| Term Paper Title | America: The Modern Day Athens |
| # of Words | 524 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) | 2.1 |
America: The Modern Day Athens
"We do not copy our Ancestors, but are an example to them. It is true we
are called a Democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and
not in the few. " This is the foundation for which democracy is ruled. Without
this democracy does not exist. In this essay there will be comparisons of
Athenian democracy and our modern day democracy
Greece, in ancient times, was not a united land. There existed many little
provinces of control, called city-states. Two examples of the more powerful and
lasting city-states were Sparta and Athens. Sparta, whose people lived an
austere and militaristic form of life, based its government on the needs of the
army which things centered around this.
Athens, another powerful city-state, developed a more balanced life for its
citizens. Central to this development was the rise of democracy. Called the
"cradle of democracy," Athens developed a direct democracy. Those citizens that
were eligible could speak at forums and vote on issues. These people were known
as the Council of 500; they were chosen annually. To be elected they had to be
at least 25 years of age and a citizen. They directly had a voice. This is why
Athens is an example of a direct democracy. A point should be made here that
Athens, for all its noble ideas about men being able to govern themselves,
excluded most of the people that lived within its cities walls. Women, for
example had no say in government. They were subjected to running the homes,
raising children, and tending to the needs of their husbands. Slavery, which
existed in Athens, also caused a blot on the noble experiment of democracy...Read entire document
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