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Athens, Rome and US Constitution

The US so call Democracy, can be described as Republic—meaning a representation Government. Adams in” A Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Against Attack of M. Turgot in His Letter to Dr. Price, Dated the Twenty-Second Day of March, 1778”, in volume 6 the idea of separation of powers, based on the Rome, more clear compare by Arnold Momigliano, 1977 Essays in Ancient and Modern Historiography (Wesleyan University Press) as Watts (2018) Mortal Republic How Rome into Tyranny, the ideals of the foundation of Rome, later undermined the Republic Foundations.

When Greek Pyrrhus’s come on the defense of Greeks Colonies in Sicily from Rome expansion, Rome sends Gaius Fibricius Luscinus to negotiate with Pyrrhus—who try to bribed, Fibricius respond was he cannot give or offered Rome honors of services and he will shame descents for such dishonor. The offered of peace offer by Phyrrhus was to Rome to declined their Power, while Senators inclined to accept, but because a Appius Cladius who remain Rome, Glory and Senate decline.

The first Roman king of the seven mythological Kings, set groups of advisers, 100 the same senate run the king, this 100 become Patricia’s, while Rome does never had a writing constitution, did have a set unwritten code, in the practical, they have Senate, decedents of 100 original king advisers, 3 assemblies—one from elected magistrates (Managers), one representing the 35 Tribes (31 where rural and 4 city) and the last which was place where laws and rules can be set, the Polybus. The Roman Political system was compromise between the elite and the rest. The Government structure was based on Clienteles (Nepotism) with time corruption taken hold, inequality while everyone receive parcel, the fact to advance needed to be 10 years in Army, many families sons spend in war, families in Rome could not maintain the small holding, needed to sell, after return did not have capital, this inequality forced Agriculture Law, but at time First Punic War, plunder was used to pay soldiers, and many of the Consuls or Generals enrich themselves, they began to pay own soldiers, privatizing the Army the sense of duty was to General, not to Rome.

The Agriculture Law used public lands to be distributed, the elites refused, they used the public land is a private enterprise (twice one by Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (Plutarch said he conceive the land reform: when Tiberius on his way to Numantia passed through Etruria and found the country almost depopulated and its husbandmen and shepherds imported barbarian slaves, he first conceived the policy which was to be the source of countless ills to himself and to his brother) and Julius Cesar. The reason of the reform, where the Army receive in East (Greek Cities—like Athens), the Asymmetric war and lack of wealth in Hispania, Plutarc described again: Then the poor, who had been ejected from their land, no longer showed themselves eager for military service, and neglected the bringing up of children, so that soon all Italy was conscious of a dearth of freemen, and was filled with gangs of foreign slaves, by whose aid the rich cultivated their estates, from which they had driven away the free citizens. In fact after the First Punic War the population in the country increases and their children had worse than parents.

The wealth from the plunder squeezed towards the elite, after the Destruction Carthage Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus was wealthy Roman, to this point, Roman Coins were made from Bronze, introduce Silver from conquest Corinth, Hispania (silver mines) and Carthage, but wealth only when upper classes, creating a sophisticate economy, excluding populous.

The wealth now was used as political tool, where not only pay soldiers, but public work and running of the Empire was run by contracts, where individuals and families will collect taxes, to public works as bath, the corruption and illegal payments to magistrates, included consul to obtain this contracts.

With the Army being privatized did not take leap to hungry power individual to used force and violence, to pay and to arm the mobs for achieving political power, under patronage having support of a based.

Rome political participation become based on wealth, specially rural tribes did not have luxury to travel to Rome cast their votes, only wealthy land owners, were political participation.

 While Rome build in social consensus, the corruption force Reform of secret ballot by then due introduction of the land reform the ballot laws were introduced at a time of rising popular sentiment that saw the rise of populares politicians, who gained power by appealing to the lower classes. Most notably, these included Tiberius Gracchus in 133 BC and Gaius Gracchus, the brother decade after Tiberius Death.

Besides of land reform, the objection from the elite was to included Roman Allies and others to be extended citizen sending elites and population into xenophobic freezing.

Rome in case the two consuls could not agree and Rome in mortal danger, there was a mechanism the dictator for limited power. After Cesar assassination, Octavio the adopted soon gain dictator did not take long now August to create Imperial Rome he lasted 40 years and his system was sustain to end Constantinople in 14^th Century. The mob from Rome treated burn the senators if Octavio was not been make Dictator for life.

Athens democracy developed early than Rome, Freedman in The Greek Achievement (Viking 1999), where he suggested why Philosophy had roots in Greece, because being Maritime power interaction with other cultures brought exchange of ideas (Freedman point the Egyptians were expert observers (like medical treatises), but Greek introduce methodology—underlining order: logos), (pp 149-161).

The Greeks used of trireme, with 25 single road 25 oars, eventually introduction of two decks, in case of Athens the Captain was elected, while Agora become center for democracy, Solon Reform changes belonging to a tribe or social group, the was divided by regions where the vote only included free man (not women or slaves), the irony Herodotus recording the Battle of Salamis, mention one of the trireme in the services of Persian, a Cretan—Artemisia a women who inherent trireme after the death of the husband, the crew was Dorian—she run squadron of Xerses (Book Seven 98).

Solon constitution introduced a mechanism to be a citizen, and belong to city independent tribes, to give equality as described in the Athenian Constitution (written by student of Aristotle), Jurors were paid.

Athens respond to dictatorship, Peisistratus seized Athens with fourth hundred man—Peisistratus reason, having right birth, give the right.  The leader of the Shore turn on him and exile, Peisistratus return with Army hold dictatorship for 19 years, passing to sons the right, but in end all where exile from Athens.

The contrast to Rome, the failure of Athens was to be accepted Alliance as equals, but taken treasure from Delphi seal fate.

Where the direct democracy of Athens which everyone was send himself to a conflict, Rome Senate have prerogative.

British colonies in Americas, the settlers had to be on bondage for seven years to pay for passages; north colonies did not have mass crops, just become small holders, when industrialization took root, there was room development, since land was not issue, and agriculture was limited by small sizes of the farms, where in South Tabacco crops and eventually cotton demanded need bigger number manual works.

Christianity by taken roots in Rome, and competition between ownership of God and right to him, between Jews and Christianity the Theodicies Code and early Nicea, besides Christians not need Circumcise to be a Christian, but must significance, Jews were not allot to own slaves, as in Rome the elite using Slaves from land to construction, in this case depress crops values and cost of owning the land. The Jewish were push to the peripherally and making them irrelevant.

In the US wealth was accumulated as slaves, how this wealth impact, while initially Ivy Schools were created to civilized the natives, British empire needed middle managers, the Universities like Yale, Kings College (Columbia), Harvard and Princeton, their wealth created and slaves—especially, slaves is not something unique, Islam acceptance the concept as institution, but the new was race to justified (Wilder, Ebony and Ivory Race, Slavery and Trouble History of Americas Universities, 2013—Bloomsbury Press) while was acceptance, race was new introduction, Spain slavery to Natives was based on idea, they did not even had a soul.

To a piece tension of North Colonies and South was to create a consensus, for poor in the South narrative, if someone else have worst, I am better. The consensus was built on two factors, originally senators where a pointed, election of senators was to make sure, like reconstruction of the civil war, African Americans were appointed, the point was for the South not. The Electoral College was for slave holders’ states to maintain the slaves, Parkinson in The Common cause, 2016—The University of North Caroline Press, during the 1776 war, was to create a consensus to maintain a peace, the false peace, while Lincoln wanted maintain the status quo, he understood to brake south, needed to brake economy hold on slaves, but the consensus about race was never broke.

The economic mercantilism of the 17^th century base on commodities could not be replicated in industrial 19^th century, in the 20^th century industry without boundaries and capital without national boundaries, and the industrialization of the 20^th century benefit  white working class in the US,  with postindustrial where acquirer and creating become irrelevant, and fact the Republican Party from time Nixon Southern Strategy using race to obtain power, to Regan privatize US as country, if you do not wealth there is room, the same occur with Rome, where citizens answer was Autocracy of Empire for security and stability, one issue for the US is demographics of a diverse—not  white US.