Roman Republic

The Roman Republic

Rome's Government by the People

WHY did the Romans start a republic?

King Tarquin was a tyrant, so the Roman people drove him out.

They started a new government without a king.

Multiple Choice

What is a tyrant?

• A nice king

• A friend

• A person who shares

• A cruel and horrible king

The Senate was an important part of the Republic

• The senate was a group of older men who met to make decisions and pass laws

• Many senators were from old, wealthy families

WRITE THIS IN YOUR NOTES:

• A republic is a government by the people: no king!

• The senate made the laws

Each year, the people elected two men to be the consuls.

This was the most powerful position in the Roman republic

Multiple Choice

The Roman consuls were elected.

What does elected mean?

• Chosen by the people

• Took the power by themselves

WRITE THIS IN YOUR NOTES:

• The Romans elected two consuls each year

• The consuls were the most powerful people in Rome

Poll

I know what the word DEMOCRACY means.

• yes

• no

• maybe I heard it but I can't remember

There were two groups of people in the Roman Republic

• Patricians

• Plebeians

• Look closely, what do you think is the difference?

Poll

Take a guess from the picture on the last slide. What do you think is one difference between the two groups of people (Patricians and Plebeians) in Rome?

• One group is poor and one is rich

• One group is old and one is young

• One group is men and one group is women

• One group is powerful and one group is not powerful

WRITE THIS IN YOUR NOTES:

• The patricians were like the fathers of the people. They were rich and powerful.

• The plebeians were poor and had no power

Poll

Do you think the senate and the consuls were patricians or plebeians?

• patricians

• plebeians

The American government was modeled after the Roman Republic

Open Ended

What's one interesting thing you learned about the Roman Republic?

or

What's one question you have about the Roman Republic?