The Roman Republic & Empire

Roman expansion created a problem, Newly acquired territories had their own customs & rules, so Rome needed a new system of law that would apply to both citizens & foreign subjects. Gradually, a second system of law emerged that suited the Roman sense of justice. Romans based this new system on the laws of nature, arrived at by using the human ability to reason. They called it the law of nations. The inspiration of this law of nations came largely from Stoic philosophy, especially its concept of natural law. From this concept, later thinkers developed the principle of natural rights, a key idea in the American Declaration of Independence. Based on the excerpt, why did the Romans develop a new system of laws? To give citizens new customs & rituals To accommodate both citizens & foreign subjects To enable Rome to acquire new territories To make laws that only applied to Roman citizens 2. The new Roman legal system was based on the laws of – Reason Status Wealth Nature

Answers B. To accommodate both citizens & foreign subjects D. Nature

Establishing a Republic In 509 B.C., the Romans broke free of Etruscan rule & formed a republic in which the people choose some officials. Various governing bodies regulated Roman life, such as the senate. Plebeians (common people) had to fight to gain political power. With the help of citizen-soldiers, Rome controlled most of the Italian peninsula by about 270 B.C Write what’s underlined

From Republic to Empire Cause Armies expand Roman power across Italy Romans destroy Carthage & establish themselves as masters of western Mediterranean Due to wars, Rome empire stretches from Spain to Egypt

From Republic to Empire Effect Conquests & control of busy trade routes brought incredible riches A new class of wealthy landholders emerged/begun Expansion created further strains within Roman society(farming issues, low food prices)

From Monarchy to Republic Effects What was the name of the governing body? What was its job? What did the plebeians gain? What did the plebeians receive?

From Monarchy to Republic Effect Answers The Senate was the most powerful governing body Senators made the laws Plebeian gained the right to elect their own tribunes Plebeians gained access to power & won safeguard for their rights

From Republic To Empire 3 Causes 3 Effects From Republic To Empire

Conquests & control of trade routes brought riches into Rome Causes Rome’s armies expanded Roman power across Italy Romans destroyed Carthage & est. themselves as masters of the western Med. Regions in the eastern Med surrendered to or allied w/ Rome, extending Roman power from Spain to Egypt Effects Conquests & control of trade routes brought riches into Rome A new class of wealthy landholder emerged Expansion caused strains within Roman society & plunged Rome into a series of civil wars From Republic To Empire

Political leaders & the senate fought civil wars in Rome. The empire came to rely on paid soldiers who were loyal to their commanders over the state. Julius Caesar became dictator & was killed in 44 B.C., which brought on more civil wars.

Octavian became emperor in 31 B.C. & took the title of Augustus. He created a civil service to enforce laws & imposed a fairer tax system. He ushered in the pax Romana, which was a 200-year period of peace. Emperor Justinian- reformed Roman law w/ a massive collection of laws & legal writings =‘s (Justinian Code) “JC”- impacted W Europe's Christian churches, medieval monarchs on their laws & even today international laws use it.

Roman Law Roman laws united the empire. Civil law & the law of nations were merged to apply to everyone in the empire. Many Roman principles of law are still practiced today. Equal treatment under the law The burden of proof rests with the accuser Innocent until proven guilty Unreasonable or unfair laws could be set aside Roman Legacy

5 Key Principles of Roman Law Fostered unity & stability Included two systems of laws: civil law for Roman citizens, & the law of nations, which Romans believed applied to all people because it was based on laws of nature The accused had the right to face the accuser & offer a defense against the charge Guilt had to be established “clearer than daylight” through evidence “person was innocent until proven guilty” Judges were allowed to interpret the laws & were expected to make fair decisions

Overview of Justinian Code In the United States, we have a very important document called the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is a list of rights that everyone enjoys. These laws were written down a long time ago, when our country was first formed, so that everyone would know their rights. This document was saved and protected, so that all citizens today and in the future would enjoy the same rights. Over the years, new rights have been added to the list. These new rights are called Amendments. One of the added amendments freed the slaves. Another gave American women the right to vote. These are important rights. They also have been written down, saved, and protected. The same was true with Justinian's Code. Emperor Justinian wanted to save in writing all the laws that began in ancient Rome. Those laws were called the Twelve Tables. He collected up all the old laws, and added new ones that gave his people even more rights.

One of the laws in Justinian's Code stated that a person was innocent until proven guilty. Can you think of any country today that has this same law? Well, sure - we do! Many countries do, including the United States, Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Belgium, and others. It is not easy to write laws that are fair for everyone. Our founding fathers did a great job with the Bill of Rights, but then they some great teachers, one of which was Justinian! Justinian wrote laws that were fair for everyone because he thought about the needs of all the people. He did such a good job way back in 500 CE that new and existing governments still refer to his laws as guides when creating laws for their own countries today!