Athens Is More Powerful Than Power Essay

Our history has been based on a strong democratic sense of characterization. As a people, our forefathers have worshiped the great Athena; the goddess of justice and wisdom in hopes that she would lend her grace to the state. This grace has allowed for the prosperity and affluence Athens now has. Pride in our polis’s history has developed a unique collective identity, ideals were placed in the system that allowed the advances of its citizens. To protect these ideals, it is with great lengths that Athens has gone to prevent the influence of outside persons dominating the decision making process. No man, even with the divinity of a god by his side, can be in power without the consent of the people. In consequence, knowledge has become our
We follow democracy, we follow wisdom and justice. After our great victory in the Persian war, we have amassed power. Power allows for the success of the state and the consequent success of the people. It is with great pride that we began to offer protection to our sister states, and our prestige grew with this pride. These allies were quick to take up our hand, as they knew of Athens and its convictions. However, there is one state that has rivaled Athens, not in freedom or democracy, but in power. This polis is the mother of those who oppose our democratic reforms, those who oppose our control of the Delian League. Those who oppose of our power. Our vast naval alliance proved a threat to this power even with a peace treaty in place. It is due to them, that the struggles of war have commenced. Recently we have dispatched envoys to the island of Melos with the supposed intentions of negotiations. These citizens of Athenian convictions have reported to us the intentions of the Melians. I quote the segment of their speech that detailed their reasoning of the negotiations with the Melians concerning power “of the gods we believe, and of men we know, that by a necessary law of their nature they rule wherever they can. And it is not as if we