The Roman Republic The Birth of a Republic

The Roman Republic

The Birth of a Republic → Rome’s Government • Republic = gov’t in which citizens choose their leaders *BUT in Rome, not everyone had a say in the government

There were 2 classes of people in the Roman REPUBLIC, and they were not equal. 1 - Plebeians - poor citizens; made up the majority of Romans. - Males farmed someone else’s land. - Paid taxes & fought in the army, BUT could not participate government. 2 - Patricians - rich citizens. - Rich, powerful males with property. - They could vote.

Let’s think! Was Rome’s Republic democratic? • No b/c only the patricians had a say in gov’t. Now let’s look at the steps that were taken to make the Republic more democratic.

Two steps to a more democratic gov’t for ancient Rome: 1. Tribunes – • Elected to protect the rights of the plebeians since these poor Romans had no say in the gov’t.

2. Roman Laws • The 1 st written Roman Laws were called the Twelve Tables. - So everyone could see these laws, they were placed in the forum = the public square, like Greece’s agora. **applied to both patricians and plebeians

The Roman Forum

Parts of the Roman Republic: 2 Consuls: • Power to veto each other • must agree to pass a law Senate: 300 senators • Handled daily govt. problems • Advised consuls. • Proposed laws • Chosen for life Assemblies: Judges: - Oversaw the laws - All Roman citizens - Declared war - Made peace treaties Tribunes: - Govt. officials who protected the rights of plebeians