Fall of the Roman Empire Letter to the Editor
Pick one of the following reasons that caused the Roman Empire to fall or use an idea from the
class video “Ancient Rome: Fall of an Empire”. Research the problems using the websites
listed on this page to write an editorial. You are writing as if you are living in the time of
Rome’s decline. The editorial should warn the leaders and the people of the dangers to the
empire. The editorial should offer a solution or “call to action” of Roman citizens to avoid
disaster.
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increasing attacks by barbarians
moral decay
cultural decay
corrupt emperors, such as Commodus
plague
social hierarchy: gap between very wealthy and very poor
class conflicts and economic problems
civil wars
rise of Christianity
size of empire became unmanageable
division of the empire into East and West
Write a short editorial. Write as if you are writing during the time of Rome’s decline. Make
sure you cite at least one of the reasons listed above, or one from your own research. The
editorial should warn the leaders and the people of the danger to the empire. You must list the
source of your information. For example: textbook, video, or one of the following websites.
The source listing must be in proper form. This is the example of how you would list the video:
Ancient Rome: Fall of an Empire. Discovery Channel School. 2004.
unitedstreaming. 15 May 2007
<http://www.unitedstreaming.com/>
Illustrated History of the Roman Empire: FAQ (see “Why did Rome fall?” http://www.romanempire.net/diverse/faq.html
Fall of Rome: Decline of the Roman Empire
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/romefallarticles/a/fallofrome.htm
Roman Empire: The Fall of Rome
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/history/fall.htm
Malaria and the fall of Rome
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0221_malariarome.html
Why Rome Fell
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture14b.html
Grading Rubric Fall of the Roman Empire Letter to the Editor
Items evaluated
Possible Points
1. Turn in your reason for the fall of
the Roman Empire.
2. Turn in your notes from the video
“Ancient Rome: Fall of an
Empire.
3. Research your problem on the
internet.
5 points
4. Write the letter to the editor in
proper letter form. (Example:
Dear Editor of the Daily Roman
News, sign your name, remember
you are living between 27 B.C.
and 476 A.D.)
5. The letter needs to address the
problem you selected.
15 points
6. Explain the danger to the empire
10 points
7. Offer a solution or “call of
action”
5 points
8. cite sources correctly
9. turn in grading rubric
5 points
5 points
Total score
5 points
5 points
5 points
60 points
Points earned