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History of Democracy

By wyattlacey6
  • 500 BCE

    Athenian Democracy

    Athenians experiment with a direct democracy. The community was small enough for citizens to be able to attend debates and voting on issues
  • 450 BCE

    Elections take place in Athens

    The effective leaders of Athens, because of their responsibility for war, are the ten generals. There is one from each of the ten tribes, elected each year by the ecclesia in which every citizen has a vote. The only other officials to be elected rather than chosen by lot are the treasurers, with responsibility for that state's accounts- evidence again that the Athenian citizens recognize the areas where expertise rather than common sense is essensial.
  • 400 BCE

    Athenian Democracy becomes too large

    Allowing every citizen of Athens to be able to vote on every single issue caused problems because the attendance to major and controversial issues was so large, that it was extremely difficult to assemble the large crowd. At this time, pay is introduced for attendance, to compensate for loss of working time. Most debates were carried on by regular speakers, who are known as rhetores.
  • 322 BCE

    The End of Experiment in Athens

    Democracy survives the defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War, only to come to an abrupt end a century later.

  • The Declaration of Independence

    The United States gains independence.

  • Articles of Confederation

    The first constitution in the United States was the articles of confederation. It contained a plan of government based upon the principles fought for in the revolutionary war, but it contained crucial flaws. It had no power of taxation, no power to control trade, and it provided for a weak executive. The Articles of Confederation was a transition between the Revolutionary War and the Constitution.

  • The United States Constituion

    The Athenian government greatly influenced the government of the United States. The U.S. Constitution is one of the most influential documents in existence. This document goes over the government's responsibilities and rights as well as the citizen's responsibilities and rights.