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

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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 …show more content…

Also if a law wanted to be passed the Assembly could veto a law that they did not see fit. The people had to respect the Senate because they were the ones who suggest laws for the Consul to be passed. This shows that each branch of their government could not be more powerful than another. This was the first instance of checks and balances which is still used in our three branches of government today. The first amendment, Establishment Clause, prohibits the state and federal government from establishing an official religion or from favoring or disfavoring one religion over another. Though government cannot declare an official religion, citizens are given the privilege to practice their own religions freely. In Ancient Rome, Constantine the Great ruled the empire from 306 A.D to 337 A.D. He issued the Edict of Milan, which declared religious tolerance throughout the entire empire. Along with this, while on his death bed, he converted to Christianity. After his death, the people of Rome converted as well and Christianity spread under this proclamation which is still part of our society today. The Writ of Habeas corpus is a very important part of fair practice and is necessary in society. It grants people the rights to know what charges are being held against them and if the charges are enough for them to be imprisoned. This goes along with the idea that the burden of the proof rest on plaintiff. The idea

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