When I think about the parallels between the Rome/Jerusalem reality and America today, the popular phrase "freedom ain't free" comes to mind. This phrase refers to the fact that sometimes freedom is not pure; it is tainted by restraining factors. All of these societies, ancient Rome, ancient Jerusalem, and modern America have an element of impure freedom in them. In ancient Rome, true freedom for all members was hampered by the social distinctions of each class, especially the slaves. Though similar freedoms were extended to all citizens from Augustus to Vespasian (Guided Tour of Palatine Hill), not all people were citizens, and freedom was not made available to all members. Jerusalem had a more equal approach to social classes, but also wasn't free from domination by foreign powers. The Babylonians' destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE, and later, the Romans' destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE are examples of this lack of authentic freedom. In America today, wage slaves are the least free citizens. When people do not have the opportunity to make their lives better, freedom is not truly available to them. In each of these cities, freedom is being violated in some way.
Rome had numerous slaves to support its structure. The emperors prevailed at the top of the pyramid, followed by the upper class Roman citizens, and then the citizens in varying levels. The slaves occupied the largest portion of the pyramid and did all the grunt work for those above them: they built monuments, scrubbed people at the baths with the stirgil, and even lost their lives for the entertainment of the masses in the Colosseum. Rome was stratified socially in this sense: certain classes were given more freedoms than others. A million slaves were needed to support 50 members of the royal household (Guided Tour of Palatine Hill). During our guided tour, Laura said that Roman citizens were mostly endowed with the same rights in an egalitarian society. However, these rights most certainly did not apply to the slaves. This is an example of the "freedom ain't free" concept. Though Romans believed all people deserved these rights, they did not extend them to slaves, and freedom is not free for them.
There are also many examples of Jerusalem not being completely free, though the rich and the poor lived beside one another in Jerusalem. As we talked about in class, a person's function in society in Jerusalem didn't give that person power over others. This clashes culturally with the Roman social pyramid. However, Jerusalem was similarly not completely free because its inhabitants were cruelly persecuted over the centuries. A good example of this is the Babylonian destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE. Goodman calls this "the gravest blow to this (religious) future" (48). Jerusalem's power as a religious city was temporarily negated during this destruction. Many Jews were subsequently taken into exile in Babylon. When this first major assault to Jerusalem occurred, it foreshadowed many years of the "freedom ain't free" idea. Though Jerusalem could function as its own entity at times, it was never far from being seized again. Another such example of the loss of freedom was in 63 BCE when the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem. Josephus is quoted in Goodman, saying, "For we lost our freedom and became subject to the Romans, and the territory which we had gained by our arms and taken from the Syrians we were compelled to give back to them" (52). While under Roman control, the Jews were not truly free. In 70 CE, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem because the Jews would not show submission to Florus's rule. Because the Romans tried to force the Jews to obey, and the Jews refused, Jerusalem was destoyed. Freedom for Jerusalem in this sense was not true freedom because the Jews were threatened and coerced.
In America today, there is a similar clash between the principles our country was founded upon and the social reality of our country. Granted, unlike Jerusalem, we are free of foreign dominon. We are free to practice our laws the way we wish and we are free from the horrors of exile. Though we do sometimes deport people who are not American citizens. This can be a less cruel form of exile; we are not exiling them from their homes, but from a land of opportunity. What can be said about Jerusalem and modern America is that both exemplifty the phrase "freedom ain't free"; Jerusalem through the violation of rights by foreign dominators, and America through social distinctions between classes. I believe American citizens are not as truly free as our Constitution declares. Just as Roman society distinguished the rights of certain people based on their class, America also gives certain people rights based on their class. Many people work as wage slaves; they are only paid enough to squeak by the next month's bills and are not given opportunities to create a better life for themselves. This is an example of how similar ancient Rome and modern American society is. Though ancient Rome, ancient Jerusalem, and modern America differ in the ways in which freedom is violated, all of them can identify with the phrase "freedom ain't free."
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