Pericles Funeral Oration Essay

The Pericles Funeral Oration influenced the United States Bill of Rights. Pericles delivered his famous speech during the Peloponnesian War. His purpose for the speech was to honor the fallen soldiers and to inspire the people of Athens to keep on fighting. The principles for the Funeral Oration that influenced the United States Bill of Rights are personal freedom, rule by majority, and the right to get ahead through ability rather than social class. The Pericles Funeral Oration influenced the Bill of Rights through the concept of personal freedom. Pericles said in his speech, “The freedom which we enjoy in our government extends also to our ordinary life.” The freedom in our government is the ability to vote and all our other freedoms. Pericles …show more content…
He says “If no social standing, advancement in considerations not being allowed to interfere with merit nor again does poverty bar the way, if a man is able to serve the state, he is not hindered by the obscurity of his condition.” Pericles is saying that what social class you are in doesn’t affect you ability to get ahead. This quote affects the Ninth Amendment. it says “The enumeration in the Constitution of certain right shall not be constructed to deny to or disparage others retained by the people.” This means that certain rights won’t be given to people and other rights will. It means that everyone gets the same rights no matter what they do, what color skin they have or what job they have. If someone who rich gets fined they will not get fined more because they have more money. They would get the same fine that everyone else would get. The Pericles Funeral Oration influences this because Pericles says even though someone is poor, their ability to serve the state is greater than their social standing. All United States citizens are able to participate in our government even if they are poor. In our everyday life , this principle is a part of it. Everyone can get a job, people can go to college even if they are