Source 1: Livy’s History of Rome
Source 1: Livy’s History of Rome
The Roman historian Livy wrote The History of Rome in the time period when Rome was undergoing a great change from being a Republic to being an Empire. In the introduction to his chapter on the end of the Roman Monarchy and the rise of the Republic, Livy explains why the republic could not have begun earlier. As you read this, consider two things: First, how does the context in which Livy is writing impact his description of events? Second, do you believe his argument about the potential problems with Republican forms of government.
Book 2.1
It is of a Rome henceforth free that I am to write the history… The tyranny of the last king made this liberty all the more welcome, for such had been the rule of the former kings that they might not undeservedly be counted as founders of parts, at all events, of the city; for the additions they made were required as abodes for the increased population which they themselves had augmented. [If the monarchy had been ended sooner] what would have been the result if that horde of shepherds and immigrants, fugitives from their own cities…had been freed from the restraining power of kings and…had begun to foment quarrels with the patricians [upper-class members of society] in a City where they were aliens before sufficient time had elapsed for either family ties or a growing love for the very soil to effect a union of hearts? The infant State would have been torn to pieces by internal dissension…
Source 2: Table Comparing Governments of Rome and The US
The American federal government is often referred to as an “experiment in self government.” As you look at the comparison of the Roman and American Republics, consider what major differences, if any, there are between these two forms of government. Is the American form of government much different from the Roman?
| |Rome |US |
| |Two consuls, elected by the assembly for one year-chief |A president, elected by the people for four years-chief executive|
|Executive |executives of the government and commanders-in-chief of the |of the government and commander-in-chief of the army |
| |army | |
| |Senate of 300 members, chosen form aristocracy for |Senate of 100 members, elected by the people for six-year terms- |
| |life-controls foreign and financial policies, advises |makes laws, advises president on foreign policy. |
| |consuls. |House of Representatives of 435 members, elected by the people |
| |Centuriate Assembly, all citizen-soldiers are members for |for two years- makes laws, originates revenue bills. |
| |life- selects consuls, makes laws. | |
|Legislative |Tribal Assembly, citizens grouped according to where they | |
| |live are members for life – elects tribunes and makes laws. | |
| |Praetors, eight judges chosen for one year by Centuriate |Supreme Court, nine justices appointed for life by president- |
| |Assembly- two oversee civil and criminal courts (the others |highest court, hears civil and criminal appeals cases. |
|Judicial |govern provinces). | |
|Legal code |Twelve Tables- a list of rules that was the basis of Roman |U.S. Constitution- basic law of the United States |
| |legal system | |
|Citizenship |All adult male landowners |All native-born or naturalized adults |
Source: McDougal Littel, World History: Ancient Civilizations (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company) page 157
Source 3: The 12 Tables and the Bill of Rights
After the last Etruscan king was deposed, the people of Rome created a code of law known as the Twelve Tables. Written in approximately 450BCE, the Twelve Tables outlined the rights that should be enjoyed by all citizens. Below, you will find a summary of some of the key provisions of the Twelve Tables. You will also find a basic summary of the first ten amendments to the US Constitution which make up the Bill of Rights. As you examine these two documents, what do you notice in terms of similarities and differences?
Document A: Excerpt from the Twelve Tables:
Document B: The Bill of Rights
Source 4: Description of the Roman Statesman Cincinattus
Republican forms of government can make it difficult to reach a quick consensus in times of crisis. To overcome this, the Romans devised a plan whereby a dictator could be appointed. The passage below, from the textbook Journey Across Time, describes the life of a man who served first as a soldier, then as a consul or elected official, and finally as a dictator. Each time, Cincinattus expressed his desire to step out public service and to return to his farm. As you read this source, consider if there has ever been such a man to serve the public good in the United States.
Document A
Document B
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Source: Document A McGraw-Hill, World History: Journey Across Time, The Early Ages, 271
Document B:
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George Washington was sometimes called an American Cincinnatus because he too held his command only until the defeat of the British and, at a time when he could have chosen to exercise great political power, instead returned as soon as he could to cultivating his lands. After the end of the Revolutionary War, a group of former officers in the (now) American army formed The Society of the Cincinnati, taking the name from the Roman general. The city of Cincinnati was named after this organization, and a statue of Cincinnatus stands there today.
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