Download Chapter 17 Section 3 The Government of the Republic

Chapter 17
Section 3
The Government of the
Republic
Anticipatory Set
• We have learned about
many different types of
government
• Monarchy
• Oligarchy
• Republic
• What were the forms of
government in Rome?
• At different period Rome
has had all of these
government types
• Today we are going to learn
how Rome began moving
towards a democracy
Standards
• S.S. 6.7.2
• Describe the government of the Roman Republic and
its significance (e.g. written constitution and
tripartite government, checks and balances, civic
duty).
• E-LA Reading 6.1.3
• Recognize the origins and meanings of frequency
used foreign words in English and use these words
accurately in speaking and writing.
Objective
• Students will learn about the
government of the Roman Republic.
They will learn that Rome had three
branches representing three types of
government: monarchy, oligarchy, and
democracy.
Language of the
Discipline
• Tripartite
• Dictator
• Cincinnatus
• Veto
• Constitution
• Checks and
balances
Tripartite Government
(Input)
• The Roman Republic
has a tripartite, or
three-part government
• Magistrates
• Senate
• Assembly
The Magistrates
(Input)
• The magistrates were the main officials of the Roman
Republic
• They represented the tradition of a monarchy
• 2 consuls served as the top magistrates
• They were elected for 1 year terms leading the
government and the army, while also acting as judges
and high priests
• Magistrates also occupied the position the king formally
had. They had the power to block the other’s decisions,
so they had to work together to get things done
The Magistrates
(Input)
• When consuls left for war they appointed a
dictator to serve in their place
• A dictator is a ruler with unlimited power
• The dictators served for 6 month periods or less
• During a war a former soldier was appointed
dictator. His name was Cincinnatus. He raised an
army, defeated the enemy, and handed power back
to the consuls in just 16 days.
• The lower officials managed specific areas of
government, such as collected taxes or
maintenance of the road
The Senate
(Input)
• The senate was the 2nd branch of government
• It represented the tradition of oligarchy
• The senate continued to advise the consuls, control
state finances, and passed laws
• The original Roman Senate had 300 members who
served for life
• They came from the oldest and richest patrician
families in Rome
• Over time, the entrance of wealthy plebeians caused
the Senate to grow
The Senate
(Input)
The Assemblies
(Input)
• 2 assemblies made up the third branch of
government
• The 2 groups represented the democratic element
• The Centuriate Assembly developed from a system
that placed all men in classes according to how
much military equipment they could provide
• Wealthy patricians gained more votes than
plebeians could afford less equipment
The Assemblies
(Input)
• In the Tribal Assembly, the plebeians were in
charge
• Over time they became a powerful force in
Rome
• It elected tribunes, who had the power to veto
other branches
• A veto is the power to reject a proposed action
or law. It means “I forbid”
The Roman Constitution
(Input)
• The powers of the branches were adjusted
according to the Roman constitution
• A constitution is a set of laws and principles
that forma basis for a government
• The Roman constitution included laws and
practices that formed over time, unlike the
U.S. constitution that is a single written
document
The Roman Constitution
(Input)
Checks and Balances
(Input)
• The basic principles of the Roman constitution
evolved during the Struggle of the Orders
• One principle was checks and balances
• Checks and balances represent a means for keeping
any one branch of a government from gaining more
power than the others
• No one branch could become too powerful
• Each consul had the power to veto the other
• This is a key feature of the U.S. government today
The Rule of Law
(Input)
• The second basic principle was the rule of law
• With the passage of the Twelve Tables, Romans
accepted the idea that they should be ruled by
written laws, rather than whims of judges
• Over time the Roman law changed to give rights
to the common people
• The law code was altered to allow plebeians to
marry patricians and for one consul to be a plebeian
• Later laws prohibited debt bondage and allowed
plebeians to become priests
The Lex Hortensia
(Input)
• Plebeians won a great passage of a law called the Lex Hortensia
which gave the Tribal Assembly the power to pass laws without
the approval of the Senate or consuls
• The Roman Republic then became a democracy at least in theory
• In reality the patricians still dominated the government
• Members of the old aristocracy controlled the Senate and held
most of the magistrate positions. They also dominated the
Centuriate Assembly and had influence over the Tribal Assembly
• Most Roman citizens remained loyal to the Republic
• As long as the plebeians had the right to vote in their assembly,
they felt like they had a role in the system
Check for Understanding
• Please determine the BEST answer for the
following question.
• Please write your answer on your white
boards and wait for the teacher’s signal.
• On the teacher’s signal, hold up your white
boards.
Checking for
Understanding #1
Fill in the blank
• _______________ the power to reject a
proposed action or law
• Veto
Checking for
Understanding #2
Answer the following question.
•Two assemblies made up the
___________ branch of
government.
•Third
Checking for
Understanding #3
Answer the following question.
•Why were checks and balances
important to the Roman
government?
• Check and balances were important
because no one branch could become
too powerful
Guided
Practice/Independent
Practice
• Guided Practice
• Complete questions 1 - 3 on the reading comprehension
worksheet.
• Raise your hand and wait to get stamped.
• If you received an “R” go to the back table with Ms. Graham.
• Independent Practice
• Once you have been stamped moved to independent practice
and complete numbers 4 and 5 on the reading comprehension
worksheet.
• Homework
• Note-taking guide on the reverse side.