Athenian Education Vs American Education Essay

Written Assignment Unit 2 (Introduction)

Athens, Greece has long been admired for being pioneers. Athens is credited with creating and successfully running the world’s first democracy. Along with other advancements, the western world has looked upon Athens as a beacon shining in the darkness of monarchies and tyrannies of the past. From democracy to the creation of city-states, and even education, modern nations of the west have borrowed, copied, and imitated many things from ancient Athenians.

Democracy

Athens first became a democracy around 500 B.C. During this time, Athens allowed its male citizens to fully participate in the government. In order to be a citizen, a male would need to be an Athens-born male over the age of eighteen years

Athens believed in having a well-educated, well-rounded population. Young boys would be taught at home until about the age of six or seven before going off to school. While in school, boys would learn a variety of subjects. These subjects included literature, math, reading, and writing. Additionally, students would learn how to play musical instruments. Athens also believed in their population being physically adept as well as mentally adept. So, children would learn wrestling and gymnastics. (Teachers’ Curriculum Institute, n.d.)

If you look at elementary education in America, you would see a very similar curriculum. Students in America begin their education at around the same age. Kindergarten is for students around five or six years old in America. This is when children begin their in-school education. Once in school, these children also study reading, writing, and arithmetic. Alongside these scholarly, students also take extracurricular classes such as gym, music, and

Athens has been an inspiration for many western nations in today's world. Athens provided a blueprint for many different aspects of a country. Democracy, education, and even the concept of statehood stemmed from Greece’s city-states' design. America specifically owes its identity to the vision and experimentation of the great city of Athens.

References

Teachers’ Curriculum Institute. (n.d.). Life in two city-states: Athens and Sparta. neshaminy.org. https://www.neshaminy.org/cms/lib6/PA01000466/Centricity/Domain/439/Chapter%2027%20-%20Life%20in%20Two%20City-States%20Athens%20and%20Sparta%20FULL%20TEXT%20with%20pictures.pdf Cartwright, M. (2023b, February 4). Ancient Greek Society. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/483/ancient-greek-society/

Greek Influence on U.S. Democracy | National Geographic Society. (n.d.). https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/greek-influence-us-democracy/

A Rothchild, J. (n.d.). Introduction to Athenian Democracy of the Fifth and Fourth Centuries BCE. Wayne State