Cornell Note Taking Method
Title of Lesson
Date______
Questions—
Notes—outline format to get important information.
either use the
I. Main Topic
heading to make
A. Sub-topic
a question or
1. supporting detail
make a question
2. supporting detail
that can be
3. supporting detail
answered by the
4. supporting detail
information in
5. supporting detail
the notes right
B. Sub-topic
next the
1. supporting detail
question
2. supporting detail
3. supporting detail
4. supporting detail
5. supporting detail
II. Main Topic
A. Sub-topic
1. supporting detail
2. supporting detail
3. supporting detail
4. supporting detail
5. supporting detail
B. Sub-topic
1. supporting detail
2. supporting detail
3. supporting detail
4. supporting detail
5. supporting detail
Summary: Describe the overall and important information from this
lecture or section from the book.
Cornell Notes: Prologue Section 1—The Legacy of Ancient Greece and Rome
How did Athens
build a limited
democracy?
I. Athens Builds a Limited Democracy
A. Greeks build small city-states along fertile valleys
1. Each city-state had its own government
2. Several types of government were tried
What types of
a. Monarchy—rule by king (monarch)
government did
b. Aristocracy—rule by group of noble families
Athens have prior
c. Oligarchy—rule by a group of wealthy people
to democracy?
d. Democracy—rule by people (citizens)
B. Building Democracy
1. Athens
a. Athens was largest, most powerful city-state
Who was a citizen
b. Citizens participate in making gov’t decisions
in Athens?
c. Citizens were adult males with rights and
responsibilities
What could
d. Citizens elect 3 nobles to rule city-state
citizens do?
e. Elected nobles serve one year then join council of
advisors
What economic
2. Economic Problems in 600 BC
problems did
a. farmers go into debt and promise part of crop to
Athens have?
wealthy
b. farmers eventually pledge their land to wealthy
c. farmers sell themselves into slavery and could not
leave land
How did Athens
C. Reforms of Solon
solve its economic
1. Respected lawmaker made changes
problems?
a. outlawed slavery based on debt
b. cancelled farmers’ debt
What reforms did
c. increased citizenship to four groups
Solon make?
d. three higher classes could vote
e. all adult males were citizens
How were Solon’s
f. created Council of 400
reforms
g. any citizen could bring charges against wrongdoers
important?
2. Athens was a limited democracy
a. only citizens could participate in government
What is a limited
b. only 1 in 10 Athenians were citizens
democracy?
c. women, slaves, and foreign residents were not
citizens
d. slaves made up 1/3 of Athenian population
What did
Cleisthenes do?
How did
Cleisthenes’
reforms affect
Athens?
How did Greek
Democracy
continue to
change?
D. Cleisthenes Enacts More Reforms
1. “Founder of Democracy”
a. reorganized assembly to balance power of rich and
poor
b. increased power of assembly by allowing all citizens
to submit Laws for review
c. Council members were chosen from among citizens
d. one-fifth of all Athenians were citizens with these
changes
II. Greek Democracy Changes
A. Greek city-states unite to fight off Persian
1. Democracy in effect to decide how to defend city
2. After Persian Wars, Athens continues improving
democracy
3. Pericles led Athens for 32 years
Who was Pericles
B. Pericles Strengthens Democracy
and what did he
1. jurors were paid so poor could participate
do?
2. number of paid public officials was increased
3. More participation allowed Athens to be a direct
democracy
4. War with Sparta ends democracy in Athens as
Macedonia conquers war-weary city states
C. Greek Philosophers Use Reason
For what purpose
1. great thinkers appear in 4th Century
did Greek
2. based thinking on logic and reason to understand life
philosophers use
3. great respect for human intelligence
reason?
4. Socrates—examine life with deep questioning
5. Plato—philosopher-king (wisest person) should rule
Name the three
6. Aristotle—examined human belief, thought, and
great Greek
knowledge
thinkers and what
D. Legacy of Greece
they are known for
1. Lasting standards for philosophy and government
examining.
2. reason and intelligence to discover patterns and
explanations
What are the
3. developed democracy to avoid authoritarian rulers
lasting impacts of
4. first to develop 3 branches of government
Greece on
a. legislative to pass laws
democracy?
b. executive to carry out laws
c. judicial branch to interpret laws.
III. Rome Develops a Republic.
How and why did Rome rose while Greece declined (from about 1000-500 BC)
Rome change
A. From Kingdom to Republic
from a kingdom to
1. Kings ruled Rome for about 100 years
a republic?
2. in 509 BC, Roman aristocrats overthrew the king
3. Romans set up a republic (elected officials make
What is a
laws)
republic?
4. Two groups struggled for power (both could vote)
a. patricians—aristocratic landowners with inherited
What two groups
status
struggled for
b. plebeians—merchants and farmers had little
power in Rome?
power
c. patricians could hold office; plebeians could not
B. Twelve Tables
What are the 12
1. plebeians force patricians to make laws public & in
Tables?
writing
2. unwritten laws had been interpreted to benefit the
What is the
wealthy
significance of the
3. laws carved on 12 tablets in 451. BC and publicly
12 Tables
displayed
4. all citizens were protected by law
5. laws were applied fairly to everyone
How was Rome’s
C. Republican Government
Republican
1. separate branches (legislative, executive, and
government
judicial)
organized?
2. Two consuls commanded the army and directed the
government
3. Senate was made up of patricians
4. two assemblies were made up of other classes of
people
5. in times of crisis, a dictator was chosen for 6 months
6. republic lasted several hundred years of civil war and
dictators
7. in 27 BC, an emperor took power in Rome
How was Roman
Law spread across
their empire?
IV. Roman Law
A. Law applied to citizens and conquered people
throughout Empire
1. Laws were based on reason
2. Justice should protect people and their property
What are the four
important
principles of
Roman Law?
What is a Written
Legal Code?
How did Justinian
organize his legal
code?
What are Rome’s
lasting
contributions to
democracy?
3. Four important principles of Roman Law
a. all citizens received equal treatment under the law
b. a person was thought innocent until proven guilty
c. burden of proof rests with accuser, not the accused
d. unreasonable or unfair laws could be set aside
B. A Written Legal Code
1. Justinian had 1000 years of Roman law organized
into 4 works
a. The Code—nearly 5000 laws
b. The Digest—a summary of legal opinions
c. The Institutes—a textbook for law students
d. The Novellae—laws passed after 534
2. written laws kept even rulers accountable for their
actions
C. Legacy of Rome
1. Introduced the idea of a republic (representative
government)
2. individuals are citizens of a state and not subject of
a ruler
3. legal code and laws could be applied fairly to all
citizens
4. Rome adopted and added to Greek’s idea of
democracy
Summary: Ancient Greeks and Romans contributed to the
development of democracy. The Greeks were the first civilization to
let citizens get involved in political decision making. They made
laws and banished their countrymen using the ballot box. Also, the
Greeks had several brilliant thinkers/philosophers that encouraged
people to examine their lives and use logic/reason to make sense of
their world. When the Romans took over control of the ancient
world, they adopted and made changes to democratic thinking.
Putting laws in writing and on public display made sure that laws
were applied equally to everyone. The Romans, under Justinian,
codified over 1000 years of law and organizing it set a precedent
that modern societies emulate. In all, the greatest gift from the
ancients is the idea that individuals are citizens of a country and not
just subjects of the ruling class.