Lawrence Sammons II

Sure. Once a year, the Athenians would get together and vote on the question, are we going to ostracize anybody this year? Ostracism would mean sending somebody away for 10 years. Their property wasn't seized. Nothing was done to them. They were just sent away. So there's no right to property that prevents the Athenian people from doing this. The Athenian people can do what they want.

Sure. Once a year, the Athenians would get together and vote on the question, are we going to ostracize anybody this year? Ostracism would mean sending somebody away for 10 years. Their property wasn't seized. Nothing was done to them. They were just sent away. So there's no right to property that prevents the Athenian people from doing this. The Athenian people can do what they want.

Sure. Once a year, the Athenians would get together and vote on the question, are we going to ostracize anybody this year? Ostracism would mean sending somebody away for 10 years. Their property wasn't seized. Nothing was done to them. They were just sent away. So there's no right to property that prevents the Athenian people from doing this. The Athenian people can do what they want.

It is, in fact, a direct democracy. Of course, I always tell my students, I'm definitely voting yes. You know, every year, are we going to have an ostracism? Yes, definitely. I don't know who we're going to ostracize, but I don't want to miss the chance of having an ostracism. That's pretty great. So and then a few days later, they would come back and they would have the actual vote.

It is, in fact, a direct democracy. Of course, I always tell my students, I'm definitely voting yes. You know, every year, are we going to have an ostracism? Yes, definitely. I don't know who we're going to ostracize, but I don't want to miss the chance of having an ostracism. That's pretty great. So and then a few days later, they would come back and they would have the actual vote.

It is, in fact, a direct democracy. Of course, I always tell my students, I'm definitely voting yes. You know, every year, are we going to have an ostracism? Yes, definitely. I don't know who we're going to ostracize, but I don't want to miss the chance of having an ostracism. That's pretty great. So and then a few days later, they would come back and they would have the actual vote.

And the day of the vote, you would write the name of the person you wanted to ostracize on a broken piece of pottery. That pottery is called an ostracon. So that's what gives ostracism its name. And so you wrote the name of the person you wanted ostracized, you know, Professor Sammons. And then you turn that in. And if 6,000 people voted, then whoever got the most votes had to go. No matter what.

And the day of the vote, you would write the name of the person you wanted to ostracize on a broken piece of pottery. That pottery is called an ostracon. So that's what gives ostracism its name. And so you wrote the name of the person you wanted ostracized, you know, Professor Sammons. And then you turn that in. And if 6,000 people voted, then whoever got the most votes had to go. No matter what.

And the day of the vote, you would write the name of the person you wanted to ostracize on a broken piece of pottery. That pottery is called an ostracon. So that's what gives ostracism its name. And so you wrote the name of the person you wanted ostracized, you know, Professor Sammons. And then you turn that in. And if 6,000 people voted, then whoever got the most votes had to go. No matter what.

No matter what. There's no appeal. There's nothing you can say. Well, they just don't like me. You know, they have a bias against people from Arkansas like me, you know, and they're throwing me out. There's no appeal to this. You have to go.

No matter what. There's no appeal. There's nothing you can say. Well, they just don't like me. You know, they have a bias against people from Arkansas like me, you know, and they're throwing me out. There's no appeal to this. You have to go.

No matter what. There's no appeal. There's nothing you can say. Well, they just don't like me. You know, they have a bias against people from Arkansas like me, you know, and they're throwing me out. There's no appeal to this. You have to go.

Right. So this looks pretty clearly to have been something they invented right after the Persian Wars and in the context where Athens had gotten rid of its tyrants, but the Persians had tried to bring a tyrant back and impose a tyrant on Athens, a previous tyrant. And the first people who were ostracized were people who could be associated in some way with the tyrants.

Right. So this looks pretty clearly to have been something they invented right after the Persian Wars and in the context where Athens had gotten rid of its tyrants, but the Persians had tried to bring a tyrant back and impose a tyrant on Athens, a previous tyrant. And the first people who were ostracized were people who could be associated in some way with the tyrants.

Right. So this looks pretty clearly to have been something they invented right after the Persian Wars and in the context where Athens had gotten rid of its tyrants, but the Persians had tried to bring a tyrant back and impose a tyrant on Athens, a previous tyrant. And the first people who were ostracized were people who could be associated in some way with the tyrants.

So it looks like the Athenians thought to prevent a potential tyrant, we will use this thing, ostracism, right? We can't trust having this guy around even, so we're going to get rid of him. But it turns into something else.

So it looks like the Athenians thought to prevent a potential tyrant, we will use this thing, ostracism, right? We can't trust having this guy around even, so we're going to get rid of him. But it turns into something else.

So it looks like the Athenians thought to prevent a potential tyrant, we will use this thing, ostracism, right? We can't trust having this guy around even, so we're going to get rid of him. But it turns into something else.

In Socrates' case, we're told that more people voted that he should be executed than found him guilty. So there were people who voted for Socrates' innocence who still voted that he should be executed. And why? Why, in Socrates' case, he had annoyed a whole lot of people, including some very powerful people.

In Socrates' case, we're told that more people voted that he should be executed than found him guilty. So there were people who voted for Socrates' innocence who still voted that he should be executed. And why? Why, in Socrates' case, he had annoyed a whole lot of people, including some very powerful people.