Name: _______________________________
Was Athens a “True” Democracy?
Analyzing Sources and Gathering Evidence
Many people consider the ancient city-state of Athens to be the first democracy. But was
Athens truly democratic?
Your job this week is to analyze three sources to find evidence to prove whether Athens was,
or was not, a true democracy. In your document analysis, you will include all of the evidence
that you find regardless of which position the evidence supports.
Then, next week, you will review your evidence and take a position - Was Athens a True
Democracy? Using evidence from at least two of the sources we analyze, you will write a welldeveloped paragraph supporting your argument with a thesis statement, evidence, analysis,
and a conclusion. To do this, you will pick the strongest evidence from your document
analysis.
In order to be able to analyze the documents to answer this question, it is important that you
understand the elements of a “true” democracy. As you analyze your sources, keep these
elements in mind.
REMEMBER IN A DEMOCRACY:
1. The _____________________ control the government and have the
power.
2. People have the right to ______________________ for decisions or
leaders and decisions are made by ____________________ rule.
3. The purpose of government is to provide for the
_______________________________ which means what is best for
most people.
4. The government protects _____________________________ including
the right to freedom.
5. The government promotes _____________________________ by
having fair laws that are easily known and apply to everyone.
SOURCE 1
Title
Date
Author
Primary or
Secondary Source?
Main Idea
Evidence that
Athens IS a True Democracy
Evidence that Athens is NOT a True
Democracy
Based on this document, where would Athens be on this Political Systems Continuum?
SOURCE 2
Title
Date
Author
Primary or
Secondary Source?
Main Idea
Evidence that
Athens IS a True Democracy
Evidence that Athens is NOT a True
Democracy
Based on this document, where would Athens be on this Political Systems Continuum?
SOURCE 3
Title
Date
Author
Primary or
Secondary Source?
Main Idea
Evidence that
Athens IS a True Democracy
Evidence that Athens is NOT a True
Democracy
Based on this document, where would Athens be on this Political Systems Continuum?