Argumentative Essay Introduction: Fall of Rome (modified copy)

Argumentative Essay Introduction: The Fall of Rome

In this assignment, you will write the introductory paragraph for an argumentative essay exploring the primary reasons for the fall of Rome. Your introduction should set the stage for your argument by drawing in your reader and clearly presenting your thesis.

Your introduction must include:

✅ An engaging hook – Capture your reader’s attention with a vivid description, short anecdote, or dramatic scene related to Rome’s decline. Imagine the perspective of a Roman citizen witnessing chaos, a desperate emperor trying to hold the empire together, or a barbarian warrior storming the gates.

✅ Historical context – Provide background information about Rome’s power and significance, the challenges it faced, and the events leading to its downfall. Use details from our DBQ documents to explain the social, political, military, or economic factors that contributed to its collapse.

✅ A clear thesis statement – Clearly state your argument by identifying the most significant cause(s) of Rome’s fall based on the evidence from Documents A-H.

Scoring Reminder:

To earn an Exemplary (4) score, your introduction should read like a story, immersing the reader in the dramatic decline of Rome. Consider starting with a vivid scene—perhaps a crumbling Roman street, a soldier losing hope as invaders attack, or a corrupt official watching the empire fall apart from within.

Background Essay

Rome – the city that would become the center of one of the world’s greatest empires – began around 750 BCE as an unremarkable settlement. During Rome’s early years, the most wealthy and powerful people of the Mediterranean world were the Greeks. However, by 200 BCE, the Greek empire was weakening and Rome was turning into a giant, spilling over its borders as it acquired foreign lands. No longer a sleepy little town, Rome had become a powerhouse. As with so many empires, Rome’s rise to power came with the thrust of a spear and the slash of a sword. The enormous Roman army conquered territory from modern-day Scotland to Spain, gained control of the whole Mediterranean Sea, and established colonies in North Africa, Egypt, the Middle East and Asia Minor. By the year 44 BCE, when Julius Caesar became Rome’s virtual emperor, there were no major rivals left to defeat.

Caesar used his hero status – along with bribery, beatings and even assassination – to gain political power. Over the next two decades, Rome shifted from being a republic, with elements of democratic control, to an empire with power in the hands of an emperor and the military. Rome’s first two centuries as an empire were years of relative stability, increasing power, and great imperial wealth. It was a time known as the Pax Romana, the time of Roman peace. Rome was clearly top dog in the western world. But as Rome was to discover, size has its problems. The empire acquired new subjects who were not Roman and who often did not want to be Roman – in Gaul (France), in England, beyond the Danube River, in the Middle East. Controlling this expanded empire meant a larger army, which in turn meant a need for more food, clothing, weapons and supplies. Political strains developed at home. Leaders in Rome focused less on debate and compromise and more on force to get their way. Having existed for centuries as a republic, Rome eventually became more like a dictatorship.

As Rome drifted through the 3rd century, survived the 4th, and staggered into the 5th, one general problem was apparent – life at the top was getting soft. Upper-class Romans were losing their edge. When a country is doing well and experiencing success, when energy and hope are high, leaders and their people are more willing to work hard and to sacrifice. When the goal appears to have been reached, it is easy to get lazy. The evidence for this was a love of luxury, a decline in the quality of literature, even a decision by upper-class Romans to have fewer children because child-raising was a bother.

But there was more to Rome’s decline than developing a soft belly. By the 5th century CE, when the city was sacked by outside invaders, Rome had been badly weakened by a number of problems. Parts of the empire would survive, particularly in Constantinople and the East, but the old heart of the empire – Italy and the West – was shattered.

Your task is to examine the documents in this Mini-Q and decide which three problems were most responsible for bringing Rome to its knees. Then, of these three problems, decide which was most important. In otherwords, What were the primary reasons (and the most important reason) for the “Fall” of Rome?

Write an Engaging Hook

Capture your reader’s attention with a vivid description, surprising fact, rhetorical question, or short anecdote related to the fall of Rome.

• Consider starting with a vivid scene—perhaps a Roman citizen watching their once-great city crumble, a desperate emperor struggling to maintain control, or an invading barbarian army storming through Rome’s gates.

This opening should immerse your reader in history while setting up your argument on the primary causes of Rome’s fall.

Write Your Historical Context

Briefly explain Rome’s significance and key background details about the events leading up to its fall.

🔹 What background information does the reader need to connect your thesis statement to your evidence?

✅ Use the 5W’s to guide your writing:

• Who is involved? (Roman emperors, soldiers, citizens, and invading groups like the Visigoths and Vandals)
• What is happening? (Rome, once a powerful empire, is weakening due to internal and external problems)
• Where is it happening? (The Roman Empire, which stretched across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East)
• When is it happening? (The decline worsened in the late 300s CE and Rome officially fell in 476 CE)
• Why is it happening? (Corruption, economic troubles, military failures, and invasions all contributed to Rome’s fall)

🔹 Consider the political, economic, military, and social factors discussed in our DBQ.

Your historical context should set the stage for your argument on the most significant causes of Rome’s collapse.

A long time ago, the Roman Empire was very powerful. It was known for its _______ (buildings, army, government, etc.). However, over time, Rome started to fall apart because of problems and eventually the empire fell in ___.

Write a Clear Thesis Statement

State your claim (thesis statement) by identifying the most significant cause(s) of Rome’s fall, based on the evidence from Documents A-H.

✅ Restate the question and fully answer it by taking a clear stance.
✅ Provide three key reasons that support your claim.

Two of the biggest problems were _____________ (money, bad leaders, invaders, etc.) and _______________ (fighting, weak army, plagues, etc.).

Now put them all together! Copy and paste your hook, historical context, and thesis statement (claim) here.