The Birth of a Republic

Which of the following is left unexplained by the text?

• How the Roman Republic influenced future constitutional democracies

• The cause of the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom

• How the Roman Republic became the Roman Empire

• What life was like under the Roman “democracy” for a majority of citizens

Which detail from the text supports the conclusion that the Roman Republic was inequitable? Select all that apply.

• "The Roman Republic was a constitutional democracy, meaning that it would be ruled according to a set of principles that formed the constitution."

• "But these noble political ideas were little more than smoke and mirrors in the Roman Republic as wealth became a major determining factor in public life."

• "Likewise, the Roman Republic’s Twelve Tables influenced the penning of the Bill of Rights which assigned many privileges to Americans after the Revolutionary War in which independence was gained from England."

• "The lower classes were angry because they had been promised a voice in the new government of Rome, but this voice was silenced before it could even be heard."

How was the Roman Constitution similar to the U.S. Constitution? Select all that apply.

• Separation of church, wealth, and state

• System of checks and balances

• Privilege of one class of citizens over others

• Freedom of religion

Which detail in the text best illustrates the relationship between wealth and privilege?

• "Many citizens of the lower classes felt that the monarchy was still ruling but just under a different identity."

• "The lower classes were angry because they had been promised a voice in the new government of Rome, but this voice was silenced before it could even be heard."

• "The result was the Twelve Tables, a series of laws inscribed in Latin on bronze tablets around 450 BCE to protect the basic rights of all citizens, regardless of class."

• "Life in the Roman Republic was quite different in reality for the majority of citizens who did not belong to a wealthy class."