Assassination of Julius Caesar

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THESIS STATEMENT: The assassination of Julius Caesar was due to his increased power and the Senate's fear of losing their political relevance.
PURPOSE STATEMENT: Through critical analysis and research, it has been shown that Caesar's gain in power worried the Senate.
INTRODUCTION: On July 13, 100 B.C., Gaius Julius Caesar was born into a family that was proud of being patrician. For centuries, his family had played a role in politics and the military, so it was natural that he would one day be involved in the Roman government or army. At a young age, he ran for Pontifex Maximus ("chief priest") so he could enter other politics later in his life. "Caesar was a brilliant general, a clever engineer, and administrator of genius, and a leader who demanded and commanded loyalty. He also was a corrupt politician" (Dando-Collins 4). Caesar would go on to become a dictator, and his gain in power would corrupt him. He often bypassed the Senate, taking their power away. With Caesar's growing power, the Senate feared that they would soon lose their political relevance.
CAESAR CONSOLIDATES POWER: Caesar's power in Rome was growing, and people were afraid he was going to turn Rome into a monarchy. However, Caesar did not want to be known as a king, but he was appointed dictator for life. He gained most of his powers through military victories. He conquered Gaul and had victories over Pompey the Great. He also beat Scipio, King Juba of Numidia, Pharnaces, and Gnaeus and Sextus. He conquered Egypt, which also...
MIDDLE: ...made him very wealthy. Caesar's power continued to grow, and he became more and more corrupt. He bypassed the Senate and went straight to the assembly on most occasions. The Senate feared they would lose their political relevance since he was bypassing them.
CONCLUSION: The assassination of Julius Caesar was due to his increased power and the Senate's fear of losing political relevance. They were losing their freedoms and thought the only way to resolve this problem was to kill Caesar. Killing Caesar did not help make the government a democracy like the Senate had wanted. Marcus Brutus and Cassius ended up leaving Rome, so their plot did not help them. Caesar was the leader of Rome, the top of the Roman Empire. The people he thought he could trust most, his so-called friends, took him to the bottom of the Roman Empire, to his grave.

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