The Roman Republic EQ: How did the Romans govern themselves in the Republic?

Activating Think back to when we talked about Greece. –What is a republic? –Is it a fair type of government? Why or why not?

Republic- a government where citizens choose representatives to vote for them

The Republic Begins The Roman Republic begins in the year 509 BCE when the Romans overthrew the kings that ruled them.

The Republic Begins There were two classes of people in the Republic: patricians and plebeians. Patricians are wealthy landowners and were the most important people. They were also the members of the Roman army. Plebeians were small landowners, farmers, and merchants. They were much less important.

Citizenship Both patricians and plebeians were considered citizens in Rome. But only men!! Women and slaves were NOT citizens. Citizen- someone allowed to participate in government decisions and is protected by the government

Government Structure For a long time, only patricians were allowed to vote in the Senate. The plebeians didn’t like this and often refused to work and bring in food for the patricians. Eventually, the patricians allowed plebeians to have a bigger say in their government.

Think about it: Would you rather be a patrician or a plebian? Why?

Government Structure The Republic government was led by two Consuls. The Consuls issued laws and orders. One Consul could veto (cancel) the other Consul’s orders. Their most important job was controlling the army.

Government Structure Another part of the government was the Senate. The Senate was a group of patricians who made sure that the Consul’s laws were carried out. They also gave the Consuls advice.