Influences of Ancient Greece and Rome on American Government: EOC review video
Summary
TLDRThis video script explores the profound influence of ancient Greece and Rome on the formation of the United States government. It highlights the polis concept, civic participation, and the constitution from Greece, and the republicanism, rule of law, and separation of powers from Rome. The script humorously explains how these historical ideas shaped the American system of government, including city governance, voting rights, and legislative bodies, while also touching on the challenges of wealth disparity and the importance of checks and balances.
Takeaways
- ποΈ Ancient Greece had a significant influence on the formation of the United States government, including ideas like constitutions, citizen participation, and city governance.
- πΊοΈ The concept of the 'polis' in ancient Greece, which is a city with its own government and laws, mirrors the structure of cities in the United States with their own local governments.
- π Ancient Greece introduced the idea of a constitution, a written document outlining government functions and powers, which influenced the U.S. Constitution.
- π₯ Civic participation in ancient Greece, exemplified by the Athenian assembly, encouraged direct citizen involvement in government decisions, a concept that parallels U.S. democracy.
- π The limitations on voting rights in ancient Greece, which were restricted to a small percentage of the population, influenced early U.S. voting customs, although these have since evolved.
- ποΈ The legislative bodies of ancient Greece, which were responsible for all government functions, laid the groundwork for the concept of law-making bodies in the U.S. government.
- π The Roman Empire's republicanism, where elected officials represented the people, influenced the U.S. system of representative government.
- π³οΈ Roman civic participation involved citizens in local governance, similar to the U.S., but with the added expectation that they could also serve as representatives.
- βοΈ The Roman concept of the rule of law, where everyone is accountable to the law, has been a foundational principle in the U.S. legal system.
- π The Roman practice of separation of powers and checks and balances has been adopted by the U.S. government to prevent any one branch from having too much authority.
- π The script humorously regrets not comparing ancient Greek fashion with modern American fashion, highlighting the presenter's engaging storytelling style.
Q & A
What is the main influence of ancient Greece on the United States government?
-Ancient Greece influenced the United States government through concepts like the polis, constitutions, citizen participation, voting, and the idea of a city having its own independent government.
What does the term 'polis' refer to in the context of ancient Greece?
-The term 'polis' refers to a city-state in ancient Greece, each having its own government, laws, and citizen participation structures.
How did the geography of ancient Greece affect the formation of city-states?
-The mountainous terrain of ancient Greece made it impractical for a single government to rule over large areas, leading to the formation of different city-states with their own governments and laws.
What is an example of how the concept of the polis is reflected in the United States?
-In the United States, cities like Tampa and Miami have their own local governments, laws, and police forces, reflecting the concept of the polis from ancient Greece.
What was the significance of the written constitution in ancient Greece?
-The written constitution in ancient Greece was significant as it established the rules and limitations of the government, which was somewhat uncommon at the time.
How did the concept of civic participation in ancient Greece differ from modern voting rights?
-In ancient Greece, civic participation was encouraged, and there were punishments for not participating, such as painting one's clothes red for not attending the assembly. However, not everyone had voting rights; foreigners, slaves, children, women, and men who did not complete their military training were not eligible to vote.
What is the difference between direct voting and republicanism as forms of government?
-Direct voting involves individuals voting on specific issues or choices, while republicanism, or representative government, involves voting for people who will represent the citizens in government and make choices on their behalf.
How did the Roman Empire's size influence its adoption of republicanism?
-The large size of the Roman Empire made it impractical for direct voting across the vast territories. Instead, they adopted republicanism, where elected representatives would make decisions for the people they represented.
What is the 'rule of law' and how did it develop in Rome?
-The 'rule of law' is the principle that everyone is accountable to the law, regardless of their status. In Rome, this concept developed to address the divide between the wealthy and the poor, leading to the creation of the 12 Tables, a series of civil laws that applied to all citizens.
How did the Roman concept of separation of powers influence the United States government?
-The Roman concept of separating government power into different branches influenced the United States government structure, where powers are divided among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent any single branch from having too much power.
What is the purpose of checks and balances in the United States government?
-Checks and balances in the United States government serve to ensure that no single branch has unchecked power. It allows each branch to limit the powers of the others, such as the legislative branch's ability to impeach a president or the executive branch's ability to veto legislation.
Outlines
ποΈ Influence of Ancient Greece on American Society and Government
The first paragraph introduces the significant impact of ancient Greece on the formation of the United States government and society. It humorously sets the scene in 1959, then corrects to ancient Greece, emphasizing the historical influence on American civic structures. The video script explains that the concept of the 'polis' or city-state in Greece, with its own government and laws, mirrors the independent governance found in American cities. It also touches on the origins of ideas like constitutions, citizen participation, voting, and city governance, which were adopted from the Greek model of democracy, particularly highlighting the example of Athens and its assembly.
π³οΈ Voting Rights and Legislative Bodies in Ancient Greece and Rome
The second paragraph delves into the specifics of voting rights in ancient Greece, noting the limited pool of eligible voters, which included only a small percentage of the population. It contrasts this with the early voting customs in the United States, which also had restrictive voting rights. The paragraph then transitions to the influence of ancient Rome, discussing the Roman Empire's vast territory and its adoption of republicanism, where elected officials represented the people. It explains the Roman civic participation and the concept of the rule of law, which aimed to ensure that all citizens, regardless of wealth, were subject to the law. The 12 Tables of Roman law are mentioned as a rebalancing act to apply laws equally to all social classes.
ποΈποΈ Combining Greek and Roman Influences in the U.S. Government
The final paragraph wraps up the discussion by highlighting the integration of Greek and Roman influences in the American government. It describes the Roman practice of separation of powers and checks and balances, which were adapted into the U.S. governmental structure. The paragraph explains how the legislative branch writes laws subject to approval by the executive branch, which can either sign or veto them. It also mentions the legislative branch's power to impeach the president for illegal activities or improper conduct, showcasing the mutual checks and balances between branches. The video concludes by summarizing how the United States government has modeled itself after these ancient societies, blending democratic participation with the rule of law and representative governance.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Ancient Greece
π‘Polis
π‘Constitution
π‘Civic Participation
π‘Democracy
π‘Republic
π‘Representative Government
π‘Rule of Law
π‘Separation of Powers
π‘Checks and Balances
Highlights
The United States government has been significantly influenced by ancient Greece, setting trends for government structures and societal norms.
Ancient Greece's concept of the 'polis' or city, influenced the structure of city governments in the United States.
Each polis in ancient Greece had its own government and laws, reflecting the diversity in local governance similar to that in the U.S.
Ancient Greece's mountainous terrain contributed to the development of distinct city-states with unique governance.
The city of Tampa in Florida exemplifies the American city structure, with its own government and laws under the state and federal jurisdiction.
The idea of a constitution, a written document outlining government functions and powers, originated from ancient Greece.
Athens practiced democracy with direct citizen participation in government decisions, unlike the dual king system of Sparta.
Civic participation in ancient Greece was encouraged, with citizens meeting in assemblies to make executive decisions.
Ancient Greece had voting rights that determined eligibility for participation in elections, affecting early U.S. voting customs.
Legislative bodies in ancient Greece were responsible for all government functions, influencing the U.S. law-making process.
Ancient Rome's republicanism, electing officials to represent the people, is a concept embraced in the U.S. government.
The Roman Empire's size necessitated a representative system to manage the diverse and expansive territories.
The concept of the rule of law in Rome ensured everyone, regardless of status, was accountable to the law.
The 12 Tables in Rome were civil laws created to apply to both the poor and the wealthy, rebalancing societal power.
The separation of powers in Roman government limited the concentration of authority by distributing it across different branches.
Checks and balances in Roman government allowed branches to limit each other's power, a concept adopted by the U.S.
The United States government's structure, incorporating ideas from both ancient Greece and Rome, reflects a blend of direct democracy and representative governance.
Transcripts
the United States government of today
has been influenced by many things but
perhaps none greater than the influence
of Greece
[Applause]
the story is set in 1959 where this
American Musical classic takes place
wait this can't be right
ah let's see yes ancient Greece has had
a tremendous impact on American society
creating all kinds of health problems
for us here in the United States
oh my gosh guys welcome back to Civics
review and today we're going to be
learning about ancient Greece the
country and the reason we're doing this
in civics class is because the United
States the formation of this country and
the government is really heavily
influenced by this ancient culture we
love what they were doing right this
word ancient means it comes from our
past and Greece was the country that
sort of set the trends for what was cool
and how to wear your hair and what your
government could look like and what they
did 2 000 years ago really resonated
with us when we were forming our nation
we wanted to look like them and walk
like them we wanted to smell like them
yeah so if you've ever wondered where
the U.S came up with ideas like
constitutions and citizen participation
voting and even the concept of a city
having its own independent government
then look no further than the influences
of ancient Greece
foreign
[Music]
I do regret to inform you that we will
not be looking and comparing the
Fashions of ancient Greeks and modern
day Americans I apologize in advance
so let's start with the first influence
from ancient Greece which was the polis
and this is the Greek word for City now
I'm not trying to say that Americans
stole the concept of a city from the
ancient Greeks we're just trying to
mention that City structures in America
are very similar to the way they were
structured in ancient Greece each polis
had its own government its own laws that
were quite different from cities nearby
and they all had different requirements
for how citizens should participate in
their local governments now the reason
ancient Greece had cities that had their
own governments and different laws
everywhere you went was mostly based on
their Terrain in the very mountainous
regions of ancient Greece it was very
impractical for one government to rule
over every spot on top of the mountain
and so you had places like Athens which
had its own government laws and citizen
participation that was quite different
from everyone around them yet they
remained a part of Greece the country it
works much the same way in the United
States because hey we really wanted to
be like ancient Greece so let's take
Florida for an example where we have the
city of Tampa they've got their own
mayor they have their own Tampa specific
laws and of course they have their own
police force the people of Tampa vote
for these leaders they participate in
this government and they adhere to the
laws and rules of the city on the other
coast we have Miami
they've got different issues on the
other coasts and so they have their own
mayor and their own laws and law
enforcers to help deal with their
specific issues both cities still fall
under the jurisdiction of the State of
Florida and of course belong to the
greater authority of the country of the
United States of America
another big influence of ancient Greece
on the USA was the idea of a
constitution and this is a written
document that establishes how a
government can function and what kind of
powers it has now the concept of writing
down The rules for how the government
should act and behave might not seem
super special to you but back in the
time of the ancient Greeks it was
somewhat uncommon for a king or someone
in charge of a country to actually write
down the laws and the rules as well as
the limitations of the government each
polis had its own Constitution because
they had their own government right
Athens had democracy where people voted
directly on things but the Spartans had
a completely different form of
government hosting two kings at one time
[Music]
another influential concept of ancient
Greece was the idea of civic
participation and this is where citizens
were encouraged to participate in their
government the polis Athens is the best
example that we can use and in Athens
they met an assembly which was like a
large group of citizens and they would
do things like make executive
pronouncements the people themselves
would declare war if they decided that's
what they wanted to do assembly was also
responsible for electing officials and
they even acted as judge and jury trying
political crimes in Assembly not only
did they encourage you to participate in
government but there were punishments if
you didn't the most hilarious of which
is they would paint your clothes red if
you didn't show up for assembly dude now
while I mentioned that they could elect
officials not everybody in Greece
actually could and this is another
influence that Greece had on America in
ancient Greece they had what was known
as voting rights these voting rights
determined who could vote in elections
and it was a very small percentage of
the people foreigners slaves children
and women and even men who did not
complete their military training were
not eligible to vote in ancient Greece
many of the U.S customs for voting
originally started with similar Concepts
yes when the country first formed not
very many people could vote but we'll
save that for another video
the last influential concept from
ancient Greece is the legislative bodies
and when we say this we are referring to
the law-making body of government now
the Greek legislative bodies kind of did
it all nowadays we divide the powers of
the government into other branches but
this singular branch of government in
Greece and its citizen involvement were
responsible for all manner of government
functions okay that wraps it up for
ancient Greece but the second culture
that had a major influence on American
government is that of ancient Rome you
can see here from the map that the Roman
Empire was massive they conquered so
much territory including Greece which
actually fits into the Roman Empire now
you're probably asking how do they get
so much territory and the simple answer
is they had a better military and better
military tactics
now Rome kind of modeled their
government after Greece but they had to
make several changes because of the
sheer size of their empire and one of
those was republicanism and we love this
concept here in America this is simply
electing government officials to
represent the people in government let's
take a closer look when you think about
voting for something you're probably
thinking about direct voting in which
the individual votes on what they want
directly whether it's food or some kind
of public issue but in a republic you do
not vote for the individual things you
actually vote for people and these
people will represent you in government
and make choices for everybody that they
represent now the reason this works very
well in Rome is because of the size of
their empire it was too impractical to
go halfway around Europe asking
everybody what they wanted and was more
practical to choose several individuals
to represent them in government to make
those choices for them and oh yeah by
the way in a large spread out Empire
with lots of different cultures and
languages it's really hard to
communicate what we're voting on elected
representatives would speak the Latin
language which and could communicate
when they traveled to Rome to
communicate what their representatives
wanted in government we have a very
similar system here in the United States
where we have a large spread out society
and we elect representatives to
represent us in government and travel to
Washington DC to do their government
things
you might also hear this term as
representative government and not
republicanism but it kind of means the
same thing right this is a government in
which officials are elected by their
people to represent their ideas and
concerns and this can include a
president a governor of a state and even
lawmakers
now the Romans also had their own civic
participation that was similar to Greece
but kind of different and again all
citizens were expected to take part and
be active in their government and they
had to attend their assembly meetings
where they would vote for local leaders
they could also run for political office
because we are voting and electing
representatives you could be one of
those Representatives although you kind
of needed a little bit of money since
the job didn't pay so only the wealthy
ended up doing this speaking of which
this caused a number of problems for the
Roman society later on and that's where
we get to the rule of law the rule of
law is simply a concept it's like an
idea that everyone is accountable to the
law everybody has to follow the rules
whether you're rich or poor but in Rome
the average citizens who really didn't
have enough money to run for political
office found themselves in a Great
Divide between the wealthy citizens laws
in Rome created by the wealthy seem to
only apply to the poor people and the
wealthy people were sort of above these
rules and so in an effort to bridge the
gap and make sure both poor and Wealthy
had to follow rules they created the 12
tables and these were a series of civil
laws that were created to not only apply
to the poor people but also to the
wealthy this is sort of a rebalancing of
power in Rome where they all agreed that
everybody kind of needs to follow these
rules otherwise it's not a fun Society
to be in and this concept has greatly
influenced the us where we don't want
wealthy people or famous people or
people that work in the government to be
above the rules of the Common Man
another thing the Romans did that we
loved was called separation of powers
and this is simply dividing the
government power into different
independent branches their separation of
powers didn't look quite like ours did
but the concept is there right of
limiting your government by spreading
out the power
and finally the Romans had checks and
balances which was the ability for each
branch to sort of stop the other the
Romans created term limits for those who
served in office at least for the consul
position and they also had age
requirements they gave their branches
veto power and even had two consoles in
office just in case one of them went
power hungry fast forward over a
thousand years later and you see the
United States government was influenced
by Rome and here's an example of checks
and balances using our three branches
the main function of the legislative
branch is to write laws but they can't
just pass laws on their own after they
write them they have to be approved by
the other branch which would be the
Executive Branch the executive branch
might either sign the bill into law make
it official or veto the bill which is a
rejection of the bill in this way the
executive branch can check the power of
the other Branch if they're creating
laws that the U.S really doesn't need or
most of the people don't want now checks
and balances works both ways the
legislative branch also has the power to
stop the executive branch and the way
they do this is a little thing called
impeachment if the president which is
the head of the Executive Branch is
doing something illegal a federal crime
or just their behavior is improper and
you can't see my air quotes here but I'm
doing it then they may be removed from
office by the Legislative Branch it
takes a lot of doing but it can be done
and it has been done before and so we've
taken these ideas from Rome like checks
and balances and the rule of law and
these ideas from Greece like civic
participation and democracy and we sort
of modeled our government after these
two older societies
okay that's it for now thanks so much
for sticking to the end of my video I
hope you enjoyed it I hope you learned
something we'll make more videos soon
[Music]
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