The Roman Republic

 Main Idea: Rome’s Republic was shaped by a struggle between wealthy landowners and regular citizens as it gradually expanded the right to vote for leaders. ROME’S GOVERNMENT

 Do you know where the word Republic comes from? Its made up of two Latin words meaning “Thing of the People”…now lets see how the Romans created their Republic. ROME’S GOVERNMENT

 Early Romans were divided into two classes: Patricians (Pa-Tri-Cian) and Plebeians ( Ple-Be-ians). ROME’S GOVERNMENT

 Patricians were wealthy landowners. These nobles made up most of Rome’s ruling class or people that were in charge of the country. ROME’S GOVERNMENT

 Most of Rome’s people, however, were called Plebeians. This group of people included artisans, shopkeepers and owners of small farms…everyday average people. ROME’S GOVERNMENT

 Both Patrician’s and Plebeian men were considered Roman Citizens…they had the right to vote and a responsibility to pay taxes and serve in the military. The Plebeian’s however had less social status and were looked down on by the Patrician’s ROME’S GOVERNMENT

 Marriage between members of the two social classes were forbidden. Plebeians also lacked an important political right…they could not hold public office…they could not be involved in politics…do you think this matters? ROME’S GOVERNMENT

 Questions:  1) Who were the Patricians?  2) Who were the Plebeians? ROME’S GOVERNMENT

 Rome had a Tripartite (Tri-Part-itr), which is basically a three part government… One group of people ran the government, another group made the laws and a third group acted as judges. HOW DID ROME’S GOVERNMENT WORK?

It had checks and balances so that one group could not become too strong…sounds familiar right. HOW DID ROME’S GOVERNMENT WORK?

 In the Roman Republic, the top government officials were the consuls…they headed the Army and ran the Government Consul – One of the two top government officials in Rome. HOW DID ROME’S GOVERNMENT WORK?

 Consuls served very short terms in office, that way there was little risk that they would abuse their powers. The Consuls also kept each other in line because they could Veto or reject each others decisions. HOW DID ROME’S GOVERNMENT WORK?

 Rome had other important officials called Praetors. Praetors – Main job was to interpret the law and act as judges in court. HOW DID ROME’S GOVERNMENT WORK?

Various other officials preformed specialized duties such as keeping tax records, handling public finances, supervising public festivals and so forth. HOW DID ROME’S GOVERNMENT WORK?

 Rome’s most important legislative (Law making body) was known as the Senate. This was a select group of 300 patrician men who served in the Roman Government for their entire life's. HOW DID ROME’S GOVERNMENT WORK?

 In the beginning, the Senate only gave advice to the Consuls…however over time, the power of the Senate grew. By the 200 B.C.E., the Senate could propose laws, hold debates and approve building programs. HOW DID ROME’S GOVERNMENT WORK?

The Curia Julia in the Roman Forum, the seat of the imperial Senate. HOW DID ROME’S GOVERNMENT WORK?

 Another important law making body was the Assembly of Centuries. The Assembly of Centuries elected Consuls, Praetors and passed laws…it was under control of the wealthy Patricians… HOW DID ROME’S GOVERNMENT WORK?

 Questions:  1) How many parts did Rome’s government have and what is the name for it?  2) What was the Consul and what was their job?  3) What does the term “Veto” mean?  4) Who are the Praetors and what do they do? HOW DID ROME’S GOVERNMENT WORK?

 As you might expect, Plebeians complained about having so little power in the Roman Republic. After all, they fought along side the rich Patricians in the army and their tax payments helped the Republic thrive. PLEBEIANS AGAINST PATRICIANS

 Eventually, the Plebeians took action to bring about change…in 494 B.C.E. many Plebeians went on strike. They refused to serve in the army and left the city to set up their own Republic…these moves frightened the Patricians into agreeing to share more power equally. PLEBEIANS AGAINST PATRICIANS

 In 471 B.C.E. the Plebeians were allowed to set up their own body of representatives called the Council of Plebs. This assembly elected Tribunes who brought Plebeian concerns to the government attention. PLEBEIANS AGAINST PATRICIANS

 The Tribunes also won the right to veto government decisions that were harmful to their people. In 455 B.C.E. Plebeians and Patricians were allowed to marry and in 300 B.C.E. Plebeians were allowed to become Consuls. PLEBEIANS AGAINST PATRICIANS

 The most far reaching political reform came in 287 B.C.E. were the Council of Plebs finally gained the power to pass laws for all Romans. Now all male citizens had equal political standings…at least in theory…a few wealthy Patrician families still held most power and women remained without a voice in government. PLEBEIANS AGAINST PATRICIANS

 The Roman Republic had become more representative, but was far from a full fledged democracy. PLEBEIANS AGAINST PATRICIANS

 Questions:  1) Why were the Plebeians angry with the Patricians?  2) What was the Council of Plebs? PLEBEIANS AGAINST PATRICIANS

 An unusual feature of the Roman Republic was the office of the Dictator.  We define a dictator today as am oppressive ruler with complete control over the state. WHO WAS CINCINNATUS?

 Roman dictators also had complete control, but they served the people and ruled on a temporary basis during emergencies. The Senate appointed a dictator in times of great danger…as soon as the emergency had passed the Roman dictators gave up their power. WHO WAS CINCINNATUS?

 The best known dictator is Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. About 460 B.C.E. a powerful enemy had surrounded a Roman army…officials decided that the crisis called for a dictator and that Cincinnatus was the man for the job. WHO WAS CINCINNATUS?

 When the crisis occurred Cincinnatus was found plowing his farm fields… as a loyal and devoted citizen he left his farm and gathered an army. He defeated the enemy in a short battle and returned to Rome in triumph. WHO WAS CINCINNATUS?

 Although he probably could have continued ruling, Cincinnatus did not want the power over Rome. Having done his duty to the Republic he returned to his farm a mere sixteen days later. WHO WAS CINCINNATUS?

 Romans strongly believed in civic duty, or the idea that citizens have a responsibility to help their country. What are some of your civic duties as an American Citizen? WHO WAS CINCINNATUS?

Cincinnatus was widely admired in his own time and throughout history…George Washington for one took inspiration from his example. WHO WAS CINCINNATUS?

 Like Cincinnatus, Washington was a farmer and when asked to head the Continental Army during the American Revolution. After leading the Americans to victory, Washington returned to his plantation and home…only later with great reluctance did he agree to become the first President of the United States. WHO WAS CINCINNATUS?

 The story of Cincinnatus was important to the ancient Romans for several reasons…he was victorious in battle and yet quickly gave up his dictatorship. Perhaps more important, he did his civic duty by responding to a call to serve. WHO WAS CINCINNATUS?

 Questions:  1) What is a Roman Dictator?  2) What is the difference between a Roman Dictator and what we today consider a Dictator?  3) Who was Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus? WHO WAS CINCINNATUS?

 One of Rome’s chief gifts to the world was its system of law. The legal system of the United States owes much to the Roman system. ROMAN LAW

 Rome’s first code of laws was the Twelve Tables, that were created in 451 B.C.E. The Twelve Tables were laws written on tablets that described the rights of each person in the Roman Republic. ROMAN LAW

The laws were the first set of rules to govern Rome. Writing the laws down and putting them in public display ensured that everyone knew the laws and that judges did not apply the laws differently to different people. ROMAN LAW

 The laws on the Twelve Tables explained a person's rights concerning property, wills, public behavior, family law and court actions. These laws were the first step towards equal rights for citizens of all classes in Ancient Rome and even in today’s society. ROMAN LAW

 Top Ten Messed Up Roman Laws:  "A dreadfully deformed child shall be killed.“  "If a father surrender his son for sale three times, the son shall be free.“  Marriage by usage: If a man and woman live together continuously for a year, they are considered to be married; the woman legally is treated as the man's daughter.  "If any person has sung or composed against another person a song such as was causing slander or insult.... he shall be clubbed to death.“  "If a person has maimed another's limb, let there be retaliation in kind, unless he agrees to make compensation with him." ROMAN LAW

 "Whoever is convicted of speaking false witness shall be flung from the Tarpeian Rock.“  "No person shall hold meetings in the City at night.“  "Putting to death... of any man who has not been convicted, whosoever he might be, is forbidden.“  "Women must not tear cheeks or hold chorus of `Alas!' on account of a funeral.“  "There are eight kinds of punishment: fine, fetters, flogging, retaliation in kind, civil disgrace, banishment, slavery, death." ROMAN LAW

 The Laws were carved on bronze tablets that were placed in Rome’s Marketplace or in the Forum. The Twelve Tables became the basis for all future Roman laws…they established the principle that all free citizens had the right to be treated equally. ROMAN LAW

 The Twelve Tables, however, applied only to Roman Citizens. As the Romans took over more lands, they realized that new rules were needed to solve legal disputes between citizens and non- citizens. ROMAN LAW

 They created a collection of laws called the Law of Nations. It states principles of justice that applied to people everywhere. ROMAN LAW

 These standards of justice included ideas that we still accept today… A person is innocent until proven guilty” “ People accused of crimes could defend themselves in front of a judge” “A judge had to look at evidence carefully before making a decision”. ROMAN LAW

 The idea that the law should apply to everyone equally and that all people should be treated the same way by the legal system…this is called “Rule of Law”. In the age of Rome, the rule of law was still a new idea. ROMAN LAW

 In many lands, people at the top of the society often had special privileges and did not have to obey the same laws or use the same courts as people at the bottom. In some places people at the bottom of society did not have any legal rights at all. ROMAN LAW

 The Rule of Law is one of the key ideas that the Romans gave to the world. It is still the basis of our legal system today. ROMAN LAW

 Questions:  1) What was the first law code in Rome called?  2)Where were this law code displayed for people to read?  3) What was the “Rule of Law”? ROMAN LAW