The United States and Roman Empire are similar because of the way they do many things. They both take stuff from other countries when they believe it to better their society. Both societies wanted more land to expand their “empire”. They both have gone to war wand with the same country, but on different battlefields. Also both groups have problems with people of the Middle East. Finally both groups killed people because they did not like their race.

As the Roman Empire and the United States began to gain power they both started to take ideas from other countries and make them better. In Rome when their navy was no good to fight the Carthaginians they took the Carthaginians idea of a navy and tweaked it to their advantage and ended up winning that war. The United States did the same thing only to help them create a better government than the Articles of Confederation they had at the time when the country began. They took the ideas of John Locke and other philosophers during the Age of Enlightenment and made it into what we call today the Constitution. This idea stealing created one of the most powerful countries in the modern world. It is a wonder how both of these empires just stole ideas and made very strong and powerful empires.

When both of these empires started out they only had some part of land and with land comes food, and with food comes more people. So both empires wanted more land to provide for their people and also so they could rule a lot of land. Rome for example needed more land for more food and also because they wanted to expand. They took over half of Europe at the time of their ruling and then it all fell apart. The United States not fell as Rome did, but they did what Rome did. They wanted more land so in 1803 the U.S. bought the Louisiana Purchase from France for $23,213,568. That Purchase of 23% of the United States land of today started off what people called back then, “Manifest Destiny”. This belief was that all the United States from sea to shining sea was destined by God to belong to the U.S. Both of these people stopped at nothing to get what they wanted, and they are great because of it.

In war both civilizations are seen fighting another group two times in a row in a war. Rome was faced with fighting the Carthaginians. The first time they battled them on land and the second time on sea. They ended up winning both times. The United States on the other hand fought the English. They fought them once mainly on land during the American Revolution. Then during the War of 1812 the U.S. fought England again, but this time on sea most of the time. The U.S., just like Rome, won both wars.

The Middle East has always been a problem for both groups, because they always seem to have what most empires need. First of all Rome had problems with the Muslims in the Middle East, because of land. Under Nero the Romans fought the Parthian Empire. They eventually found a way to peace. Then the United States started to have problems with the Middle East when they bombed the World Trade Center twice, succeeding the second time. So the U.S. was attacked in their own land. They then went after them and all the terrorist groups in the Middle East. Both also needed natural resources from them. Rome needed gold and the U.S. needed gasoline. They are similar in this way, because they were had problems with them and also because they both needed natural resources from the Middle East.

In the beginning of these civilizations both societies had a group of people they called uncivilized and non-human. In Rome they found the Barbarians of the East to be a vile and uncivilized people and a threat to their very society. So in response to them they began to try and convert them to their religion, Roman Catholic, or even eliminate them. They did the same in the U.S.A. when they began to move west and even in the beginning of the country. They would convert or at least try to convert many Native Americans and if they didn’t they would most likely die as the Barbarians did. In both cases though the so called uncivilized people revolted against there oppressors. This affected both of the empires histories very much.

The Roman Empire and the United States do many things similar and have a similar history, and because of this they are very alike. They both wanted to make their countries better by taking other civilizations ideas and adding them to their society. Each Empire wanted more land, for more power, more room, and for more food. The U.S. and the Roman Empire also both fought in two wars in a row with the same people, but on different battle fields. A problem for both of them was the Middle East, which is do to needed natural resources, or because they were attacked on their own land. Finally both empires had a group of people they felt were uncivilized and that they were better than. These Empires histories and ways of doings things are so very similar even though they are thousands of years apart.