SPQR

More and more people are seeing the resemblance between America and ancient Rome. Both were the most powerful nations of their time, being centers for economics, culture, and religion. How each rose to their place in the world isn't completely clear, but they certainly had help from slavery, military conquest, and skilled leaders.

For keeping their populace under control, Romans had one saying: "Panem et circem", meaning "bread and games". The connotation if this quote is if you gave the common people enough bread, and kept them entertained with games, there would never be an upset populace. America has similar stadium-like games to the Romans, such as football and boxing. We also spend huge amounts of money to make sure that every citizen has enough to eat. The Founding Fathers even used Roman government as a starting point for our own constitution. 

So can we use the history of Rome as a crystal ball for America's future? One reason that many historians can pin Rome's fall to was its size. The Roman empire was simply too big to sustain. Old buildings began crumbling, slaves outnumbered citizens, and the borders of the Empire were under constant attack by Barbarians. If we fast forward 1,500 years, America is facing similar challenges, along with some new ones. Our prison population is swelling, and the number in poverty keeps increasing. Towns that used to have booming infrastructure are beginning to crumble.

Is America on the same path that the Romans were on? Can we make changes to our culture and laws so we don't face a similar demise?