Some of Italy s mountains were volcanic. Their eruptions could devastate Roman towns. They also built cities near rivers for a source of fresh water.

Transcription

1 The Roman Republic

2 Geography Rome s location helped it become a major power in the ancient world. The geography of Italy made land travel difficult but helped the Romans prosper. Most of Italy is covered with hills. Italians built their cities on the hills for defense. Two major mountain ranges, the Alps and the Apennines, created rugged land that was hard to cross.

3 Some of Italy s mountains were volcanic. Their eruptions could devastate Roman towns. They also built cities near rivers for a source of fresh water. Rome lies on the Tiber River. Rome had a mild climate that led to a plentiful food supply and the city s early growth.

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5 Rome s Beginning Little is known about Rome s early history because no written records exist The Romans believed they could trace their history to a great Trojan leader named Aeneas. Aeneas was a hero from the epic poem The Aeneid, who fled to Italy after the Trojan War and formed an alliance with the kings.

6 Romulus and Remus and the founding of Rome According to legend, the founders of Rome were orphaned twin brothers raised by wolves, named Romulus and Remus. Romulus killed Remus because he mocked one of Romulus s ideas for a city they were planning. Romulus then built the city and named it Rome after himself.

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8 Roman Kings: the good and the bad ***Roman records list seven kings who ruled the city, some of whom were Etruscans. The Etruscans made many contributions to Rome and many improvements. Life was good until. THE LAST ROMAN KING!!!! This king was said to have been a cruel man, who had many people killed. A group of nobles rose up against him and overthrew him. ***The nobles no longer wanted a king, so they created a new government.

9 ROME S NEW GOVERNMENT **The Romans created a republic in 509 BC in which elected officials ran the city. **They protected themselves against anyone staying in power for too long by limiting the term to one year. Rome faced challenges from the outside and the inside

10 Challenges from the Outside From the beginning Rome found itself at war with other people **During difficult wars, the Romans chose dictators, rulers with almost absolute power, to lead the city. They could stay in power only six months, to avoid abusing their power

11 Problems with the government **Rome was not a democracy, the elected officials came from a small group of wealthy powerful men and other people had little or no say.. this caused big problems in Rome The plebeians, or common people wanted more say and the nobles, or patricians, wanted to keep all the power.

12 Plebeians **The plebeians, or common people, were made up of peasants, craftspeople, traders, and other workers. They called for change in the government to give them more say in how things were run. **They formed a council and elected their own officials.

13 Patricians **The patricians held almost all political power. They were the nobles. Only patricians could be elected to office. **Fearing that Rome would be split in two, they decided it was time to change and the plebeians got their say in government.

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15 The BIG Picture **Roman government was made up of three parts, known as a tripartite, that worked together to run the city. **These three parts were the magistrates, the senate, assemblies and the tribunes. **Each part had its own responsibilities and duties. To fulfill these duties they each had their own powers and privileges

16 Magistrates The first part of the government was made up of elected officials, or magistrates. **The two most powerful magistrates were called the consuls. Each magistrate was elected for one year and had his own duties and powers.

17 Two consuls were elected so one person would not have to much power. **The consuls were in charge of running the city and army. Below them were other magistrates, some were judges and others organized festivals and games.

18 Senate The second part of the government was the Roman Senate. **The senate was a council of wealthy and powerful Romans that advised the city s leaders. **Members of the senate were elected for life.

19 **The senates main job was to advise the consuls. They were mostly patricians. When magistrates were done with their time in office they became senators. **As time passed the senators became VERY powerful and gained control of the finances.

20 Assemblies and Tribunes **This part of the government protected the common people and had two branches. **The first branch, the assemblies, was made up of both plebeians and patricians. Their primary job was to elect the magistrates. **The second branch was made up of tribunes who had the right to veto, or prohibit, actions by other officials. They were elected by the plebeians.

21 Roman Citizens could take part in the assemblies their adult life. The tribunes could only serve for one year because the right to veto made them very powerful. **You can compare the Roman Senate and the Assemblies and Tribunes to the Legislative branch of the U.S. Government.

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23 **Civic Duty Rome s government would not have worked without the participation of the people. People participated because they felt it was their duty to the city. **Citizens attended assembly meetings. **They also voted. **Wealthy and powerful citizens held public office American citizens have a civic duty as well. What is the civic duty of Americans?

24 Checks and Balances Checks and balances were created to ensure that no one part of the government had more power. ***Checks and balances are methods to balance power. They keep one part of the government from becoming stronger or more influential than the others. Checks and balances is used in the U.S. government as well. Only Congress can declare war, the President can veto bills from Congress, and the Supreme Court interprets the laws. Every branch has some form to check over the other two.

25 Roman or American Government Three parts: Magistrate, Senate, Assemblies and Tribunes Power to Veto Civic Duty: all that could vote, should vote and serve in office Checks and Balances: so one will not have too much power Elect leaders Three branches: executive, legislative, judicial Power to veto Civic duty: have the right to vote and serve in office Checks and Balances: so one will not have too much power Elect leaders

26 Roman Law **City officials made laws and enforced the laws. Only patricians knew the laws because they were the ones who created the laws. **Laws were not written down. Many people were punished for breaking laws they did not even know existed. **To prevent this, Rome s first law code was written down and then displayed.

27 **These laws were written on 12 bronze tables known as the Law of Twelve Tables. **Like the American system of Justice these laws are applied to rich and poor alike. **Written laws helped keep order in Rome. These laws were on display in the Forum.

28 Forum **The Roman Forum was the heart of Roman society. **The Roman Forum is where the Law of the Twelve Tables was kept. **It was the site of many important government buildings and temples. **It was also a popular meeting place for Roman citizens to shop, chat, and gossip.