Essays

Today we had to write 3 essays.  He gave us the essay topics ahead of time.  I picked topic C, topic D, and topic E.  Topic C asks " Compare the social hierarchy of Ancient Egypt with that of ancient Rome."  Topic D asks "Compare and contrast the government of ancient Rome with the government of the United States in the year 2015."  Topic E says "Give a thoughtful analysis of the following statement:  'The unexamined life is not worth living.'"  They each had to be at least three paragraphs.  It wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy either.  Topic E said you can relate it to your freshman year, so I did.  I hope I did okay on the essays.  Today was also the last day of class.  Now we have exams, then we're done for the school year!

Exam Review

Today we reviewed for the exam since tomorrow is our last class.  Mr. Schick also talked to us about the essay we're writing a little.  Then we went over the Rome test.  I only got 2 wrong, so I knew most of the answers already.  I'm scared about the essays tomorrow.

Rome test

Today we took our Rome test.  It was pretty easy, easier than I thought it would be.  There were forty questions, and they were all multiple choice.  I knew mostly everything.  There were some really funny questions on the test, or some funny answer choices.  Some of them were obvious, like who was in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.  In the beginning of class, Mr. Schick told us that he made a mistake, so he gave us an answer.  If worse comes to worse and it wasn't as easy as I thought, at least I'll have that one question right!

I got a 95%.  I think that means I got 2 or 3 wrong.  Thankfully, it won't bring my grade down.  I'm happy with my grade.

no test!

In class we didn't have a test, which was originally planned.  Instead, we reviewed.  He talked about the essay for the exam, which we'll be doing on Thursday. He's giving us the questions beforehand. Then we reviewed for the Rome test.  I hope I do well. 

More Projects

Today we had 3 more projects.  First, Jayla went with her pottery.  I really liked her project.  It was really creative.  Then Alex and Arthur went.  They are so cool and funny.  Their project was really creative also.  It was about Roman architecture.  AND THE CAT.  MADE.  MY.  DAY.  Then Caitlyn and Trish went.  Their project was really creative.  They made a Roman diary, comparing the lives of a plebeian girl and patrician boy.  They wrote it all by themselves, and it was very good writing.

Projects

Today we started presenting our projects. My group was the very first to go.  We made a Roman Meal.  Megan made the appetizer, I made the entree, Zaire made the dessert, and Rosemary made the drink.  It was actually a big success.  Everyone liked the food, and we had a pretty good presentation.  Before the class, I had to heat up my food, and we finished just in time.  It was really fun.  Then Evan, Steven, and Adam (who showed up late) made a song parody of Iggy Azalea's Fancy.  I was so great!  Then David went with his PowerPoint of the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum.  It had a lot of information, which is good for a PowerPoint.

Class 5-15

In class we watched a video of BB King singing "Why I Sing the Blues."  Mr. Schick talked a little bit about him.  Afterward, we found out when we are presenting our project.  My group is presenting 1st on Tuesday.  I'm a little nervous that we're first out of everyone in our class, but I know we'll do great.  Our group finished the paper we have to write and I made a PowerPoint with all the ingredients, since we're cooking.

Rome Notes

Today we took a few more notes:
Poor plebs (literally)

• How did you keep the plebs happy (or at least keep them from revolting)?
• the poet Juvenal said the people "anxiously hopes for 2 things: bread and circuses"
•  bread (free grain from the state) and entertainment (Circus Maximus, Colosseum), partly to keep them alive, partly to keep them quiet

A change in rule

• Tiberius Gracchus recognized the advantages of courting the plebeians (even though he was ultimately unsuccessful)
•  military generals worked that angle - led an army that conquers a land, then give them a share in the spoils
• soldiers loyalty was to their military leader, not necessarily to Rome or the Republic

Nobody did that better than Caesar

• Julius Caesar (100-44 BC)
• a highly successful general
• he conquered the huge territory of Gaul

He could play the game (of politics)

• made common folks happy
• made friends in high places
• Pompey (a general who conquered Syria and Palastine)
• Crassus (the richest man in Rome, one of the richest men in all of history)
• These three men formed the first Triumvirate ("rule of three men")

Pop Quiz

Today Mr. Schick gave us a pop quiz about Rome.  I got an 80%.  Surprisingly, it didn't bring my grade down.  I should've gotten a 9, but we only had 10 seconds so I didn't have time to erase the wrong answer all the way.  Because of that, there were 2 answers on one question.  Oh well, I'll do better next time.  We had the second lowest average, and we always get the highest average. That was a little depressing, but one class can't always be perfection.

Finishing the Video

Today in class we finished the BBC Rome video.  It was a very entertaining movie.  Mr. Schick replayed on part ("Just grab some land") at least 5 times.  It was so funny.  He would always point out the best parts, but that was definitely the best.  Mr. Schick found a gif, so I had to put it in my blog.  JUST GRAB SOME LAND.

His father's face was really creepy.  It was really upsetting when it broke though.  I didn't understand why they didn't give him a proper funeral after they killed Tiberius Gracchus. 

Projects

In class, we worked on our projects since Mr. Schick wasn't there.  I was looking up history on Roman entrees and worrying I wasn't going to find all of the ingredients for my chicken.  I found a pasta that sounded delicious.  After I chose the pasta, I started working on the essay a little.  I kept looking on the website and saw gnocchi, a potato dish.  Then, I was really confused.  I read gnocchi was introduced by the Roman legion.  On a website where we found all of our information, it mentioned that potatoes were foreign to the Romans, so I ended up going with the pasta.  I'm really excited to make it!

Rome video

Today we started a video about Rome.  It was about Tiberius Gracchus and the third Punic War. 

In the beginning of class, Mr. Schick had computer problems.  At first, he couldn't get the video working.  Then he got the video to work, but there was no sound.  We got it working on Evan's computer eventually, but we didn't see as much as he wanted us to.

Rome Notes

Here are more Roman notes we took today:

that's a Roman legion, clear as day

• 5000 soldiers, not in it for pay (not yet)
• the Roman army's elite heavy infantry
• recruited exclusively from Roman citizens
• group of eighty's a century
• on horseback is the cavalry
• shield, sword, dagger, and armor and tunic

 fightin' 'gainst Carthage in Wars that are Punic

• the Punic War (264-146 BCE)
• Rome vs Carthage
• three wars

two empires fighting for control

• First Punic War (264-241 BCE)
• naval battles for control of the strategically located island of Sicily
• Rome wins this one

The (Carthaginian) Empire Strikes Back

• Second Punic War (218-201 BCE)
• 29 year-old Carthaginian general Hannibal almost took Rome
• attacks Rome from the NORTH after crossing Iberia (Spain) and the Alps
• lays seige to much of the peninsula for 15 years, but he never can get to Rome
• Rome 2, Carthage 0

Third (and final) Punic War

• 149-146 BCE
• Rome wanted to fully remove the threat of Carthage
• Scipio, Tiberius Gracchus, and others mercilessly attacked the city
• Carthage was burned for 17 days; the city's walls and buildings were utterly destroyed
• when the war ended the last 50,000 people in the city were sold to slavery
• the rest of Carthage's territories were annexed, and made into the Roman province of Africa.

economic change, social upheaval

• slaves poured into Italy (50,000 Carthaginians, 150,000 Greek POWs, etc.)
• by the end of the second century BCE there were over a million slaves in Italy
• small farmers lost their land to aristocrats (for little or no money) if they couldn’t pay their debts, sometimes because the men of the farm were fighting battles
• slaves did the work on the farms for the rich
• the big farms became massive estates called latifundia

Rome Notes

Today we took a lot of notes:

Hey we got three governments rolled into one Patricians and plebeians havin' some fun

•  Rule of kings is replaced by rule of two consuls (“gotta be better than one”)
• consuls are elected officials
• term of office: one year
• always aristocrats (patricians)
• patricians traced their descent from a famous ancestor, or pater (“father”)
• duties: dealing justice, making law, commanding the army
• one consul could veto the other (reducing the power of the individuals 

Then a challenge from the "regular folks"

•  fifth century BCE - patrician dominance of the government was challenged by the plebs (“people”) 
• plebs were 98% of the population
• how did the patricians dominate?
  • plebs had to serve in the army, but couldn't hold office
  • plebs were threatened with debt slavery
  • plebs had no legal rights 

"no legal rights" you say?

• plebs were victims of discriminatory decisions in judicial trials
• Rome had no actual laws, just unwritten customs
• patricians could interpret these to their own advantage

So, plebs refused to serve in the military until…

• laws were written out (The Law of the Twelve Tables)

• these laws (on tablets) were posted in public (in 450 BCE) 
• tribunes (“tribal leaders”) were elected 

SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanum

• designated any decree or decision made by the Roman Senate and people
• res publica - the people's affairs
  

Brand new republic, ready to run

• democracy (the people’s assembly and the tribunes
• aristocracy (the Senate - approx. 300 members)
• plus monarchy (the consuls)
• not a tyranny

Government: ancient Roman/US

• originally, the US modeled their new government on the model used by the ancient Romans
• is it exactly the same?  not quite…
• but both have three branches of government
• executive
• legislative
• judicial
• and both have a legal code

3 branches

• executive

Rome: 

• two consuls 
• one year terms
• each has veto power
• controls the military
• could appoint a dictator in a crisis for a six-month term 

US:

• President (and VP)
• four year term
• can veto proposed laws
• commander-in-chief

• legislative

Rome:

•  Senate -- 300 people -- aristocrats -- members for life
• Assemblies -- members for life

US:

• Senate -- 100 senators (2 from each state) -- six year term
• House of Representatives -- 435 members -- two year term

• judical

Rome:

•  Praetors
• chosen by the Centuriate Assembly
• one-year term

US:

• supreme court
• nine members
• appointed by the President
• confirmed by the Senate
• lifetime terms

Legal code

Rome:

• Twelve Tables
• publically displayed
• gave rights to plebeians, not just aristocrats
• only protected free born male citizens (not women)
  

US: 

• Bill of Rights
• first ten amendments of the constitution

Homework

Today in class we were ahead of everyone in class, so Mr. Schick let us work on our homework.  I worked on my Spanish, so I don't have to worry about it this weekend.  I didn't have math today, so I left my textbook at home.  I wish I didn't because I could've done my math homework too.  I only had the Spanish to do, so for the rest of the class I listened to music.  Nothing else happened in class.