Monday, March 17, 2003

Halting the Decline: The similarities between American and Roman History

Dr. J. Rufus Fears, professor of classics at the University of Oklahoma and G.T. and Libby Blankenship Professor of the History of Liberty, observes, "Both the Athenian democracy, the great nation of Sparta and the Roman republic rested upon the idea that freedom is responsibility. It is responsibility to be involved in politics; it is responsibility to defend your country. It was also seen in the willingness of a people to accept leaders who were demonstrably corrupt, who lacked moral authority, who were interested only in themselves, and who did not lead but rather followed public opinion. This too was a sign a people losing its liberty."

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