Comparing Democracy in Ancient Athens and the United States

Investigate the differences between ancient Athenian democracy and modern democracy in the United States! Designed for middle school learners, this one-page graphic organizer asks students to conduct research in order to compare and contrast various elements of democracy in ancient Athens versus democracy in the United States today. Students will explore and compare representative and direct democracy, voting rights, the purpose of voting, lawmaking bodies, and direct participation in lawmaking. As a bonus question, this worksheet invites budding historians to reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of a direct democracy. Be sure to check out the Governments in Ancient Greece worksheet for a look at some of the other forms of ancient Greek government.