It is no secret that America has recently been experiencing some societal conflicts. Startling enough, some of these aspects in society can be paralleled to Ancient Rome and the eventual downfall of their empire. There are the obvious similarities between Ancient Rome and the United States such as them both being prosperous and strong military powers, but they also shared some societal similarities. One contribution to the eventual fall of Rome came from the decrease in importance on family life and morals. This first started in Rome with men participating in less and less religious worship in their homes. This same decrease is happening in the United States as according to the Pew Research Center, the percent of adults that are religiously affiliated had dropped 6% in the years 2007-2014. Often times, regardless of the specific religion, religious affiliation teaches values such as ethics and dedication. According to Forbes Magazine, studies have shown that the even the non-spiritual benefits of religion are related to religious attendance. “Religious participation by kids has been shown to result in less juvenile delinquency, less drug use including less smoking, better school attendance, and a higher probability of graduating from high school” (Forbes). Having a strong religious affiliation is a characteristic that a family can share and bond over. With a lack of this shared practice, it is easier for the unity of the family to lose its strong ties.
The next step in the downfall of the family was men spending less time with their families and more time concerned about material things and wealth. From the book Conspiracy of Catiline, a Roman politician stated that “Some set their hearts on houses, some on lands…The whole period was one of debauched tastes and lawlessness. When wealth was once counted an honor, and glory, authority, and power attended it, virtue lost her influence, poverty was thought a disgrace, and a life of innocence was regarded as a life of mere ill nature”. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association study, parents of both sexes are spending an average of ten or twelve hours less per week with their children than when they did in 1960. As men in Rome spent more time worrying about trying to gain wealth in Rome, they began to neglect their wives and family. This led to them cheating on their wives and becoming more sexual active with women of the lower class. Consequently, this also led to a higher divorce rate and bad relationships with their children. The United States ranks as the third highest country for divorce rate with around 40% marriages ending in divorce. It is no secret that divorce can significantly affect children in a negative way. Observing the ending of love between parents can be very hard for children of all ages. Having two parents present to teach and mentor a child on the right way to live as they grow up is of grave importance to the future of a society.
Although some of these ideas may be dramatic, it is interesting to see a similar trend within the two great nations. It is not just these two societal conflicts but politics as well that have shown parallels. It may not be time to panic yet…but the U.S. should be weary as history tends to repeat itself.
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https://probe.org/rome-and-america/
http://www.pewforum.org/2015/11/03/u-s-public-becoming-less-religious/
https://www.pbs.org/livelyhood/workingfamily/familytrends.html
The West in the Pre-Modern World 
I think the points you bring up in this post about the similarities between American and ancient Roman societies are very interesting. I agree that there has been a decrease in religious affiliation entering into the 21st century; millennial ideas have brought about a culture shift. Furthermore, this trend may have a part in the increasingly high divorce rates in America. Many religious groups prohibit divorce and when a society begins to disassociate with religion, the emphasis on family values may decrease.
One of western culture’s heaviest criticisms centers about its obsession of material wealth. Other societies, such as Islamic cultures, see this as a direct violation of their religious practices. They believe that the ideas and values that Westerners spread are extremely impious. From this, I can see where you were able to connect that a significant emphasis on materials and wealth has driven apart families and familial values in American society.
I do not agree with your assertion that Roman familial relationships were weakened by an obsession of material wealth. Roman society was already extremely male dominated. Women were simply there to serve the will of their husbands, who commonly had many other suitors in addition to their wife at home.
Nevertheless, the focus on materials has led to a devastating class divide in the United States. There are constant debates over wealth redistribution and healthcare. Ancient Roman society had a parallel division between citizens and non-citizens, or more generally, between men who could vote and everyone else.
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Molly Swiger
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