R OMAN R EPUBLIC Mrs. DelGrosso Ms. West

P LEBEIANS Plebeians were typically considered the “common people” Men who farmed, traded, and made things for a living About 95% of Romans were plebeians They could not be priests or government officials and at first, had little voice in government affairs They were forced to serve in the army

P ATRICIANS Patricians were members of Rome’s noble families Patricians created all laws and made all decisions in government Controlled valuable land and had plebeians work for them

R EPUBLIC A republic is a type of government where people elect officials to govern Originally, the patricians had all of the power in the government and elected one another for office

T HE P LEBEIANS REVOLT The plebeians decided to rebel against the patricians They marched out of the city and camped on a nearby hill The patricians needed the plebeians to work in the city, so they finally gave them the rights they deserved

P LEBEIANS P ROTEST THE P ATRICIANS “Once upon a time, the different parts of the human body were not all in agreement… and it seemed very unfair to the other parts of the body that they should worry and sweat away to look after the belly. After all, the belly just sat there… doing nothing, enjoying all the nice things that came along. So they hatched a plot. The hands weren’t going to take food to the mouth; even if they did, the mouth wasn’t going to accept it… They went into a sulk and waited for the belly to cry for help. But while they waited, one by one all the parts of the body got weaker and weaker. The moral of the story? The belly too has a job to do. It has to be fed, but it also does feeding of its own.” – Stories of Rome by Livy (20 B.C.E.)

A DDITION OF T RIBUNES After the plebeians’ revolt, the government changed The patricians let the plebeians elect officials called tribunes Tribunes could speak for the plebeians in the Senate and with the Consuls to help them attain rights Tribunes eventually gained power to veto, or overrule actions by the Senate and other government officials There were ten tribunes

C ONSULS : E XECUTIVE BRANCH Consuls commanded the army, were the most powerful judges, and proposed new laws There were two consuls in the republic style government: one patrician and one plebeian

S ENATE : L EGISLATIVE AND J UDICIAL BRANCHES Senators made laws, determined how Rome would act toward other governments, controlled money, and served as judges They served for life There were 300 people in the Senate: half plebeians, half patricians

A SSEMBLY The plebeians also created the Citizens’ Association All Roman citizens could be part of the assembly The Citizens’ Association could approve or reject laws, nominate consuls, tribunes, and Senators

C OUNCIL OF P LEBS Plebeians could also elect a lawmaking body called the Council of Plebs The Council of Plebs could make laws for plebeians only

D OES THE POWER SEEM BALANCED TO YOU ? Turn and talk to your partner to discuss why or why not the power seems balanced and fair.

C HECKS AND B ALANCES By having three branches of government, people could check in with one another to make sure one group did not take too much power

T HE T WELVE T ABLES The Twelve Tables were a set of laws for all Roman citizens All free citizens had to be treated equally by the legal system They were displayed in the Forum, which was Rome’s marketplace What does this remind you of?

P LEASE ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN YOUR NOTEBOOK ! 1. Why was it important that the Twelve Tables were displayed in the Forum? 2. How are these laws similar to other civilizations we have studied? 3. How are these laws different from other civilizations we have studied?