Fall of Rome to USA today

???? Fall of the United States ????

The US has been the strongest nation on earth for the last 50 years.  The Roman empire lasted over 500 years.  Do you see some signs that the US is facing some of the same problems that the Roman Empire experienced?  Give a present day example:

Decline in Morals and Values

n  People think we have to party and get drunk every night (YOLO) in order to be so called “popular” or “cool”.

n  You have to be the biggest guy or the skinniest girl to get all the attention.

n  People cut them self because a celebrity decided to make a stupid decision.

Public Health/Environment
  --Second-hand smoking
   --Doing drugs
  -- over drinking.
 
Political Corruption
 -- major debt
-- high gas prices
 
Unemployment
-- a very high unemployment rate


Urban decay
 
Inferior Technology
  
Military Spending
 -- we spend million of dollars on war.

The chain effect to the fall of the Roman Empire.

1. Pressured by the Huns, Germanic Tribes abandon their land and
attempt to settle on Roman lands.

2. Trying to solve the problems Emperors begin to limit people’s
freedom.

3. As less people want to join the army Rome hires mercenaries, mainly
from Germanic tribes, to protect the borders of the Roman Empire.

4. Diocletian and later Constantine split the Empire in two to try and
make it more manageable. Both chose to rule from the East half.

5. Rome falls to German invaders in 476 AD, ending the Western
Roman Empire. The Eastern half will survive and become known as the
Byzantine Empire.

6. Because of limits and restrictions on personal freedom les people
support the Empire. This is especially true for the army as fewer and
fewer Romans are willing to join.

7. The Germanic tribes could easily invade Rome.

8. Without the Emperor in the Western half of the Empire, the West half
of the Roman Empire declines in importance.

9. The Huns migrated into Europe and begin taking land from the
Germanic tribes.

8. The German mercenaries paid to guard Rome’s frontiers allow other
Germans to pass through.

Journal Activity 1-30-13 (Why did Rome fall?)

The reason the Roman Empire fell was because the Roman Emperor was captured, Rome was destroyed by Germanic tribes, and that it has spilt into two sides, a western and eastern side, and the capital had been moved. The western side was defeated by Attila the Hun and his army of 10,000 soldiers. The eastern side had survived and flourished. They later became known as the Byzantine Empire. It took on heritage from the Greek and Roman cultures. The west may have politicly fallen but the cultural influence of Rome just kept moving, all the same ideas and customs.

Journal Activity 1-29-13 (Difference of geography of Rome and Greece)

How was the geography of Rome different from that of Greece? Greece has many islands and civilizations built on the sea, flat terrain, and access to water ways. Rome was on a patine hill, was also near the center of the Italian Peninsula. Also built on rolling hills. 

Journal Activity 1-25-13 (Describe the climate of Europe.)

 Describe the climate of Europe.  The climate of Europe is mainly moderate. Nice rain fall, beside in the mountains, they get the most rain fall. Mainly cool and warm. Not extreme weather, kind of like here in Grand Rapids. The mountains and ocean affect most of the weather, with the orographic effect. Countries by the ocean are warmer than places not by the ocean. 

Journal Activity 1-24-13 (What is the climate of Europe like?)

The climate/ biomes of Europe. Europe has very little deciduous forest left because most of the forest were turned into agriculture and pastures. They have mild weather, warm to cool summers, and moderately cold winters. This has to do with the effects of the Atlantic Ocean. They experience four seasons.