1. Athens and U.S.
Government
Topic: Polis or city-state
By Marilyn Arroyo & Aja Bonnett

2. Athen's Government
● Created the first democratic
government

3. Athen's Government
● Only in Athens, and only for a short
time, rule by many meant that all the
citizens had to be willing to take an
active part in government

4. Athen's Government
● Athenian democracy did not really
give power to everyone

5. Athen's Government
● A series of reforms took power from
a handful of noble families and gave
it to citizenry

6. Athen's Government
● Athenian citizens directly participated
in government themselves

7. Athen's Government
● To be a politician in Athens,
someone would have to had to be an
adult male whose parents were both
Athenians

8. Athen's Government
● No women, immigrants, or slaves
were allowed to be a Athenian citizen

9. Athen's Government
● The government of Athens included
three major bodies: the Assembly,
the Council of 500, and the People's
Court

10. Athen's Government
● The Assembly- All male Athenian citizens
were members, the Assembly was the
regular opportunity for all male citizens of
Athens to speak their minds and exercise
their votes regarding the government of their
city

11. Athen's Government
● The Council of 500- 10 tribes of
Athens sent 50 citizens to serve on
the Council of 500 each year, the
Councils main function was to set the
agenda for the Assembly

12. Athen's Government
● The Peoples Court- In the Peoples
Court, juries of citizens listening to
class, determined whether their
fellow citizens were guilty or innocent
of breaking laws and set
punishments for those found guilty

13. United States Government
● Congress makes the decisions in
America, with some help from the
President

14. United States Government
● The real problem with American
government is that it is not a
democratic as it should be

15. United States Government
● Americans strongly support
democracy both at home and abroad

16. United States Government
● At a federal level, a bill can become a
law if its signed by the President, or if
not signed by the President within 10
days and Congress is in session

17. United States Government
● Current calls for "less government"
actually mean less power for elected
leaders and for the bureaucracies
that serve them and more power for
the "oligarchy" of millionaires and
corporations

18. United States Government
● Those who remember their civil
classes will note that we have not a
direct but a representative
democracy or a republic

19. United States Government
● People 18 or older are allowed to
vote, and someone ahs to be over 35
to be elected as President

20. United States Government
● The election of public officials and
balance of power between the three
branches of government (executive,
legislative, & judicial)

21. Comparison :)
● In America the President makes the
decisions and the congress but in
Athens a group called the Assembly
had 500 Athenian males to make
them

22. Comparison
● In America people 18 or older are
allowed to vote and someone has to
be over 35 to be elected as
President, otherwise Athens to be a
politician someone must have been
an athenian male

23. Comparison
● Males were allowed to vote, but
women, slaves, foreigners, and
people from other city-states were
not allowed

24. Comparison
● Athens and America both have a
democratic and republican party

25. Comparison
● Athenians did not have branches of
government like the, American
government

26. Comparison
● Americans have officials to
participate in government activity
while the Athenians citizens
participated in government
themselves

27. Comparison
● Some people aren't allowed to vote
and in Athens

28. Why was Ancient Athens considered
the birthplace of democracy?
Athens is considered the birthplace of democracy
because athens is the 1st place to be a model for
government ability.

29. The
End