Shattered But With Fragments Remaining

For quite some time, theres been some uncertainty regarding whether or not the Roman
Empire has fallen. Well, the answer to that question depends on the perspectives taken. For
some, the fall of an empire was symbolized by its destruction, loss of land, etc. To them, Rome
crumbled as it economically, politically, and socially declined throughout time. However, a
better way to look at an empire's decline should be marked its loss of influence on other lands.
The decline of the Roman Empire can be viewed as a glass vase that fell from table, shattering
into thousands of pieces. Even though its beautiful form will never be restored, the thousands of
pieces it leaves on the ground can be picked up by others. These pieces representing the
Roman legacy can be reused to form another vase, unique in its own way. Although Rome
physically descended from power, its strong legacy of virtues, government, religion, and
imperialism continues to live on.
Since the creation of The United States of America, many Roman traits can be found
throughout the country. In fact, our government was based off of the Roman Republic! Like their
government, we vote for leaders who will make decisions impacting the welfare of the nation.
These people will enforce the laws, control the budgets, etc. Speaking of laws, our Bill of Rights
was based off of Roman views of protecting the citizens, especially the weak, from unfair
judgement.
Similarly to Rome, America was imperialistic. Both nations spent large amounts of
money on the military, but developed and gained power this way by waging constant warfare.
The Romans frequently went on raiding parties and looted neighboring lands. They captured
slaves and grew rich from the goods stolen. The United States followed in their footsteps and
also seemed to be in constant war. We fought in WWI, WWII, Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam,

Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Specifically WWII and Cold War allowed America to make huge
discoveries in science and boost the economy.
One of the most influential Roman things left behind was religion. Christianity was born
in the Roman Empire, and after centuries of bloodshed the belief started spreading throughout
the world. Now, Christianity is the worlds most popular religion, with a number of about 2.2
billion Christians. That is about 31% of the worlds population!
In the end, the Roman Empire physically crumbled, but its legacy lives on and serves as
an example for future nations to follow. The Romans were so influential they paved way for the
creation of one of the strongest nations in the world and introduced the most popular religion
there is. Instead of falling, the Roman Empire moved on to show us its true power and how
much it has left behind