The Origins Of Democracy

Read the passage from a speech given by the Athenian leader Pericles. Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to be imitated than imitators ourselves. Its administration favors the many instead of the few; this is why it is called democracy. If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences. . . . [C]lass considerations [are not] allowed to interfere with merit; nor again does poverty bar the way, if a man is able to serve the state, he is not hindered by the obscurity of his condition. Pericles claimed that the Athenian government, unlike other Greek city-states,

All citizens in ancient Athens took part in government by voting in the

A republic is a form of government where

A bicameral legislature is made up of how many bodies?

A benefit of a bicameral legislature is that it

Which of these statements best describes the Greek city-states?

Read the quotation from the Greek philosopher Aristotle. [A] state which becomes progressively more and more a unity will cease to be a state at all. Plurality of numbers is natural in a state; and the further it moves away from plurality towards unity, the less of a state it becomes. Aristotle believed that the citizens of a successful state must

The Ten Commandments are a list of rules for

Where did democracy begin?

How many of the Ten Commandments can be found in the laws of the United States?

Judeo-Christian principles refer to the religious beliefs and values held in common by

The most important way in which the Greeks influenced American democracy was by allowing

In what way did ancient Athens influence the framers of the United States Constitution?

What would most surprise an ancient Athenian about government in the United States today?

In addition to Judeo-Christian principles, American government was influenced by principles first used in ancient Greece and in

Because the framers of the United States Constitution were concerned about citizens having too much power, they