Download The Roman Republic Etruscan kings ruled over the Romans until

The Roman Republic
Etruscan kings ruled over the Romans until about
509 B.C. At that time, the Romans forced the
Etruscans to leave Rome and pushed the Etruscan
king out of power. The Romans then established
their own form of government. Rather than having a
king, they decided to choose their own leaders. This
type of government is known as a republic. Rich
landowners and military leaders, called patricians,
made up one of Rome’s two social classes. Poor
artisans, farmers, merchants, and former slaves,
who were the majority of the Roman people, made
up the other social class, the plebeians. Patricians
formed an assembly and chose two men from their
class to act as consuls that would lead the Roman
Republic. Consuls had the power to administer the
law. The advisors to the consuls were called
senators. Senators were allowed to serve in
government as long as they wanted to; consuls
served for one year.
Even though Romans chose their own leaders, the
Roman Republic was not a democracy. Plebeians
did not have representation in government.
Eventually, plebeians began to demand rights and
start their own council. Because patricians needed
the plebeians to serve in the military and perform
jobs in the republic, they agreed to give the
plebeians a voice in government matters.
Key Feature: Written Constitution
One of the changes that were made in the Roman
Republic as a result of the plebeians’ demands was
the writing down of laws. At the beginning of the
Roman Republic, only consuls and senators, all
representatives of the patricians, had knowledge of
the laws. The plebeians thought that this was unfair.
If the patricians wanted to change the laws to favor
them, they could do so very easily since the laws
were not written down. About 450 B.C., the
plebeians’ demands for written laws were met. The
patricians wrote the Roman laws down on 12 bronze
tablets. These tablets are called the Law of the
Twelve Tables. Everyone in the republic―patricians
and plebeians alike―was subject to follow the same
set of written laws.
Key Feature: Tripartite Government
Something that is “tripartite” is divided into three
parts or made up of three parts. The Roman
Republic was a tripartite government. There were
three parts of the Roman government that shared
the power to rule. The Senators were from the
wealthy class called the patricians. The senators
elected two consuls from their group. Then there
was a third group, an assembly of Roman citizens.
In time, the plebeians had representation in the
assembly and representatives that were equal to the
senators, called tribunes. Tribunes could prevent
laws proposed by the Senate from being passed.
After a while, plebeians also were able to elect one
of the consuls.
Key Feature: Checks and Balances
What does it mean that the Roman Republic had a
system of checks and balances? A system of
checks and balances in government prevents any
one part of a government from becoming too
powerful. In ancient Rome, the tripartite government
kept any one person or group from taking control of
the Republic. The Senate gave the aristocracy a
voice in government. The consuls had to be elected
by senators and so were dependent on them for
their
power.
The
assemblies
provided
representation for regular citizens. Even today, we
value the system of checks and balances. In the
United States, we have three branches of
government. Power is distributed among the
president, the lawmakers, and the courts so that
nobody has too much control over government.
Key Feature: Civic Duty
The structure of the Roman Republic demonstrates
that its people valued the concept of civic duty.
“Civic duty” refers to the types of responsibilities that
citizens have to their nation or country. In Rome,
people could not rely on a king or dictator to rule
them and make decisions for them. Instead, they
had to take an active role in their government.
People also participated in other ways. Citizens
were expected to defend the Republic when
required. Citizens like Cincinnatus served the
Republic when enemies threatened its existence
and the citizens helped defend it. Because the
people of Rome took their civic duties seriously, the
Republic remained strong and stable for a very long
time.
Judicial
Executive


R: Consuls – 2 in RR;
heads of government,
and could appoint
dictator in times of
need; commanders-inchief
US: President –
commander-in-chief;
can approve bills,
declare war

Legal Code

R: Law of the
Twelve Tables
 US:
Constitution
Legislative


R: Centuriate &
Tribal Assemblies –
declare war and pass
some laws, contained
entire electorate;
Senate – specialized
in foreign policy
US: HofR – all bills
dealing with taxes;
Senate – foreign
policy

R: Praetors – High
Judges, serve 2 year
terms; and Tribunes
– try court cases
US: Supreme Court
– 9 member court,
determines whether
laws are
unconstitutional
(appointed by
President, approved
by Senate); and
Lower Courts –
variety at state and
local levels
Republic:
Women
R:
Patrician
s
R:
Plebeia
ns
R:
A:
A:
Slaves
R:
A:
A:
Citizens
R:
A:
Assembly
R:
A:
R:
Two Consuls
Magistrates
R:
A:
A:
Tribunes/Sen
ate
R:
A:
Code of Law
R:
A:
Rome Becomes a Republic
Patricians and Plebeians:In The early days of the Roman
Republic, the heads of a few aristocratic families, known as
patricians, elected officials from among themselves. Organized
in clans, patrician families controlled every aspect of societypolitics, religion, economics, and the military. Patricians
maintained their power through a patronage system in which
wealthy Romans provided financial, social, or legal support for
lower ranking families in return in return for political backing and
loyalty.
Almost from the beginning of the Republic, however, the
common people, or plebeians (pli-bee-uhns), challenged the
patricians for power. When invaders threatened Rome in 494
BC, the plebeians seceded, or withdrew. They left Rome and
refused to fight until changes were made. Realizing they would
not have an army without the plebeians, the patricians
grudgingly expanded plebian rights. Once they received these
new rights the plebeians returned to defend the city. Back in
Rome, they formed their own assembly, the Plebeian Council.
That assembly had the responsibility of over seeing and
protecting Plebeian affairs.
To guarantee their rights, the plebeians also gained the right to
elect officials known as tribunes. It was the tribunes job to
protect the plebeians against unjust treatment by patrician
officials. Eventually, these tribunes even gained the right to
veto, or ban, laws that seemed harmful or unjust to Plebeians.
Later, around 450 B.C. The plebian forced the patricians to
have all laws written down. The laws were displayed in the
Roman forum, or central square, on twelve large bronze tablets.
As a result, the code became known as the code of the Twelve
Tables. Because the laws were posted, patrician judges could
not make decisions based on their own opinions or on secret
laws. However, one of the newly posted laws, was a ban on
marriage between patricians and plebeians- an attempt by the
patricians to preserve their special status.
Republic Government: Working together, the patricians and
plebeians created a practical and flexible unwritten constitution,
or political structure. They were extremely proud of this system.
As part of their new Republican constitution , the Romans
created new offices and institutions of government. Eventually,
the government consisted of three parts; (1) the Senate, a body
of 300 members who advised elected officials, controlled public
finances, and handle all foreign relations; (2) various popular
assemblies, in which all citizens voted on laws and elected
officials;(3) officials called magistrates, who put the laws into
practice , governed in the name of the Senate and the people,
and acted as priests.
Though initially dominated by patricians, all state offices,
including the Senate, little later open to both patricians and
plebeians.
When the last King of Rome was thrown out, his place was
taken by to magistrates called consuls. Elected for one year, the
consuls were both chief executives and commanders of the
army.
property each person owned. They also appointed new
senators when vacancies appeared. The ability to select new
Senators gave the censors great influence in Roman society.
In the 300’s BC Romans also began to elect magistrates called
praetors. Primarily judges, praetors could also act for the
consuls when the consuls were at war. As Rome expanded,
both consuls and praetors were usually given military
commands or were appointed as provincial governors after
finishing their terms of office. To assist the consuls and
praetors, many other officials were also elected to handle varies
other aspects of the cities administration.
One reason that Rome’s government worked well was that it
included a system of checked and balances, in which each part
of the government could impose certain constraints upon the
others. For example, the Senate could do little without the
consent of the consuls, but at the same time the consuls could
not enact major changes without funding from the Senate.
Life in the Republic: During the days of the Roman republic,
Rome was a vibrant and thriving city. At the heart of the city
was the Forum, the public square and the site of the most
important government buildings and temples. The Forum was
nestled between two hills-the palatine, on which many of
Rome’s wealthiest citizens lived, and the Capitoline, where the
cities grandest temples were. Because of this location, city
leader could often be found in the Forum, mingling with the
citizens. The Senate met in the Forum, and key public
addresses were usually delivered from a speaking platform
there.
The Forum was more than a political center, though. It was also
a popular place for shopping and gossip. Busy shops lined
either side of the forum and public celebrations were commonly
held there. Indeed the Forum was the busiest place in an
already busy city.
Despite the bustling nature of their city, the Romans prided
themselves on their agrarian roots. Farming and landownership
were considered the noblest was to make money. In fact,
Senators were forbidden to participate in any career that did not
involve land. The could not, for example, engage in commerce.
The Roman tie to the land is illustrated in the legend of the early
republic. In this story, the people of Rome turn to their greatest
general, Cincinnatus, who was plowing his fields at the time, to
save them from an invasion. They made him dictator, an office
that gave its holder nearly unlimited power but could only be
held for six months. Dictators were chosen to resolve crisis that
faced Rome. As dictator, Cincinnatus defeated the enemies and
returned to his farm. He had no interest in retaining power but
simply wanted to get back to his normal life.
Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. Answer in
complete sentences.
1. What event caused a shift of power in Rome? What parties were
involved?
2. Name and describe the three parts of the Roman government.
3. Who appointed senators?
Next to the consuls, the most important magistrates were the
censors. Censors recorded the cities population and how much
4. What is checks and balances?
5. Compare and contrast Roman Republic with the United States
government