Athens: The Birthplace of Democracy

Student 1

Student 2

Student 3

Narrator 2

Narrator 3

Athenian 1

Narrator 1

Athenian 2

Athenian 3

Aristocrat 1

Aristocrat 2

Aristocrat 3

Solon

Athenian Woman 1

Athenian Woman 2

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The Birthplace of Democracy

Athens: The Birthplace of Democracy

Cast

Narrator 1 Narrator 2 Narrator 3 Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Athenian 1 Athenian 2 Athenian 3

1

Cast

(continued) Aristocrat 1 Aristocrat 2 Solon Athenian Woman 1 Athenian Woman 2 Aristocrat Woman 1 Aristocrat Woman 2 Slave 1 Slave 2

2

Student 1:

Gee, learning about Athens makes me want to go there.

Student 2:

Me, too. Especially if it means we can miss Math.

Student 3:

Wait! What is happening?

Student 1:

I feel dizzy.

Student 2:

Are we traveling through time?

Student 3:

OMG! We really ARE traveling through time!

Student 1:

We finally stopped.

Student 2:

Where are we?

Student 3:

Does this mean we miss Math?

Narrator 1:

Welcome to Athens!

Narrator 2:

It is the 6th Century BC.

Athenian 1:

Hello! I am an Athenian!

Athenian 2:

Me, too!

Athenian 3:

Me, three. Welcome, friends!

Student 1:

I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in Athens!

Student 2:

Wait. Where is Athens?

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Narrator 3:

It is in Europe, silly. Near Italy.

Student 3:

We knew that.

Narrator 1:

It is the 6th Century BC…

Narrator 2:

and Athens is a city-state.

Student 1:

Do you like it here?

Athenian 1:

Well, we are proud of Athens. Our city-state is rich!

Athenian 2:

But we are not.

Athenian 3:

Still, the land here is filled with good things.

Like silver!

Athenian 1:

And clay for making pots!

Athenian 2:

And marble for making sculptures!

Athenian 3:

But we are just ordinary Athenians. They call us plebs.

Student 2:

What does that mean?

Athenian 1:

It means we’re not rich or fancy.

Student 3:

What’s wrong with that?

Athenian 2:

Here in Athens, you have to be born rich…

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Athenian 3:

to have a say in how things are run.

Student 1:

But that’s not fair!

Athenian 1:

Tell me about it!

Athenian 2:

We don’t get any respect.

Student 2: Student 3: Aristocrat 1: Aristocrat 2: Student 1:

What do you mean?

Yeah, who bullies you?

Step aside, plebs!

Yeah, step aside, plebs!

Who are you?

Aristocrat 1:

Greetings! I am an aristocrat.

Aristocrat 2:

Me, too.

Aristocrat 1:

Sorry you had to talk with those plebs.

Aristocrat 2:

They’re so annoying. Now you can talk to aristocrats.

Student 2:

What’s an aristocrat?

Aristocrat 1:

An aristocrat is a person of high birth.

Athenian 1:

That means they’re rich.

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Aristocrat 2:

Not just rich…

Aristocrat 1:

Being an aristocrat means…

Aristocrat 2:

We’re educated.

Aristocrat 1:

And our parents are educated.

Aristocrat 2:

Yeah, and our grandparents are educated.

Aristocrat 1:

Yeah, and our great-grandparents were educated.

Aristocrat 2:

Yeah, and our great-great-grandparents were-

Student 3:

Okay, okay, we've got the idea!

Student 1:

But what’s so special about being an aristocrat?

Narrator 1:

Here in Athens,

Narrator 2:

in the 6th century BC,

Narrator 3:

the aristocrats rule the city-state.

Athenian 2:

Yeah, and regular people like us have no say at all.

Student 2:

You mean you don’t get to vote on laws?

Student 3:

Or choose your leaders?

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Athenian 3:

Nope and nope.

Narrator 1:

But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about to change.

Athenian 1, Athenian 2, and Athenian 3

(happy) It is?

Aristocrat 1 and Aristocrat 2:

(scared) It is?

Narrator 2:

Yep. You didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think you could rule Athens forever, did you?

Aristocrat 1:

Yes, we did!

Aristocrat 2:

Of course, we can rule forever. We are aristocrats!

Narrator 3:

Sorry to break it to you. Meet a lawmaker named Solon.

Solon:

Greetings. I am Solon.

Aristocrat 1:

Who is this guy?

Solon:

I just told you. I am Solon.

Aristocrat 2:

Yeah, but why are you here?

Aristocrat 1:

Yeah, why did you just turn up out of nowhere?

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Aristocrat 2:

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of creepy. No offense.

Solon:

No offense taken.

Athenian 1:

Solon, I am a simple Athenian. How are you going to change things?

Solon:

I am a lawmaker. And I am going to give you the vote.

Athenian 2:

The vote! Wait, what does that mean?

Solon:

From now on, even poor men like you can vote for your leaders and for new laws.

Athenian 3:

I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe my ears!

Athenian 1:

Pinch me! Am I dreaming?

Athenian 2:

Say it one more time, Solon!

Solon:

From now on, even the poorest man in Athens, can vote.

Athenian 1:

Hurray!

Athenian 2:

Hurray!

Athenian 3:

Hurray!

Aristocrat 1:

How can you do this to us, Solon?

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Aristocrat 2:

You’re an aristocrat, Solon! How could you give the vote to plebs?

Aristocrat 1:

This is an outrage. An outrage!

Aristocrat 2:

I cannot believe this is happening!

Solon:

Calm down. This will be good for Athens.

With everyone having a say, there will be more peace in Athens. With peace comes prosperity. Athens will get richer and richer.

And stronger and stronger.

Aristocrat 1:

I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all!

Aristocrat 2:

Everyone knows that only aristocrats can vote in Athens.

Solon:

Not anymore.

Athenian Woman 1:

I just heard the news! Is it true?

Athenian Woman 2:

Are we going to get the vote?

Student 1:

Who are you?

Athenian Woman 1:

We are Athenian women. We are the wives of these men. (she hugs ATHENIAN 1)

Athenian Woman 2:

This is my husband right here. Hi there, sweetie! (she hugs ATHENIAN 2)

Athenian Woman 1:

So ... is it true, Solon?

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Athenian Woman 2:

Is everyone going to get the vote in Athens?

Solon:

Er…no. Every man in Athens will get the vote. But no women can vote.

Aristocrat Woman 1:

Not even me?

Aristocrat Woman 2:

Or me?

Student 2:

Who are you?

Aristocrat Woman 1:

We are aristocratic women. We're rich.

Aristocrat Woman 2:

And well-educated.

Aristocrat Woman 1:

So... surely, we get the right to vote!

Aristocrat Woman 2:

Right, Solon?

Solon:

Um…no.

Aristocrat Woman 1:

But, Solon! We’re aristocrats!

Solon:

But you’re women.

Aristocrat Woman 2:

Do you mean to tell me that the poorest man in Athens can vote…

Aristocrat Woman 1:

But the richest woman in Athens cannot?

Solon:

That’s right.

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Aristocrat Woman 2:

How rude!

Aristocrat Woman 1:

Insolence! This is just insolence!

Slave 1:

Hi everyone!

Slave 2:

Who are you?

Slave 1:

I am a slave. And this is my friend.

Slave 1:

We were just cleaning the floor when we

Slave 2:

Solon say that...

Slave 1:

even the poorest man in Athens will get to vote.

Slave 2:

And we’re the poorest men in Athens!

Slave 1:

So we get the vote!

Slave 2:

Hurray!

Solon:

Um…no.

Slave 1:

What do you mean "Um…no”?

Solon:

Well, the poorest, free man can vote. But

Slave 1:

We don’t get to vote?

heard....

you’re not free, so….

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Slave 2:

I’m going to cry.

Athenian Woman 1:

Join the club, honey.

Athenian Woman 2:

Uh-huh.

Slave 2:

But we’re men! And all men get to vote.

Solon:

The law doesn’t really see you as men.

Aristocrat 1:

Cause you’re slaves.

Slave 1:

That is so cold.

Slave 2:

I cannot believe this is happening.

Student 1:

I don’t even know why we came here. Athens is supposed to be so important.

Student 2:

It’s supposed to be the birthplace of democracy.

Solon:

It is the birthplace of democracy.

Student 3:

But you left so many people out, Solon!

Student 1:

How could you?

Solon:

You kids need some historical perspective.

Athenian 1:

Solon is right. Before Athens, NO PLACE EVER allowed every free man to vote.

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Athens: The Birthplace of Democracy

Athenian 2:

Only men with property were able to vote before. You had to be really, really rich to vote.

Aristocrat 1:

Those were the good old days.

Aristocrat 2:

I miss them! (cries)

Athenian 3:

Ordinary people like us didn’t get a say at all.

Solon:

So what if I didn’t include EVERYONE? Over time, democracy included more and more people….

Student 2:

And today…everyone gets a vote in America.

Student 3:

Well, not kids….but I see what you mean.

Solon:

It’s the principle that is important. The principle that every person gets a say.

Aristocrat 1:

Solon made us include the voices of even the poor in politics.

Aristocrat 2:

He made it so that everyone ---or almost everyone---had a voice.

Solon:

It had never been done before. And it worked!

Aristocrat 1:

It worked REALLY well.

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Aristocrat 2:

The people were happier.

Slaves:

Not all the people!

Athenian 3:

And Athens grew richer and richer.

Student 1:

Well, I guess we've learned a lot from our trip to Athens.

Student 2:

We learned that Solon created the first democracy.

Student 3:

And that he gave every man the vote.

Slave 1:

But slaves didn’t get a vote.

Aristocrat Woman 1:

And neither did women.

Student 1:

It’s important to remember that.

Student 2:

Yeah! Women didn’t even get the vote in America until the 1920s!

Student 3:

That’s not even a hundred years ago!

Aristocrat Woman 2:

That’s so wrong!

Student 3:

Well, it’s time to get back to school.

Student 2:

I bet we get there just in time for Math!

All:

The End

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