Rome and Republic- Roman Empire lasts 500 BC- 500 AD, dominates Mediterranean Sea and Europe *arguably the largest and most influential empire in history Objective Questions 1) Define Representative Democracy /Indirect Democracy and explain how RD is reflected in the US today. 2) Analyze how Rome expanded on the Democratic ideals of Greece. (How is Indirect Democracy more effective than Direct Democracy) 3) Contrast the difference between whose laws Jews and Christians felt the needed to follow vs Greeks and Romans. (Who did each group think they were most responsible too?) Analyze why each group believed they had to follow a different entity.
Rome- 500 BC Latin’s take over Italy, adopt elements of Greek civilization (copy and improve on Greek ideas) Rome establishes a Republic to make laws Republic- system of government in which citizens elect leaders to make government decisions ( also called an indirect/representative democracy) *US is a republic (people vote for president to represent US, Senators to represent our state, and representatives to represent our local area) What advantages does an indirect democracy have over a direct democracy? What are the disadvantages of an indirect democracy?
Branches of Roman Government Senate- aristocratic assembly, made of patricians(rich class), in charge of foreign affairs and financial matters($), advised consuls Consuls(executive leader) 2 consuls( one to lead military, one to run government) Plebeians- people that comprised the lower class made of farmers, Rome gave plebeians a say in Gov. by electing Patriarchs/Rich to Gov. *27 BC republic crashes after Julius Caesar is killed and replaced with Augustus Analyze why the population might have supported the end of the republic in favor of a strong ruler?
Roman Law- government wanted a system of laws to control newly conquered territory Purpose- to protect citizens and property (reason for laws in the US today) Roman Laws- seen in US today All citizens have the right to equal treatment under the law (laws are the same for everyone- class, color) Innocent until proven guilty Proof rests with the accuser- they accuser has to prove you are guilty, you do not have to prove you are innocent Unfair laws can be set aside and changed- allows a country to grow and make up for mistakes Identify several unfair laws from American history that have been changed or outlawed. Describe how life improved for the group impacted by the change.
Legacy of Rome- Republic- best and brightest should make government decisions Each individual is a subject of the state, not the ruler “Government of laws, not men”- written laws are applied equally to all citizens(even rulers) Identify one example of how each idea above is seen in the US today.