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The Two Great Republics: Rome and the United States

Chapter 32: Transcriber's note:
By James Lewis
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About This Book

An American senator compares the institutions and trajectories of ancient Rome and the United States, tracing how political structures, social integration, territorial expansion, and provincial administration contributed to republican strain. The book surveys Roman assemblies, colonization, and the rise of economic inequality, follows reform efforts beginning with the Gracchi and the civil wars of Marius and Sulla, and treats the roles of Pompey, Cicero, and Julius Caesar before describing the republic's disintegration. It concludes with a direct comparison to contemporary American conditions, arguing that wealth disparity, factionalism, and erosion of constitutional norms are recurrent dangers that merit attention.

"First freedom, then glory; With that past—avarice—corruption— Barbarism at last— And all of history's volumes vast Hath writ but one page."

It has been the dream of those who in war fought for, and in peace strove for, a just republic in the United States, that the awakened conscience of a people educated anew under a Christian era would be a guarantee against the repetition of those evils which harassed government and injured men in the days of the Roman republic. It is now seen that this dream is being to a most encouraging extent gratified. In America wrong is at last condemned because it is not right. Right is approved—for that it is right. Justice is praised and sustained because it is just to do so, and the oppression of man resisted and despised because it is unworthy civilized man and in violation of the dictates of conscience speaking the voice of God.

In this new era America is working out her destiny of equality of man and equity of mankind, and this by the methods of peaceful persuasion—dictated from the heart. War is abhorred and brotherhood of man cherished as a coming state of modern citizenship proving in all its effect the justice and right of the theory of the American republic founded on the assertion that "Just governments derive their power from the consent of the governed." Education, bringing enlightenment in all avenues of life's pursuits, is rapidly giving to the American man the assurance and security that his government will be perpetuated by its citizens, not destroyed—will be glorified as an ideal after which other nations and people may pattern.

"Our Fathers' God! from out whose hand The centuries fall like grains of sand,
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
Oh, make Thou us, through centuries long, In peace secure, in justice strong: Around our gift of freedom draw The safeguards of Thy righteous law; And, cast in some diviner mold, Let the new cycle shame the old."

Transcriber's note:

Variations in spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been retained except in obvious cases of typographical error.

Page 106: "Another leader, Cleon, a Silician". The transcriber has replaced "Silician" with "Sicilian".