1. Agenda: The Roman Republic
Unit 1 Essential Questions:
1. Is there such a thing as one “best form of government” for all societies?
2. How did Greco-Roman political philosophy and political reforms in medieval England influence the development of democratic values?
Learning Target: I can compare and contrast the Roman Republic’s system of government with the US system of government.
1.Lecture
2. Activity: 12 Tables Research/Discussion (Finish tomorrow).
3. HW: HW #2 Rome + Study for Practice Quiz—Block Day.

2. Partner/Share: Read the quote below, then come up with an answer to Jefferson. How do democracies prevent this “mob rule” from happening?
"Democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine percent."
—  Thomas Jefferson
Students are encouraged to ask online questions or write online comments about this discussion. Keep it classy though…

3. The Roman Republic
Republic = A divided government where citizens vote for representatives to make decisions based on a set of rules.
Only free, property-owning men were citizens.
Make sure you fully understand the vocabulary words (i.e. Republic). You will be asked to use them in a historically accurate sentence during the quiz and unit test.

4. ROMAN REPUBLIC 509 BCE – 46 BCE (approx. 500 years)
509 B.C.E. Rome was a small city state.
284 B.C.E. Took all of Italy
267 B.C.E. Defeated the Greeks.
By 44 B.C.E. Dominated most of the “known world.”

5. Plebeians Majority of the population.
Artisans, shopkeepers, small farm owners.
All property owning males were citizens who could vote.
Could not marry a Patrician.
Could not serve in government except for the Assembly.
Patricians
Small group of the wealthiest Romans. Owned most of the land.
All property owning males were citizens who could vote.
Could not marry a Plebian.
Could serve in all branches of government.

6. Consuls Two chosen every year by the assembly.
Headed the army + ran the government.
Veto-- The right of one consul to reject the other’s decision.

7. What are the pros and cons of this consul system?
PARTNER/SHARE
What are the pros and cons of this consul system?
After the discussion, students are encouraged to ask online questions or write online comments about these questions. Keep it classy though…

8. Senate 300 Patricians chosen for life by the consuls.
Latin for “old men”
300 Patricians chosen for life
by the consuls.
2. Advise consuls.
3. Deal with other countries.

9. Assembly
Plebians only.
Chose consuls.

10. TWELVE TABLES Plebeians went on strike for more say in the government.
The Patricians compromised- Passed a written code of law called the TWELVE TABLES.

11. Roman Law All citizens had the right to equal treatment under the law.
Everyone was considered innocent until proven guilty. The burden of proof is on the accuser, not the accused.
Why is that important?
Slaves, foreigners and Romans not wealthy enough to own property were not citizens and therefore did not receive equal treatment under the law.

12. How did the Republic Fall?
Income Inequality: Some got fabulously rich from the expanding power of Rome, but most Plebians lost their land.
Factions: Different groups fought each other over new wealth.
Constant War: Wealth incentivized more war. The Senate appointed “temporary” military dictators to fight and win. One of these generals, Julius Caesar, crowned himself emperor.
Patricians and other well connected people became the equivalent of billionaires and millionaires (one consul brought back 40,000 pounds of raw silver from a campaign in Spain!).
Plebians got rewarded with small farms for military service. This worked for a while, but then Rome started conquering more and more and so much money to be made = desire for more conquest, so the Plebian soldiers were almost never home to farm. Their families were left behind and fell into debt, losing their farms to newly wealthy landowners who turned them into huge plantations. Hundreds of thousands of slaves were brought from conquered lands to work the land for free, so even small farmers who hung on couldn’t compete.
Landless, angry, armed and highly trained men became a destabilizing force. The old social contract of loyalty to Rome being rewarded by a dignified, steady living was replaced by an every man for himself mentality.

13. Discuss with partner, then write on the board
Pick one, then come on up!
Either:
Write a major difference between the Roman Republic and the American system of government (left board). OR
Write a major similarity between the Roman Republic and the American system of government (right board).
After the discussion, students are encouraged to ask online questions or write online comments about these questions. Keep it classy though…

14. Activity: The 12 Tables (Finish next class)
On the class web site, go to:
Read your assigned Table, the discuss the following with your group:
Which 1-2 laws make the most sense? Why?
Which 1-2 laws make the least sense? Why?
Which law do you wish we had in the USA? Why?
Share a google doc with each other, write down your answers with the names of everyone in your group, then share it with
Be ready to discuss with the class.
It’s OK to do some on-line research.