KK> Some 15 years ago or so, I recall reading an article in what was then
 KK> the CoEvolution Quarterly, now the Whole Earth Review. The basic thesis
 KK> was that we Americans (and other British colonies) do not get our
 KK> political system from the Greeks and Romans; rather we get our system
 KK> from the Vikings.
   I'm afraid I can't shed much light on this because even such recent 
istory
must certainly be subject to frequent discoveries.  It is certainly not 
ikely
that the assumptions about American history and motives that were drilled 
nto
us as school boys and girls have much besides mythical value.  I don't think
American historians would discount the validity of the heritage of the 
nglish
legal structure as it played out in the early settlements.  Since the census
of 1890 resulted in declaring the frontier officially closed there has been
vigorous debate about the relative importance of the various influences.  The
presence of free land ever to the west is a huge factor, probably towering
over, in many cases, the constraints of legal structures which, however,
furnished something of a rough framework.  It is quite easy to see the
settlement of North America by the English as merely a continuation and a
further extension of the expansion into Ireland.  
   When we study English constitutional history (I had to tackle Stubbs and
others in grad school) we are emphasizing a structure given vitality and
organization by the Norman successors of William the Conqueror who certainly
was representative of the Viking raids into southern Europe, giving
institutionalization to institutions that had come down from Charlemagne.  As
late as the 19th century there were petitions to English courts to be tried
under the legalities of these ancient structures such as Trial by Ordeal and
the like.  
   My professor in English Constitutional History seriously believed (grin)
that students should rise when the professor entered the room and that both
teachers and students should wear the medieval academic robes.  Thankfully, 
e
did not prevail!
   Another truth to which your observation calls attention is that VERY few 
f
those "founding fawthers"  actually fit our picture of well-educated 
entlemen
with knowledge of the Romans and Greeks and possessing large libraries.
Washington was self-educated and not one of the scholars we imagine to have
sprinkled our countryside liberally during our "founding."  Franklin was a
kind of Renaissance figure but not the Ivory tower type by any means.  He was
more the practical type but at home in the salons of Europe. 
Sincerely, 
                                     Frank
                                                                              
                                                       
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