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The Similarities of the Ancient Roman Government and the American Government

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The Similarities of the Ancient Roman Government and the American Government
Jarad Klaus

IN-150-11

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The Similarities of the Ancient Roman Government and the American Government

Have you ever thought that the U.S. government is easily comparable to the Roman's version of government? Maybe that's because the U.S. government is roughly parallel with the Ancient Roman Government. The Romans did not have a constitution, like us Americans, but their division of executive, legislative, and judicial branches is similar. The Roman government served as a template for the American government. As you read further, you will see how the governmental structures, with detail, are similar by first making points on the American style contrasted with the Roman style of government. First, I am going to take a look at the division of power within the American government by starting off with the legislative branch. The legislative branch is responsible for coming up with the laws. In Article I of the U.S. Constitution states, "All legislative Powers…shall be vested in a Congress of the United States and the House of Representatives." The U.S. congress is divided into the House of Representatives, known as the lower house, and the Senate, known as the upper house. The Congress' role in the government is to legislate- to make laws. The laws enacted by Congress are called statutes. The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to make laws (Theodore J. Lowi). The idea for a statute begins as a proposal. The proposal can come from a member of the legislature or from a member of an outside source, such as a citizen, a lobbyist, and administrative agency, or the President. Then the proposal needs to be drafted into writing and the written proposition is called a bill. After the bill is introduced, it is referred to the committee and subcommittee that consider the type of legislation. The committee then investigates the bill, public hearing are held and the testimony may be heard, the bill then may go through many changes, and lastly the

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