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 I
am Solon, the Greek philosopher. Let me begin by telling you a little about the birth
of democracy in Athens. My philosophy was welcomed, for Greece had
been under the control of a single ruler till 600 B.C. Democracy
was slightly different from political systems of modern times. Only
natural-born, male citizens were given a chance to speak during the meetings and
gatherings that were held. |
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Athens, Greece
– the birthplace of democracy |
400 years later, the Romans
invaded our empire and took over. They adapted a lot of our culture, though
their democracy let other citizens besides the native-born participate in
assemblies. The two main religions at that time were Judaism and Christianity.
These religions stated that ‘democracy should emphasize the rights of the
underprivileged and the equality of all before God.' Though the wealthier
citizens were given more say in assemblies, the Romans had taken a significant
step up from our definition of democracy. |
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Christianity
and Judaism
took part in the creation of democracy
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In later years during
the 19th century, our long forgotten system of democracy was once
again established in Europe. Many countries followed the example of the British
Parliament, which split up the power between citizens and royal families.
Americans, however, were not satisfied with this, and strived for a complete
democracy. After America’s
victory of the revolution against Britain, other countries were encouraged to
write documents promoting peace and human rights were created. Some of these
were the U.S.
Declaration of Independence, the French
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and the Atlantic
Charter. Signed by John Hancock and written by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration
of Independence was a statement of principles for which the Americans
fought. This document argued that
monarchism was not in the best interests of the country and citizens. After all,
the Americans did not want a royal family to rule over their country. The French
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen promoted peace and
equality amongst citizens, and was very much like the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. It emphasized the need for law in a society, and spoke of human
rights. The United States and the United Kingdom, through the Atlantic
Charter, established a form of peace between the two countries. They offered
each other protection, respect, and safety for the citizens after the
destruction of the Nazism.
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All of these documents contributed to forming a new definition of democracy that
has drastically changed from the philosophy of my political system. People have
become aware of human equality, rights, and justice, which led many to the
understanding of peace. Through historical events, democracy was able to become
closer to what its ideals promised. A
wider variety of citizens and individuals are able to participate in the
creating of the national government – African Americans and women eventually
received equal rights. Return to main Democracy page
Illustrated by Yuhki
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