America: The Modern Day Athens :: essays research papers

America The Modern Day Athens"We do not repeat our Ancestors, but are an example to them. It is true weare called a Democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many andnot in the few. " This is the foundation for which democracy is ruled. Withoutthis democracy does not exist. In this essay there will be comparisons ofAthenian democracy and our modern day democracyGreece, in ancient times, was not a united land. There existed many littleprovinces of control, called city-states. Two examples of the more powerful andlasting city-states were Sparta and Athens. Sparta, whose people lived anaustere and militaristic form of life, based its government on the needs of thearmy which things centered around this.Athens, another powerful city-state, developed a more balanced life for itscitizens. Central to this development was the rise of democracy. Called the" provenance of democracy," Athens developed a reign over democracy. Those citizens thatwere eligible cou ld speak at forums and vote on issues. These people were knownas the Council of 500 they were chosen annually. To be elected they had to beat least 25 years of age and a citizen. They positionly had a voice. This is whyAthens is an example of a direct democracy. A point should be made here thatAthens, for all its noble ideas about men being able to govern themselves,excluded most of the people that lived inwardly its cities walls. Women, forexample had no say in government. They were subjected to running the homes,raising children, and tending to the needs of their husbands. Slavery, whichexisted in Athens, also caused a blot on the noble experimentation of democracy.Slaves had no vote, no participation in government, and no recourse from a cruelmaster.Athenian government relied upon direct democracy to raise taxes, make laws,and hit armed forces when necessary.The American experiment in democracy differs significantly from theAthenian form of government. America utilizes a repr esentative form ofdemocracy. Because of the huge population, when compared to Athens, a directdemocracy is impractical. Americans vote for representatives to the Legislativeand Executive branches of government. It is hoped by the citizen that therepresentatives that are elected protect their constituents interests.There are, however, some dark spots on our form of government. care theAthenians, America did not grant slaves the right to vote. It took a Civil Warthat nearly destroyed our nation before slavery was abolished and that portionof the population could nurse a say in our government. Additionally, women, who