Similarities Of Athenian Democracy In The United States

Democracy is commonly known to be present in the government of Athens. Athenian democracy and democracy in the United States are both similar and different in certain ways. Democracy in the United States still contains basic principalities of Athenian democracy, such as participation status, elections, and government power, although, some parts were changed and improved.

The United States has a representative democracy; in which it is a republic. Meaning that unlike the Athenians, American citizens do not participate directly, but instead have a “the option of voting for officials to represent them (USCIS). However, in Athenian democracy there were more limits on who could vote and participate in meetings. For instance, only free male citizens who were of age could participate, which excluded women and slaves. Additionally, unlike in the United States where citizens vote for their representatives, the citizens of Athens were chosen at random to fill

Instead the Nomothetae, a group of citizens that were given the role of creating and revising laws, were the only ones who could pass the laws through a process called nomothesia (Blackwell). Similarly, like the Athenian citizens, in the United States there is a different panel of citizens that hold different powers. For example, the federal system holds the power to print money, declare war, create an army, and make treaties, while the states have control over education, and providing its residents with safety and protection. As a result, there is a balance of powers among the federal and state level (USCIS). Moreover, citizens in the United State still have the opportunity to run for office, but a major factor that can affect this opportunity is money. Therefore, only the wealthy can afford to run for office, consequently the rich are powerful and have a strong influence in the government