Ancient Greece: Democracy is born

Transcription

1 Ancient Greece: Democracy is born By USHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 560 Level MAX This painting by Philipp von Foltz shows the Athenian politician Pericles delivering a famous funeral speech to the Assembly. Image from: Wikimedia Commons. Ancient Greece was made up of several small city-states, including Athens and Sparta. Democracy began in Athens around 500 B.C. when democracy began. The citizens of Athens were given the right to vote. Not everyone in Athens was considered a citizen, however. Only free, adult men enjoyed the rights and responsibility of citizenship. That meant only about 20 percent of the population of Athens were citizens. Women were not citizens and therefore could not vote or have any say in the political process. They were rarely permitted out in public and were even restricted as to where they could be within their own homes. Slaves and foreigners were not citizens, either, and also could not participate in the democracy. In the end, democracy existed only for the free men who were originally from Athens. A Worthy Contribution Nevertheless, the idea of democratic government is one of the most significant contributions of the ancient Greeks. The city-state of Athens had one of the largest democracies in terms of population. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 1

2 Early in Athens' history (around 594 B.C.), a man named Solon enacted reforms that helped reduce the growing gap between the rich and the poor. Poor citizens gained the right to sit in the assembly and to vote. Later, Cleisthenes expanded the democracy by giving every citizen equal rights. He also created a legislative body whose members were picked randomly from the general population of citizens. Typically, the citizens of Athens would gather in the agora when there was an assembly meeting. The agora, a fixture of every major Greek city-state, was a large open space in the middle of the city-state that contained a marketplace as well as government buildings. There, citizens would mingle and discuss the issues of the day before gathering for the assembly meeting. During the meeting, citizens were free to express their opinions and cast their votes. The courts, too, were usually in the agora. The juries in court cases were very large, often numbering in the hundreds and sometimes in the thousands. To be fair, Athenians wanted their juries to reflect the general population. There were no lawyers. Each citizen was expected to make his own case. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 2

3 In Athens, the people governed, and the majority ruled. All citizens had equal rights and powers. Athenian democracy depended on every citizen fulfilling his role. All citizens were expected to vote, but they were also expected to serve in the government if necessary. Every citizen was required to participate or suffer punishment. This practice stands in stark contrast to modern democratic governments in which citizens can choose whether or not they wish to participate. In Athenian democracy, all citizens pulled their weight. In a city-state as small as Athens, a pure democracy was possible. As states grew larger, the notion of electing representatives to make decisions for the public became more practical. But the idea that every citizen has a voice important enough to be heard originated in ancient Athens. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 3

4 Quiz 1 Read the summary below. Choose the answer that BEST fits into the blank to complete the summary. The first democracy began 2,500 years ago in Athens, Greece, but not everyone was able to participate in democracy. Early in the history of democracy, Solon tried to help poor citizens get the right to vote and Cleisthenes later gave all citizens in Athens equal rights.. In contrast to the Athenian idea of requiring citizens to participate in government, modern democracies let their citizens choose to vote and many elect representatives to make decisions for them. Which answer BEST completes the summary? During that time, people came together in agoras to discuss important ideas and all citizens were expected to vote. During that time, people were randomly chosen to be lawmakers and the gap between the rich and poor closed. During that time, people created a legislative group and the members were all chosen because of their importance. During that time, people got the right to sit on the assembly and the government of Athens became the largest democracy ever. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 4

5 2 Read the paragraph that follows the introduction [paragraphs 1-2]. Nevertheless, the idea of democratic government is one of the most significant contributions of the ancient Greeks. The city-state of Athens had one of the largest democracies in terms of population. What is the relationship between the introduction [paragraphs 1-2] and the paragraph that follows the introduction in the article? The introduction explains how democracy was created in Athens and the following paragraph explains how democracy spread widely throughout the population of the city-state of Athens. The introduction explains how democracy excluded many people in Athens and the following paragraph explains that the idea of democracy was still important despite being imperfect. The introduction explains who was not considered a citizen in Athens and the following paragraph explains how they could still participate in the democracy of Greece. The introduction explains where the idea of the first democracy came from and the following paragraph lists all of the ways ancient Greeks have contributed to the spread of democracy. 3 Which sentence from the article highlights the idea that democracy has changed since it began in Athens 2,500 years ago? In a city-state as small as Athens, a pure democracy was possible. All citizens were expected to vote, but they were also expected to serve in the government if necessary. As states grew larger, the notion of electing representatives to make decisions for the public became more practical. But the idea that every citizen has a voice important enough to be heard originated in ancient Athens. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 5

6 4 Read the sentence below. In Athenian democracy, all citizens pulled their weight. Which piece of evidence BEST explains how Athenians pulled their weight in dealing with court cases? Typically, the citizens of Athens would gather in the agora when there was an assembly meeting. There, citizens would mingle and discuss the issues of the day before gathering for the assembly meeting. The courts, too, were usually in the agora. The juries in court cases were very large, often numbering in the hundreds and sometimes in the thousands. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 6