens today measure up to the standard of civic humanism? The answer to this question is not simple; it is complex. Although there are many people who care about serving their country and being engaged in their community, many certainly do not. Everyone could take a page out of Salutati, Bruni, or Washington’s book(s) (literally and figuratively), and improve on the fulfillment of their civic responsibilities. 8 Cottage Kids ✯ Moms for America Kids 5: The Valor of Virtue