Dear editor,
I have been noticing that slavery has been a hot topic for you articles as of late. Since this a topic I feel so passionate about, I wanted to write in about my opinion. First off, let me get out of the way that I am a patrician woman, extremely wealthy, I might add, and believe that slavery is the greatest thing since Rome became a republic. Yes, I can see how there will be many oppositions to this, but allow me to elaborate. In my position, I lead a very busy life, I barely even have time to read your articles. Without my loyal slaves, it would be practically impossible to complete my daily tasks.
Each and every day I must wake up solely for 2 main reasons. To, one, cook meals for my family and keep everything tidy. Afterall, my main purpose is keeping my family happy and maintaining our lovely household. With all this work I have to do, there’s no way anything else would get done without our slaves. Our slaves are very hard-working people who don’t require much pay. And, in fact, they weren’t forced into labor, they sold themselves into slavery. I mean, my husband might treat them a little harshly. Or… okay, very cruelly. But he’s just keeping them in their place. They do so much work for my family and I such as tend to our garden, clean our home daily, and so much more. And anyways, they will be freed in only 1 more year, so it’s a fair deal. With all the benefits of slavery, why be against it? After all it’s not like it’s our fault that they’re slaves.
Sincerely,
Aemelia, a loyal reader
Slavery: Good or Evil?
Gracchus Brothers: Criminals or Heroes?
Dear editor,
I have been noticing how much controversy there has been over whether the Gracchus brothers should be loved or hated. Both Tiberius and Gaius have left everlasting legacies behind, and I definitely consider them heroes. And as a plebeian woman, I think what they accomplished in their time was incredible and I see absolutely no reason why anyone would be against them. I greatly admire how tirelessly they tried to make changes and actually made a difference. Tiberius was already an established warrior, but didn’t care for fame, he just wanted to help the poor and less fortunate. Even when he ran for reformer the first time, people noticed how great he was and he became a reformer. Unfortunately, the stingy, rich landowners couldn’t see past their jealousy which resulted in them killing him. One of the main reasons I believe he was so heroic is because of how much he cared and was willing to sacrifice for Rome and his citizens.
And then came along Gaius. After the tragic death of his brother, he heroically took up his duties and fulfilled what Tiberius wanted. Gaius improved the city in so many ways and so quickly. But just like Tiberius, his accomplishments resulted in his death. It seems to me that there are only two possible reasons why people would hate them or want to kill them. and those are jealousy and/or feeling threatened by their success. It is a shame what happened to the Gracchus brothers, but we should always remember how heroic they are and all they did for us.
Sincerely,
Junia Lucilius
What Went Wrong? The Causes of Rome's Fall
Dear editor,
While recently in a discussion about how Rome is falling, I had some very opinionated thoughts and wanted to share them. It has been very clear that for quite some time now, things from economy to politics have been going downhill and it seems very clear that it is highly likely the fall is approaching. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the reasons Rome is in such a bad place right now.
Firstly, our nation of Rome has always had an extremely powerful and strong military that many other nations were envious of. However, as our army began to weaken and become less powerful, previous leaders like Constantine and Diocletian tried to recruit new soldiers but their attempts only failed in the long run as these foreign soldiers weren’t loyal like Romans. Another major reason for our impending demise is religion. After Christianity was made the official religion, it completely changed the traditional Roman beliefs and ways. Romans have always been mostly polytheistic until the adoption of Christianity, but then started to focus on one deity, which is a big change. The last major reason I believe contributed to this is poor leadership and corrupted government. Since Rome becoming too large to manage had a lot to do with this, it didn’t help when leadership started to head downhill. Becoming an emperor or leader in Rome has become even more dangerous and this means a more unstable government. Because of all these reasons and more together, it is very likely that we are very close to our demise as a nation, and I’m not sure there’s much we can do.
Sincerely,
Tullus Veranius