A newly published book is prompting debate among historians regarding the origins of the U.S. Constitution, suggesting a significant, previously underappreciated influence from the Venetian Republic. Giancarmine Vicinanza’s “La Costituzione americana? È nata a Venezia” (Is the American Constitution Born in Venice?), released by Supernova Edizioni, argues that the Serenissima – Venice’s historical name – served as a “secret laboratory” for modern representative democracy, impacting the American Founding Fathers.
The book centers on the role of Filippo Mazzei, a Tuscan-born physician, merchant, and diplomat, and his connections to key figures in the American Revolution, including Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and James Madison. Vicinanza’s work details Mazzei’s correspondence and argues he actively sought to transplant ideas of liberty, informed by the Venetian model, to the New World.
Although the influence of Enlightenment thinkers like Montesquieu on the U.S. Constitution is well-established, Vicinanza posits that Venice’s unique political and institutional structure – characterized by a system of checks and balances – provided a practical, historical precedent. He highlights Venice’s early development of financial instruments like consolidated public debt and negotiable securities, predating similar innovations in other European powers by centuries, as evidence of its forward-thinking governance.
However, the book’s central thesis has drawn measured responses from some scholars. Aurelio Musi, a professor of political science at the University of Salerno and Vicinanza’s former thesis advisor, acknowledges the book’s contribution in reconstructing the relationship between Mazzei and the American revolutionaries, but cautions against overstating Venice’s influence. Musi notes that the American founders were inspired by a broader range of sources, including English political thought, French Enlightenment philosophy, and the federal structure of the Dutch Republic.
Musi suggests the book’s true value lies in its exploration of how a particular interpretation of Italian history – specifically, the emphasis on the civic humanism of Florence and Venice – gained prominence in American intellectual circles in the mid-20th century. He points to the emigration of European historians to the United States between the two World Wars, and their subsequent promotion of this narrative, as a key factor in shaping the perception of Venice as a foundational influence on American democracy. This, Musi argues, represents a case of “public use of history,” where historical narratives are employed to bolster contemporary political ideologies.
Vicinanza, a journalist and head of the press office for Confcooperative, published the book with a preface by Giuseppe De Filippi, the deputy director of Italy’s Tg5 news program. The book became available in bookstores and online on February 28, 2026.
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