Ms. McAuliffe

Participation in Government

Herbert H. Lehman High School

Athens:

Birthplace of Democracy

Introduction

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

These rights are guaranteed to every United States citizen by our Constitution, and this type of government is called a democracy. The Constitution states that these rights are inalienable; that they can never be rightfully taken away. Before the ratification of the Constitution, no such rights existed for the colonists. The thirteen original American colonies had to fight a war against Great Britain to attain freedom and self-determination as a democracy.

The United States' Constitution, written and signed by our Founding Fathers was influenced by centuries of political thought and philosophy about what type of government was the best and what the relationship between government and people should be. The origins of our democratic tradition can be traced by to an ancient Greek city-state by the name of Athens.

An Ancient Greek water clock, from The Greeks documentary Athens was one of the most important cities in ancient Greece. It developed from an ancient Mycenaean city located in Attica. As Athens grew, it took in all of the surrounding farmlands and became the largest of the city-states. Because it was located near the Aegean Sea, long-distance trade added to Athens' wealth and power.

Early in its history, Athens was ruled by a monarchy. In 682 B.C., however, a group of wealthy aristocrats took over the government. Under the aristocracy, an assembly of landowners elected nine officials for one-year terms. As long as the city was prosperous, Athenians accepted this form of government.

Unfortunately a period of drought occurred and many farmers could not pay their debts. People who could not pay their debts were enslaved. Many Athenians, fearing the loss of their personal freedom, became dissatisfied and rebellious. From 632 B.C. to 621 B.C. various groups struggled with one another for power over Athens. Some citizens began to demand reforms in government.

You are an Athenian aristocrat elected to rule during a time of great social unrest. Many Athenians believe that too much power is in the hands of too few, and argue that government must be reformed. Many people are poor and cannot support themselves or their families, and argue that the government should help them. Athens is often at war with her neighbors. This means the city must maintain an army. The only way to pay for the army is to raise taxes. This also makes the people unhappy. Your job is to chose a specific period of unrest in the history of ancient Athens, identify a social problem that you will tackle as ruler of Athens and the social policy you are going to implement in order to address the problem.

Ancient Greece: The way it was

TASK

Your task for this Web Quest is to use the Internet to complete the PPA worksheets found at:

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppa/intro.html

Upon completion of the worksheet you will use your research to prepare a three to five page paper to hand in which you will specify the following:

a. What is the social problem?

b. What is the evidence that the problem existed in Athens?

c. What were the causes of the problem?

The Origin of the Olympic Games d. What were some policies that Athenian leaders used to address the problem?

e. What policies can you create to correct the problem?

f. Which is the best policy to correct the problem?

Process

Use the Internet to do the research using the PPA worksheets of the Tips Program to first identify the social problem you will be addressing and gather evidence to prove that it existed in ancient Athens. Then use the worksheets to describe the causes of the problem and to evaluate the policies enacted by important Athenian leaders to deal with them. Finally, suggest a policy of your own that you feel would better address the problem. After completing the worksheets, you will use your research to prepare a three to five page research report to hand in. The report should have a cover and a bibliography. It should be three to five typewritten pages; double- spaced and neatly presented. Use the Public Policy Analyst steps to begin your research as follows:

1. Identify the Problem

Go to http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppae/step1a.html

2. Gather Evidence

Go to http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppae/step2a.html

3. Determine Causes

Go to http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppae/step3a.html

4. Evaluate the Policy

Go to http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppae/step4a.html

Once you have completed your research you are ready to begin to write your paper. Use the following resources to complete the worksheets and to research material for your paper.

This is an original drawing done by Chris of a Greek bell krater. Kraters were used like punch bowls to mix both wine and water. (Image created in CorelDRAW 7)

Resources

http://members.aol.com/TeacherNet/AncientGreece.html

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/GREECE/ATHENS.HTM

http://home.freeuk.com/elloughton13/timeflie.htm

http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa042799.htm

http://www.e-classics.com/solon.htm

http://www.holoka.com/solon.htm

http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/characters/cleisthenes_p1.html

http://www.in2greece.com/english/historymyth/history/ancient/cleisthenes.htm

http://www.in2greece.com/english/historymyth/ancient_hist_and_myth.htm

http://mars.acnet.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/wc1/lectures/08pericles.html

http://www.e-classics.com/pericles.htm

http://www.anthro.mankato.msus.edu/prehistory/aegean/culture/classesofathens.html http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/htmlver/index.html

Croesus shows his treasures to Solon:1674 (Kunsthistorisches Museum) Painting: Oracle at Delphi

EVALUATION

Your report will be graded based on the following criteria:

Objective	Unsatisfactory	Satisfactory	Excellent	Earned Points
Identify the Problem	0 points • Does not accurately identify a social problem that existed in Athens • No worksheet	5 points • Identifies a social problem experienced in Athens • Partially completed worksheet.	10 points • Accurate description of specific social problem at a specific time in Athens's history • Completed worksheet.
Gather the Evidence	0 points • Does not provide evidence of a social problem that existed in Athens • No worksheet	5 points • Vague or inaccurate evidence to support the existence of a social problem experienced in Athens • Partially completed worksheet.	10 points • Accurate and complete examples to support the existence of a specific social problem at a specific time in Athens's history • Completed worksheet.
Describe the Causes of the Problem	0 points Does not accurately describe the cause of a social problem that existed in Athens • No worksheet	5 points • Vague or inaccurate description of the causes of a social problem experienced in Athens • Partially completed worksheet.	10 points • Accurate description of the causes of a specific social problem at a specific time in Athens's history • Completed worksheet.
Evaluate the Policy	0 points Does not identify or evaluate a policy that attempted to address the social problem that existed in Athens ; does not offer alternative policy • No worksheet	5 points • Identifies a policy that attempted to address the social problem experienced in Athens • Does not evaluate the policy and/or does not offer alternative policy • Partially completed worksheet.	10 points • Identifies and evaluates a policy that attempted to address the specific social problem at a specific time in Athens's history • Offers an alternative policy • Completed worksheet.
			Score:

Conclusion

By the end of this report you will have identified a social problem that existed in history. You will have examined attempts made by individuals who lived during that time to correct the situation. Using the resources given and any other outside knowledge of social studies you possess, you will detail a plan of your own that you would have implemented had you ruled Athens at that time, improving the situation to keep your people happy and to maintain your rule.

Upon completion of this project, you will have become familiar with some problems faced by rulers in the past, and the means available to them to propose solutions. You will become aware of the difficulties faced by governments at times when people are dissatisfied with their rule, and the lengths to which they are forced to go in order to maintain their power.

Students completing this project will meet the following New York State Standards:

Social Studies Standard 2

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

Key Idea 1: The study of world history requires an understanding of world cultures and civilizations, including an analysis of important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions. This study also examines the human condition and the connections and interactions of people across time and space and the ways different people view the same event or issue from a variety of perspectives.

Key Idea 3: Study of the major social, political, cultural, and religious developments in world history involves learning about the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups.

English Language Arts Standard 1

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

Key Idea: Listening & Reading to acquire information and understanding involves collecting data, facts, and ideas; discovering relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and using knowledge from oral, written, and electronic sources.

A reconstruction of Athenian voting practices from The Greeks documentary

A reconstruction of Athenian voting practices

From The Greeks, a documentary