The ancient Athenians played a role in how the United States government was established. Its laws and government served as models for countries in the modern world. For example, the idea of two legislative bodies reflects influence from ancient Greece. Use your knowledge of the role played by Ancient Athens on how the United States government was established to complete the missing boxes on your third chart.
Athenian Government
Athenian Concept
American Democracy
American Democracy Concept
The Archon
Athens set 30 years as the minimum age to be an archon
The President
The United States set 35 years as the minimum age to be president.
The Council of 500
The lower house legislature of France under the Constitution
The Constitution
The U.S. Senate has two people to represent each state.
Athenian House
House of Representatives
The Constitution gave Congress the power to determine the size of the House and to divide representation according to state population. States with large populations have more representatives than small states.
The Law and Courts
Supreme court
The U.S. uses judges and juries. The U.S. has 12 jurors per case.
Every citizen had to vote on every issue. Decisions were made based on a consensus from the majority of voters.
Representative/Indirect Democracy
When citizens elect people to vote for them.
Citizenship limited
Over the years, the laws have been changed to allow citizens who were non-landowners, former slaves, Native Americans, and women to vote. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed to support minorities and remove the literacy requirements for voting.
Focus Question: How important of a role did the ideas from ancient Greek civilizations play in the development of the American political process?
