Casey ImelioInfluences on American GovernmentTake Home Test1. The Roman Republic can be considered a model of how the United States government was formed and still is composed today. The first influence the Romans had on our government was their idea of ​​a republic. They, our country too, wanted their people to be able to vote on who would represent them in government. The American type of representative government was influenced by this. Today we vote for the people who represent us in the Senate, the House of Representatives and for our president. One of the main influences of the Romans on American government was the idea of ​​the division of power. Today we have executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. The ancient Romans had a very similar setup. In Rome, when the government was organized, there were many different styles between the monarchies, the Senate which was the aristocracy and the voice of democracy to the people. These acted as their different branches of government. Since the U.S. government has an executive branch consisting of our president and vice president, the Romans had advisors who acted as executive leaders for a year and controlled the military ("The Roman Republic"). The ancient Romans also obtained a Senate, similar to our government. In Rome there were 300 rich and selfish members. Today, there are career senators and elite men in society. This is the legislative branch of our government that derives from the ancient Romans. Also within the legislative branch of the Romans, they had many assemblies like that of the House of Representatives of the American government, depending on the place of residence of each member. Our judicial power was based on the Roman Praeto...... middle of paper ......two systems that our government has today with the three different branches of government, each of which has some power over the others to create a balance. John Locke influenced the American Revolution and many other American government leaders who played a crucial role in shaping our country's government. He inspired Thomas Paine to put a nation back on its feet, and he also influenced James Madison who developed the principles of liberty and government (John Locke). John Locke's natural rights provide the basis for the “unalienable rights” of our Declaration. John Locke's emphasis on constitutionalism and human understanding influenced our government with the ideas of limited government, checks and balances, and a representative governing body. Through his written opinions, he has shaped the executive and legislative power of our country to this day (John Locke).