Comparison Between Ancient Antiquity and Declaration of the U.S.

The U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence present many ideas which can be traced back to the time of classical antiquity. Many of the concepts within the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence can be linked to ideas that were present in ancient Greece and Rome. These ideas and concepts have helped form our society into what it is today. In Article 1 of the Constitution it states that, the House of Representatives and the Senate have all legislative powers. They have the power to pass the laws that control and influence our society. In history, the Romans had a system similar to this. Their government consisted of an Assembly, Senate and a Consul which controlled their society. A second concept can be found within the first amendment in the Bill of Rights, it states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (amend. I). This grants United States citizens religious freedom. Despite of the fact that the Roman Empire was not religiously tolerant until the reign of Constantine the Great, there was a point where Roman citizens had religious freedom. Another parallel between America’s government and the worlds of classical Greece and Rome would be in the Writ of Habeas Corpus. It is a common idea that was first instituted by Emperor Justinian can be found in the sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Another idea found within the Declaration of Independence, the idea that, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness,” (line 7, Declaration of Independence) also finds its roots in the classical world. The concepts within this quote mirror some of the component of Greek Stoicism. They believed that all men were created equal and because of that we are all brothers. The last concept deals with the right of the people to alter or