Comic Script

Notes

Characters: Mr. Smith and Johnny
Panels 1-3
Intro… two people talking about US democracy

1.	Mr. Smith: ...That’s all I have for today, any questions?
2.	Johnny: Mr. Smith, why do you think our democracy has lasted this long?
3.	Mr. Smith: Hmm...there isn’t a simple answer for that. America’s history may be short, but it is very complicated and there are a lot of factors that have led to our sustained existence.
4.	Mr. Smith:
After the Continental Army managed to rout the British, legitimizing the Continental Congress’s Declaration of Independence, the 13 states could have easily ended up as a military dictatorship/state under George Washington, by just continuing to operate as a country at war. Not unlike what did Caesar and later what Napoleon would do, following their major wars. All three had the support of their people, but Washington did not take advantage of the opportunity to crown himself.

Instead, we became one of the democracies in the modern world, if you wish to call the government we had as a true democracy. We did not have universal male suffrage until after the Civil War [when considering the massive population of completely disenfranchised slaves], let alone women’s suffrage, which came in 1920 with the 19th Amendment. Even then, many people didn’t vote out of fear or because of discriminatory laws, not resolved even remotely until the voting rights act in 1965. http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.php

5.	Since then, our government has served as a model for other countries, so it’s hard to pinpoint exact reasons why we have come this far as a nation.
http://digitalmediafys.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/68677237/Dahl_where_how_democ.pdf
Panels 4-6

Question about what makes our democracy different from those of the past

4.	Johnny: Well, what separates our democracy from those before us? What have we done different?
5.	Mr. Smith: There’s no simple answer for that either, but perhaps we can look back at one of the republics of the past and draw comparisons to our lives today.
6.	Mr. Smith: Probably the best example would be Ancient Rome, as the founding fathers considered them to be the best civilization to base the newly formed United States after.

Panels 7-9

Roman Democracy connection… Rome’s Republic ended and turned into an empire…  are we headed there as well?

7.	Mr. Smith: Despite being considered one of the greatest civilizations in history, Rome’s republic became riddled with problems over time, culminating in the rise of the Roman Empire.
8.	Mr. Smith: While all men were free to vote in the republic, they often had to travel vast distances to vote in the annual elections, as they were only held in Rome’s capital city. This led to a disconnect between the wealthy, aristocratic upper class that made up Rome’s government and the people living far outside the city’s boundaries, who felt that they were becoming disenfranchised.
9.	Mr. Smith: As time went on, tensions rose as those who were unable to vote began to question their allegiance to the republic, leading to civil unrest and war. This, combined with ongoing militarization, constant war with neighboring civilizations, and assassination of public officials, ultimately became the republic’s downfall.

information of the fall of the republic - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/fallofromanrepublic_article_01.shtml

Panels 10-12

10.	Johnny: Do you think we face the same problems that Rome did before its downfall?
Mr. Smith: While we don’t face the same issues about voting, there are similarities between where America is today and where Rome was before the republic collapsed.
11.	Mr. Smith: For example, ever since World War II, America has either been engaged in or preparing for an armed conflict, and, like Rome, America has seen a lapse in its middle class, with the rich becoming exponentially richer and the poor becoming poorer.
12.	Mr. Smith: Our political system also mirrors how Rome’s was near the end of their democracy. Congress is constantly gridlocked because neither side is willing to compromise, and elected officials often use their power as leverage to get a higher paying position in industry after their political career is over. Also, since the Citizens United decision, elections have become more about who spends more money than any real issues.

Similar problems we face today

comparisons of fall of rome and us -
http://www.alternet.org/economy/our-republic-ending-8-striking-parallels-between-fall-rome-and-us

Panels 13-15

13.	Johnny: Are you saying that our republic is destined to fall like Rome’s did?
Mr. Smith: While it is a scary thing to think about, it is important to raise these types of questions and become an active member of our democratic system to prevent such a thing from happening.
14.	Mr. Smith: As citizens of this country, it is our duty to become educated, literate voters who are able to see through all the misinformation and lies that plague our system.
15.	*bell rings*
Mr. Smith: That’s all for today, I’ll see you all tomorrow.



Conclusion... two original characters