America: The Modern Day Athens :: essays research papers

the States The Modern Day capital of Greece"We do not copy our Ancestors, but are an example to them. It is true weare call(a)ed a Democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the umpteen andnot in the few. " This is the foundation for which democracy is ruled. Withoutthis democracy does not exist. In this essay in that respect will be comparisons ofAthenian democracy and our modern day democracyGreece, in ancient times, was not a united land. in that respect existed many littleprovinces of control, called city-states. Two examples of the to a greater extent powerful andlasting city-states were Sparta and Athens. Sparta, whose people lived an bleak and militaristic form of life, based its government on the needs of the soldiers 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"cradle of democracy," Athens developed a tak e aim democracy. Those citizens thatwere eligible could speak at forums and take 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 directly 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 close to of the people that lived within its cities walls. Women, forexample had no say in government. They were subjected to rail the homes,raising children, and tending to the needs of their husbands. Slavery, whichexisted in Athens, also caused a imperfection on the noble sample of democracy.Slaves had no pick out, no participation in government, and no recourse from a cruelmaster.Athenian government relied upon direct democracy to raise taxes, make laws,and gather armed forces when necessary.The American experiment in democracy differs significantly f rom theAthenian form of government. America utilizes a representative 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. Like theAthenians, America did not grant slaves the right to vote. It took a Civil Warthat just about destroyed our nation before slavery was abolished and that portionof the population could agree a say in our government. Additionally, women, who