History undecided

History undecided

 
Project description

Assignment #4

NOTE: This assignment is worth 30 points and is due in class at the beginning of class on Tuesday, June 3, 2014. Remember that every day this assignment is late (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays included) you will receive a 10% grade reduction for this assignment.

In the Thucydides textbook, there is a series of speeches on pages 16-29 that occur during a meeting at Sparta in 432 BCE. The debate surrounded three actions by the Athenians: 1) their help in the defense of Corcyra against Corinth in 433 BCE; 2) their siege of Potidaea in 433/32 BCE; 3) and their decree against Megara. Many of Sparta’s allies, and in particular Corinth, wanted Sparta and the Peloponnesian League to declare war on Athens because they believed these three actions broke the 30 Year Peace Treaty. An Athenian ambassador happened to be in Sparta at this time and he gave a speech before the assembly. The speech he gave did not respond to the charges concerning these actions but rather to what he considered to be the real reason for the quarrel – the growth of Athenian power and its empire.

In this assignment you will take on the role of an Athenian and compose another speech that addresses the three actions listed above and argue for why each of these actions did not break the 30 Year Peace Treaty. Your speech should be about 4-5 paragraphs long (one paragraph for each action plus a short introduction and conclusion). I have included the terms of the peace treaty below and I recommend that you also refer to your lecture notes.

Terms of 30 Year Peace Treaty

Neither state could interfere with the allies of the other

Neutrals free to join either league

Disagreements settled by arbitration

Allies not allowed to switch leagues

Each leader free to use force to resolve conflicts within its own alliance
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