Danny Tovani

Period: 2

Roots of Democracy Travel Blog

My name is Danny Tovani and I am the author of this blog about my travels. I traveled with my second period history class from San Ramon Valley High School to see what remains of Ancient Greece, Rome, England, and France. In our time spent there we engaged to focus on how democracy started. Each place that we visited played a major part in contributing ideas that we use now in modern democracy. We learned all about the places we visited and saw all of the important monuments and structures. Now I will tell you about our Journey.

Ancient Greece

Our first destination was to Ancient Greece.  Mrs. Hamilton my history teach gave the class their plane tickets at the airport. We had a long flight ahead of us from SFO all the way to Greece. Thankfully it was a morning flight so everyone got to catch up on some sleep. When we arrived I could tell that everyone with twitching with excitement. My friend Connor next to me could't wait to stand up out of his seat. The first thing I noticed when looking outside was that it was very smoggy and cloudy. We took a shuttle bus over to the hotel that was not too far away. We checked in to our rooms and got to rest for the remainder of the day. We knew we needed it because the next day would be a lot of walking and learning. The next morning we woke up bright and early to eat breakfast in the hotel cafe and then hopped on the bus to our first site. The first stop was in Athens, Greece at the Acropolis. In Ancient times it was the center of Athens. The Acropolis was a big carved out hill with all the important buildings located on it. These buildings were built in the era of Pericles. We all got off the bus and made our way to the Propalaya.  It is the entrance point of the Acropolis. The next building we saw was the Parthanon.  It is perhaps the most famous and the biggest. The roof if completely collapsed but you can still see the large pillars that supported the giant building. Some of the other important buildings were the Athena Nike, Chalkotheke, and the Erechtheion.  After we saw the Acropolis the class walked down to the Areopagus. There wasn't much left here but just rubble and rocks. Although we couldn't see much it was very important because the first form of democracy was said to have started here. The Agora was close by as well and this was the ancient market place. The Agora was the center of attention and all the important business meetings and councils gathered here. Many famous greek philosophers like Plato and Lyceum gathered here. Political, Social, and commercial life all took place here. After we saw every site and learned everything we possibly could we took a plane straight from Greece to Rome. 

Contributions

• Tyrant similar to president 
• The word "Democracy" came from the greeks
• Draco made aristocracy a Democracy
• Solon gave right to vote
• Cleisthenes said any citizen can propose a law
• Pericles paid poor officials
• three branches
• jury system
• written laws
• pay public officials
• Federalism
• Courts have final say
• Senate
• Right to vote for citizens
• Citizens propose laws
• 18 years old to be a citizen

Ancient Rome

Our flight from Greece to Rome was very quick and painless. It was not too far and the plane ride was smooth and easy. The class followed the same routine, we got off the plane, shuttled to the hotel, and later that night we had a nice dinner in the city of Rome. The food was awesome. The whole class headed back the hotel around 10 and we got some rest. The next morning Mrs. Hamilton let us sleep in because she knew we were tired. We woke up around 9:30 and headed to the breakfast area at the hotel for another meal. Rome was pretty similar to Athens in the day. It was very smoggy as well. The whole day is planned out and Mrs. Hamilton is prepared to show us around Palatine Hill. It was said to have been founded by the twin brothers Romulus and Remus. The hill was also home to many emperors such as Tiberius, Augustus, and Caligulus. The first era that began on this hill was The Republic. It was a form of indirect democracy where the power rests in the hands of citizens. The citizens then elect leaders to make their decisions. The next stop was the Forum. The classes decided that before we went and saw more, we would have lunch. Everyone bought sandwiches from the store next to the hotel. After lunch we headed to the Forum for more fun and learning. It is similar to the Acropolis in the sense that it held all of the important buildings. Some of these buildings include: The Temple to Saturn, The Tabularium (hall of records), Arch of Titus, Basilica Julia, Curia (Senate house), Arch of Constantine, Temple of Vestal Virgins, Temple to Antonious and Faustina, and of course the Colosseum. The Curia and the Basilica Julia were two of the most important buildings. The Curia was the Senate house where most of the important decisions were made. It was a house like building with big columns in the front. Just like our government the Curia had officials base their decisions with a system of checks and balances, with the three branches of government. At one point this building had solid gold doors! The Basilica Julia was the courthouse in ancient times. Inside it had no walls just a bunch of arches and pillars separating each room. Courts made sure that everyone followed the rules. They had a system of rules written down and they called it the Justinian Code. Just like now if you broke these rules you had to go to court. I could tell that the whole class enjoyed being in Rome. It was a great city with a lot to see. We finally took a flight back to SFO and drove back to our hometown of Danville.

Contributions

• Justinian Code
• Three Branches
• Twelve Tables
• Natural law
• Republic
• Veto
• Checks and Balances
• Court system
• Terms
• Reason
• Equality
• Rule by law
• Senate

England

Our trip to Rome and Greece had ended but the Journey was no over. We came back to Danville for a week to visit friends and family. We were already half way done with our journey but it happened so quick. Mrs. Hamilton did not even tell us when we were going to leave for England. She came into class one day and surprised us with plane tickets. She insured us that our parents were aware and we got to leave school early to pack. SFO airport was beginning to feel like a second home for me. Thankfully when we boarded the plane we got to choose our seats. I sat next to my friends Tess and Connor. We played cards and talked the whole way there. The plane landed in London, England and that is where our trip began. Let me start out by saying the food in London was amazing. I wanted to eat all the time whenever I could. Even the hotel food was top of the line! The first full day there we boarded a big double decker London bus to see the city. Our first stop was at the Windsor Castle. It is the most famous building in London and is a home to the royal family. It is also the oldest and largest residential castle in the world. Buckingham Palace was the second ancient structure we saw. It is the official London residence of British monarchs. The Queen and Prince usually have big parties here. We also visited the West Minister Palace and the Tower of London. As well as the St. James Palace. The whole class got to take a tour of the British Museum. We got to learn about the English Civil War, The Glorious Revolution, and about Prince William and Queen Mary. England was a great experience, but the fun still did not end. We had one last place to visit that wasn't too far away, France.

Contributions

• Rule by law
• Bill of rights
• Magna Carta
• Habeas Corpus
• Common law
• Limited power
• No divine right
• Jury of Peers

France

France was sadly the last destination on our amazing trip. Everyone had so much fun in the other countries we didn't want the trips to stop. On the plane to Paris everyone seemed a little gloomy but excited to see what France had in store. The Pilot touched down the 757 aircraft down in Paris and our last journey began. Our hotel that we checked into was very elegant. Luckily I got to room with Connor. The two of us relaxed in our room for a couple of hours until it was time for dinner. The hotel had its own restaurant so all of us ate there. The food was awesome and I ate until I couldn't walk. Connor and I went back to the room and got some rest to be energized for the next day. In the morning we woke up late and the bus almost left without us. We went without breakfast and just grabbed some clothes and ran out the room. On the bus Mrs. Hamilton was not very pleased but she was glad we made it. The bus took the class to our first monument which was Notre Dame. This was a huge Roman Catholic church in Paris. The church took approximately 100 years to build and hosted many religious and historical events. Napoleon was crowned emperor here. The second visit was the Louvre. It is one of the worlds largest museums. First it was a royal palace but then during the French Revolution it became a museum. The third stop was the Museo d'Orsay. At the beginning of its time it was a rail station but now the tracks have been covered and it holds art pieces of some of the most famous artists in the world. For instance Van Gogh has pieces stored here. And of course our final monument had to be the Eiffel Tower. It is the largest building in paris, and is the most visited paid monument in the world. The tower was built in 1889 for the Worlds Fair. Very quickly we learned that France had a big influence on the Enlightenment Era. We learn all about the enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Baron de Montesquieu. This wraps up my blog about my incredible trip with my classmates. We learned so much and had a great time. It was an unforgettable experience. 

Contributions

• Government gets power from the people
• Civil liberties
• Three Branches
• Separation of power
• Checks and Balances