“To read the Latin and Greek authors in their original is a sublime luxury… I thank on my knees him who directed my early education for having in my possession this rich course of delight.” -Thomas Jefferson

Our American founding fathers lived in a culture saturated with the Classics (i.e. Latin and Greek). Most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution could read and write Latin. How many of our legislators could boast the same today? It is difficult to imagine the type of country our founders would have created had they not known so much about the history and government of ancient Rome, from the abuses of its first 7 kings (the last of whom they threw out in 509 B.C., declaring themselves a Republic and electing new leaders every year!), to the prosperity and growth of the Republic for nearly 500 years, to the decadence and power of the Empire for nearly 500 more years. This history permeated the books and classrooms of early America, where preparing for college meant studying Latin and Greek and the respective histories and cultures. What would America look like if the founders hadn’t learned Latin?

This weekend Caleb and Sophie helped me put together this blog to help deliver classroom content a little more efficiently.  Click on the tabs at the top of the page to access different audio and video clips.  I plan to post a new Conversational Latin, LLPSI Grammar and Syntax Video, and flashcards to the page every week for the next year (a little ambitious, perhaps, but I work best with a goal in site). Also, I will post links to our weekly homework on this blog.

Let me know what you think.