Rome's Government

Today, not in class, we talked about Rome's government. Rule of kings is replaced by rule of two consuls- elected officials. They have one year of office, and they are always from the aristocratic class. Like any other government, they had certain duties. They dealt with justice, made laws, commanded the army, veto, etc. Then, in the 5th century BCE, patrician dominance of the government was challenged by plebeians- the common class who made up 98% of the population. Since Rome had no actual laws, patricians could interpret these to their own advantage. So, in retaliation, the plebs refused to serve in the military until they had a say in laws. They created tribunes, and a brand-new republic was formed- democracy. The government was made up of mainly senators. The US originally modeled their government to the ancient Romans model but with a few changes. The both had the 3 branches of government and a legal code. However, while the US president had four-year terms and was the commander in chief of the military, the Roman consuls had a one year term and could appoint a dictator in a crisis for a six-month term. The Roman's senate was a lot larger than the US senate, and they had a longer office term. The US had a longer office term than the Romans in the judicial branch. Lastly, instead of the twelve tables as their legal code, the US had the bill of rights.