Last Assignment!

Hi Future Me,

I think it's safe to say that this year has been full of crazy new experiences for me. Going into John Carroll I didn't know anyone. It was challenging for me to find the right friends for a while but I eventually did. This year definitely made me more mature. I learned how to handle stress, how to keep healthy relationships, and above all how to out myself fist. I was so sad when I heard about coronavirus and how we'd have to be off school for two weeks because for the first time I was actually enjoying school and a couple of my friends were leaving John Carroll. The switch from actual school to online school was a struggle. It was so much different than I expected. I had to learn how to teach myself because I might need this information next year. I had to learn how to not procrastinate and get my school done in an appropriate time frame so I could stay on track. But to be honest, quarantine sucks. I hate not being able to go anywhere or see anyone except my family. The isolation makes me feel really lonely. It has really made me realize how good I had it. I miss going to school everyday and I miss playing soccer. I miss everything. I would do anything just to go back and live my life how it was before the pandemic just so I can experience it again. I will never take advantage of anything I do ever again. As this year comes to an end, things are finally starting to open up so hopefully this summer won't be completely boring. I plan on living life to the fullest from now on because now I know what it’s like to have nothing and I don't want to feel that ever again. 

Day 26

After Julius Cesar:

• Octavian took over after Cesar at age 18
• He had his own triumvirate that included Mark Antony and Lepidus

The Second Triumvirate:

• Mark Antony was a general
• Lepidus was a politician
• Octavian forces Lepidus to retire
• Mark Antony partners up with Cleopatra 
• Octavian defeats Mark and Cleopatra

Rome became an empire instead of a republic

Octavian:

• Ruled for 40 years
• Some accomplishments were-
• Expanded Rome
• Set up civil services
• Died of natural causes

Tiberius:

• Ruled from 14 - 37 AD
• General
• Reluctant Emporer 
• Exiled himself from Rome after his son died
• Died at age 77 

Caligula:

• Ruled from 37 - 41 AD
• An insane tyrant
• Assassinated by praetorian guards, Senators, and the imperial court

Claudius:

• Ruled from 41- 54 AD
• Suffered from:
• a limp
• stammering
• shaking
• slobbering
• Last adult male in his family
• Was a good ruler
• died by poison 

Nero:

• Ruled from 54 - 68 AD
• Emphasized the arts
• Wanted to rebuild Rome to be more majestic
• overspent
• raided temples for money

Day 25

I take my Rome test on June 2nd at 1:25 pm.

To keep Plebs happy, the government gave them bread and entertainment like Circus Maximus and the Colosseum.

A Change in Rule: 

• Tiberius Gracchus recognized the advantages of keeping the Plebs quiet
• Military generals would conquer land then give some shares to the Plebs
• Soldiers loyalty was more towards military leaders, not Rome

Julius Cesar:

• Cesar was a successful military general 
• He conquered territory in Gaul and appointed himself governer
• He made common people happy while making friends higher up on the social food chain
• Cesar, Pompey, and Crassus formed the First Triumvirate
• Cesar served as consol for one year
• Pompey gets jealous of Cesar and becomes his rival
• Cesar becomes a dictator in 44 BCE

Cesar's Reforms:

• He granted citizenship to people in provinces
• Expanded the Senate
• Created jobs for the poor
• Increased pay for soldiers
• Started colonies for those without land

Cesar's Assassination: 

• Senators saw Ceasor's rose to power as a threat
• They lured him into the Senate and stabbed him 23 times (one for each)
• The senators were not punished; this started the downfall of the republic 

Day 24

For my essay, I chose topic A: Compare and contrast the government of ancient Rome with the government of modern-day United States. In the first paragraph, I'll give an intro to how both governments started. In the second paragraph, I'll give information about the Roman government. In the third paragraph, I'll give information on the United States government. In the fourth paragraph, I will state to similarities and differences between both governments. In the last paragraph, I'll restate the first paragraph as an outro paragraph to tie things together

Day 23

The Republic Collapses:

• As Rome grew, the gap between rich and poor increased
• By 100 BCE, enslaved people formed about 1/3 of Rome's population
• A large number of farmers sold their land to the rich and became homeless
• Tiberius and Gaius tried to help the poor people of Rome
• They were tribunes
• proposed reforms that limited sizes of estates and gave land to the poor 

The Civil War eventually started

• Generals began seizing power by telling the poor people they will get land if they fight
• These soldiers fought for pay 

Julius Cesar:

• In 60 BCE Cesar joined forces with a wealthy Roman named Crassus and a popular general named Pompey 
• They dominated Rome for the next ten years 
• Cesar only served one year as consul then appointed himself as governer of Gaul
• Pompey had become Cesar's rival 
• Cesar started a number of reforms :
• granting citizenship to many people in Roman provinces
•  expanding the Senate 
• created jobs for the poor
• started colonies for people without land
• gave more money to soldiers  

Beginning of the Empire:

• War broke out after Cesar's death and the Roman Republic was destroyed 
•  Octavian became ruler 

A Vast Powerful Empire:

• Agustus was Rome's ablest emperor 
• Agriculture was the most important industry 
• About 90% of the people were engaged in farming
• Other food and items were gotten by trade
• Rome had a vast trading route that linked places like Persia and southern Russia 

The Roman World:

• Romans honored strength over beauty, power more than grace, and usefulness more than elegance 
• Most people lived in the countryside and worked on farms 
• Slavery was a significant part of Rome 
• Children born as slaves became slaves
• Honored Gods and Goddesses and had special rituals for them 
• Government and religion went hand in hand 
• Classes had little in common
• A majority of Rome barely had necessities for life and a majority of the city was unemployed
• The government tried to control their city by providing games, races, and mock battles
• During the time of Pax Romana, the practice of Christianity emerged

Day 22

The Punic War was a set of three wars fought from 264 - 146 BCE. These wars were fought between the people of Rome and the people of Carthage. The First Punic War lasted from 264 - 241 BCE and Rome won. The Second Punic War was fought from 218 - 201 BCE. The Carthaginian general, Hannibal ordered attacks on Rome from the North. Hannibal gained control of much of the peninsula but never got to Rome so Rome wins again. The Final Punic War was fought from 149 - 146 BCE. Rome wanted to finally take out Carthage and attacked them many times. Carthage ended up burning to the ground in a matter of 17 days. Everyone left from the city was sold into slavery.

Day 21

Tarquin seizes the throne after the heirs die. He has Servius Tullius' father killed and refused to bury the body. He killed anyone who disagreed with his actions. Sometime later Tarquin's son, Sextus basically rapes a girl by blackmailing her and saying he caught her with a slave. She gives in and then eventually tells her family. She proceeds to kill herself and Tarquin tries to cover it up. People eventually notice and expelled the family from Rome. People never wanted kings in Rome after this so they implemented a rule of two consuls. Consuls were elected aristocrats that had a one year term. They would make laws, command the army, and dealt with the legal system. This is when the Twelve Tables come into play. The common people of Rome demanded that they be heard and refused to work with the military until they had some representation. This was the brand new republic of Rome. The United States based its government on ideas from the Roman republic. They both share the three branches of government and both have a legal code.