Comparing America to Sparta and Athens.
American society does reflect Spartan and Athenian society in many ways. America is definitely not an exact replica of these two societies, but they do have their similarities. American society is unique in that it is very liberal and tolerant of different ethnicities. That is why our country is called the "melting pot" because there are so many different cultures molded into one big American culture. Sparta and Athens did have an influence in shaping American culture and society.
Unlike liberal America, Sparta and Athens were conservative societies. In Sparta, babies were left to die or were killed if they were found to be too weak. Weak babies in American society are given extra care and infanticide would be a crime. The government of Sparta was an aristocracy and was ruled by the noble and wealthy. Much like America, Athens eventually had a form of democracy and its citizens directly selected representatives to run their government. Athens did not always have a democratic government though. They first started out with a Tribal government, then a monarchy, an aristocracy, it was ruled by Tyrants, and then finally a popular/direct democracy. America has always had a democratic form of government and it is "rule by the people". There are three types of social groups in each society. In America and Athens, there is the upper class which is the wealthy, middle class which are the average people, and lower class which are the poor people. Sparta also had three social groups: the equals that controlled the city-states, the half citizens who had no political power, and the helots who became the slaves of the Spartan city states. Women in Sparta and Athens were not given any rights and did not receive a formal education. Men and women in America are given equal rights and both get a good education. Overall America most reflects Sparta and Athens in their governments.
