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The Rich-Poor Gap

The Rich-Poor Gap. By: Katie Granzier and Abby Shorette. Ancient Rome’s Gap. There was definitely a gap between the poor and the rich in Ancient Rome. Most of the population were farmers and laborers, but the wealthy had the most power. Two Social Classes.

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The Rich-Poor Gap

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  1. The Rich-Poor Gap By: Katie Granzier and Abby Shorette

  2. Ancient Rome’s Gap • There was definitely a gap between the poor and the rich in Ancient Rome. Most of the population were farmers and laborers, but the wealthy had the most power.

  3. Two Social Classes • Rome was split into two social classes- the Patricians were the wealthy people (made up most of the senate and controlled public funding) and the Plebians were the poor farmers or ordinary people who took up most of the population. • The Plebians were angry at being treated as second class citizens and not having a say in the government.

  4. Gaining Power • Eventually the Plebians got their role in the government. They gained the power to veto senate. It showed them that they weren’t really over-powered by the patricians. • They weren’t allowed to know what the laws were in the senate, so they would be arrested for breaking laws that they didn’t even know existed.

  5. The Fall of the Empire • Since the Plebians were away at war, no one could tend to the farms. So when they returned, they all wanted a job in the city, but there weren’t enough jobs for everyone. So they began to rely on the government to support them. • This all led to the down fall of the empire- with the fall of the peasant land holders, the aristocracy became more powerful again.

  6. USA’s Gap • Out of all of the nations in the world, the US has the biggest rich-poor gap. • Over 30% of income goes to the richest 10%, and only 1.8% goes to the poorer people • “The average after-tax income of the top 1 percent of Americans has risen an astonishing 111.3 percent, from $298,900 to $631,700 per year,” –Paul Campos

  7. Is this a bad thing? • “Inequality is inevitable. It is a good thing. People need incentives. People need competition. People need markets. Some people will always be poor. Others deserve to be rich. But at the moment it looks like the rules of the game are being fixed in America in favor of the wealthy. The gap between rich and poor will only get wider. That is very dangerous.” –Paul Harris

  8. The Wealthy • “The wealthiest one percent of households now control a third of the national wealth. The wealthiest 10 percent control two-thirds of it. This is a society that is splitting down the middle and it has taken place against a backdrop of economic growth.” –Paul Harris

  9. The Poor • Americans are 70% wealthier than they were in 1979, but unfortunately, none of the money is going towards poor people. The after-tax family income is about the same as it was in 1979, $13,500 • As the gap between the rich and the poor widens each year, it gets harder and harder for people to jump over the gap and make a better life for themselves and their family

  10. Is the U.S. following in Rome’s footsteps? • We believe that in some ways, America is following in Rome’s footsteps. • There is a gap in our society and our actions are setting us up for the same downfall that Rome faced.

  11. Reasons this is leading to failure • The gap between rich and poor people is becoming more distinct. • Most of the government’s power lies in the hands of the wealthier percentage of the country. • The poor people’s chance of gaining more money are becoming slimmer because of taxes, living costs, and increase of prices on products. • The government is having to bail out a lot of banks, which is taking one step toward having a controlled economy.

  12. Sources (Information) • http://www.dawn.com/2006/06/09/int12.htm • http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0502-30.htm • http://www.worldwatch.org/node/82 • "Rome." Ancient Civilizations Reference Library. Ed. Judson Knight. Detroit: U*X*L, 2000. Student Resource Center - Bronze. Gale. Scarborough High School Library. 17 Mar. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC-3&docId=EJ2173150027&source=gale&srcprod=SRCS&userGroupName=scarborough_hs&version=1.0 . • "Roman Republic." Gale Encyclopedia of World History: Governments. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht and Dwayne D. Hayes. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Student Resource Center - Bronze. Gale. Scarborough High School Library. 17 Mar. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC-3&docId=EJ3048600022&source=gale&srcprod=SRCS&userGroupName=scarborough_hs&version=1.0 .

  13. Sources (Pictures) • http://freedomkeys.com/gapgraph.jpg • http://www.povertyinamerica.psu.edu/products/publications/measuring_economic_distress/5aand5banddistress34.jpg • http://files.myopera.com/yekrang/albums/171166/Expensive%20House!%20The%20Swimming%20Pool.jpg • http://www.traditioninaction.org/OrganicSociety/Images_1-100/A_014_RomanSenate.jpg • http://www.vgskole.net/teachers/images/ancient_rome.jpg • http://www.arnoldbocklin.com/images/A_Tavern_in_Ancient_Rome.jpg • http://www.mrdowling.com/images/702patrician.gif

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