Read the passage below.

one of the first known democracies was iceland. as early as ad 930, iceland’s chieftains would set up camps in a large open area called the parliament plains for two weeks in the middle of june. this assembly was called althing. during this annual event, a group called the law council would vote on legal issues.

the chieftains who made up the law council had non-voting advisors. in addition, there was an official with the title “law speaker.” in those days, before written language, the law speaker would recite iceland’s laws out loud.

in approximately ad 965, the chieftains divided the nation into four parts. they set up courts in each quarter.

in the space provided, explain what is similar and what is different about iceland’s early government and today’s u. s. government. introduce the subject. make three major points. write a conclusion. your response should be between 75 and 150 words.

review the rubric to see the grading criteria.