Download From the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire

The Roman Republic
The Founding of Rome
• Romulus and Remus:. Video
Think about these questions as you watch the video
• Who is the father of Romulus and Remus?
• What river were the babies sent to float down?
• Who watched over Romulus and Remus?
• Where did Romulus want to build his city?
• Why did Romulus kill Remus?
People involved in the Republic
Government
Plebeians:
Patricians:
• the group of common people or peasants in Rome who
were calling for changing the government where they had
more of a say in how the city was run. Plebeians held jobs
like artisans, shopkeepers or small farm owners.
• Roman nobles who ran the government. Only they could
be elected to office, so they held all political power.
Patricians were wealthy land owners and came from
Rome’s oldest and most prominent families.
Magistrates: • Elected government officials.
Consuls:
• The title of the two most powerful magistrates. The
consuls were chosen from administrators and army
leaders.
Parts of the Roman Republic
Made up of
three parts
1. Magistrates
2. Senate
3. Assembly
Part 1: Magistrates
Who are Magistrates?
What was their role?
• were 20 elected
officials who ruled for
one year.
• The magistrates
performed many
duties, acting as judges,
tax collectors, and
urban planners
Part 1: Magistrates
Who are Consuls?
• The two highest magistrates were called
Consuls. Was the most powerful political
position in Rome.
What was their role?
• The consuls issued laws and led the
army. In order to prevent one person
from becoming too powerful, each
consul could veto the decisions of the
other.
How long did they serve?
• Additionally, consuls, like the other
magistrates, only served for one year.
Short terms prevented any one person
from becoming too powerful.
Part 2: Roman Senate
• Who made up
the Roman
Senate?
• How long did
you serve?
• What was their
role?
• was made up of 300 men, who at first
were only selected from the patrician class
• Senators were elected and held their
offices for life.
• First the Senate’s only job was to advise
the consuls, but over time, it gained power.
– eventually becoming the most important part
of the government and making decisions about
laws, foreign policy, and finance.
Part 3: Roman Assembly
• What did the
Assembly do?
• Protected the rights of the plebeians. The
plebeians had an assembly, or lawmaking
body, of their own called the Council of the
Plebs.
• Who was apart of
the Assembly?
•
This assembly could elect ten officials,
called tribunes, or tribunes of the plebs.
tribunes had the power to veto the
• What power did the • The
actions of the consuls or the Senate.
Assembly have ?
• The veto power meant that this group of
tribunes had the ability to limit what the
Senate and the consuls could do, which
made them very powerful.
Representative Government
• What is a representative
government?
• leaders are elected by the
people to serve in
government and represent
the views of the entire
society.
• Rome, unlike in Athens, not
everyone’s views were
represented. However, the
idea of elected officials
serving the interests of the
entire society was an
important innovation in
political thought.
Separation of power
• What does this
mean?
• no one person, group, or branch of
government has all the power.
• Modern Day
Example
• This idea was central to the
creation of the United States
government.
– The United States government is
separated into three branches—the
legislative, executive, and judicial
branches—each with their own
powers and responsibilities.
Office of Dictator
• The Romans believed that
there were times when the
republic needed a strong
leader. In the Roman
Republic, the consuls
resigned during difficult or
dangerous times
• The senate appointed a
dictator to lead the people.
After the crisis was over, the
dictator was expected to
give up his power, and the
regular government’s power
would be restored.
• How does this version of
a dictator compare with
the dictator definition
you are familiar with?
Cincinnatus & Civic Duty
• A respected Roman consul who was known for his loyalty to
Rome. When a powerful enemy of Rome threatened to destroy
the Roman Army, the senate appointed Cincinnatus as dictator.
• Messengers were sent to his farm to tell him about his
appointment. They found him plowing his fields.
• He accepted the role of dictator and created an army.
• He led his army into battle
and easily defeated the
enemy. After marching his
army back to Rome he
resigned as dictator and
returned to his farm.
• Why do you think the Romans
admired Cinncinatus?
Civic Duty
• Civic duty is the idea
that citizens have a
responsibility to help
their country.
• What civic duties do
you have to your:
–
–
–
–
Community
School
Friends
Family
First Written Laws
• Roman laws were not
written down.
• Plebeians demanded laws be
written down for fair
judgement.
• In 451 B.C Rome adopted
first written code of laws
known as the Twelve Tables.
• Twelve tables supported the • What do you think our
idea that all free citizens—
society would be like
patricians and plebeians—
without any written laws?
had the right to be treated
What are some pros and
equally.
cons?
Twelve Tables
• If you are called to appear in court you have to go. If you don't you can
be arrested and forced to go.
• If you need a witness in court and they refuse to go you can stand in
front of their house and shout out how they are refusing to do their
duty as a citizen. You can do this once every three days.
• Should a tree on a neighbor's farm be bent by the wind and lean over
onto your farm, you can go to court and get the tree cut down.
• If fruit falls from your trees it is yours no matter where it falls.
• If you lied in court you would be thrown off of the Tarpeian Rock.
• You could not hold a political or business meeting at night. Dinner
parties and religious festivals at night were ok.
• Everyone who died had to buried or burned outside the city.
• Rich people could not marry poor people and vice versa (plebeians
and patricians). This law did get changed later.
Roman Justice
• The ideas found in Roman
Laws are woven throughout
the American legal system.
• The rule of law is one of the
key ideas that the Romans
passed on to the world.
• Like the Roman legal
system, we assume that a
person is innocent until
proven guilty.
• The rule of law means that
laws apply to everyone
equally. It also means that
the legal systems should
treat everyone the same
way.