Connecting with Past Learnings: Prehistory-1500 World History Unit 0

Essential Question What is democracy, and how has ancient philosophy and religion led to its development?

The Rise of Democratic Ideas: definition Definition: Ancient Greeks invented term- Demos: “the people,” kratos or cracy: “power, rule” Characteristics: Sovereignty and consent of the governed All people possess natural and inherent rights Rule of law Limits on the power of government Majority rule and minority rights Duties of citizenship S-those who are governed, the people, agree to be governed A- all human being possess rights that no government can take away arbitrarily...(The Bill of Rights: freedom of press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion) R-”a government of laws, not of men,” those in government and government itself had powers limited by written laws L- if the people’s rights are to be protected, government’s power must be limited... Idea behind separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and an independent judiciary M-the minority agrees to abide by the decision of the majority, majority in turn, agrees not to use its power against the minority unfairly... Part of social contract without which society cannot function D- citizenship carries responsibilities as well as rights... Citizens must be informed, vote, uphold the law

Representative Government in Greece and Rome Greeks-Founders of Democracy: divided into city- states (polis) “politics,” ruled by kings (tyrannos), 650 BC idea of self rule took hold...Athens had a direct democracy-all citizens voted...Plato distrusted democracy, Aristotle believed all forms of government has strengths and weaknesses Rome- formed a res publica (republic) power rests with citizens and elected officials to represent them...problems-women/slaves not citizens, senate was from upper classes Greeks introduced democracy, a direct democracy Rome introduced the idea of a representative government

Greco-Roman Views Law: Romans had written law code-12 Tables of the law were posted in the Roman marketplace for all to see. Reason and Faith: Greek philosophers believed that the world was based on certain natural laws, or truths, that could be discovered through reason. Duties of the individual: In Greece, all citizens participated in government; Romans believed that citizenship carried with it a duty to serve the state.

The Judeo-Christian Legacy Judaism and Christianity: moral and ethical principles influenced Western democratic thought; these principles contributed to the belief that all people, not just a limited group of citizens, deserve kindness and respect. Took 2000 years to alter political behavior-slavery practiced until 1800s, voting rights limited until 1900s

Judeo-Christian Views Law: morality and the laws that govern human action come directly from God (10 Commandments). The Jewish tradition values justice and righteousness. Reason and Faith: Christianity teaches that all people are equal in the eyes of God. Duties of the individual: all people, not just a limited group of citizens, deserve kindness and respect.

The Rise of Democracy in England 1215-Magna Carta (great charter) limited executive power 1200s-Parliament created 1600s-rise of monarchs, civil war created democratic thinkers-John Locke, “life, liberty, and estate (property) 1689-English Bill of Rights-declared that Parliament would choose who ruled the country, served as a model for the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution Parliament-mostly nobles at first, added second house- House of Lords, House of Commons

Democratic Revolutions Late 1700s-early 1800s revolutions spread the idea of democracy American Revolution-colonists had no representation in Parliament, considered it tyranny to be taxed without representation French Revolution-resulted from success of American Revolution Latin American Revolutions-by 1822, all Latin American colonies were free from France & Spain American-DOI justified revolution, Constitution established federal system, separation of powers French-radicals pushed Rousseau’s ideas too far, unleashing terror campaign Latin-many constitutions owed a debt to the US Constitution.

Conclusion Democratic ideas lie in the traditions and history of many cultures The desire for justice and belief in rule of law can be traced to the Code of Hammurabi of Ancient Babylon and the Shari’ah, or law code, of Islam Democracy can be fragile, its history has more failures than successes Now go back and answer the essential question! failures can be instructive, giving hope that once won, democratic government will be cherished