Bread and Roses High School

Ms. Zolar

Global History

The Legal System in Ancient Rome

In early Rome, the patricians (patricii) were a highly privileged aristocratic class of Roman citizens; membership in this class was hereditary and could be achieved only by birth until the end of the Republic. On the otherhand, the plebeians (plebei, from plebs, “common people”) were all the Roman citizens who were not patricians. Originally, patricians were forbidden to marry plebeians, so there was no possibility of movement from one order to another.

The history of the development of the Roman system of government is based on the struggle for power between these two classes (ordines, hence our word “orders”). In the early years of the Roman Republic, patricians controlled all the religious and political offices; plebeians had no right of appeal against decisions of the patrician government, since no laws were codified or published. The struggle of the plebeians to gain rights and an opportunity for advancement within Roman society and political structures is known as “the conflict of orders.” The one advantage plebeians had over patricians lay in their numbers, and they used this effectively through the strategy of secession (secessio), withdrawal or the threat of withdrawal from the Roman state during times of crisis.

Here are some of the major landmarks in the conflict of orders, which was largely bloodless and free of violence:

• 494 BCE: traditional date of the First Secession of the Plebs, during which they established their own assembly (the Concilium Plebis) and elected their own magistrates, the Tribunes and the Plebeian Aediles.
• 450 BCE: traditional date of the Law of the Twelve Tables, the first codification of Roman law
• 445 BCE: patricians and plebeians were permitted to intermarry
• 367 BCE: plebeians became eligible for the consulship
• 342 BCE: law passed making it mandatory that one of the two Consuls must be a plebeian
• 339 BCE: law passed making it mandatory that one of the two Censors must be a plebeian
• 300 BCE: half of the priesthoods (which were also state offices) must be plebeian
• 287 BCE: Third Secession, won the concession that all plebiscites, measures passed in the Concilium Plebis, had the force of laws for the whole Roman state

What was essentially won during the conflict of orders was the breakdown of an aristocracy of birth and its replacement with an aristocracy that was based on the holding of political offices and on wealth, particularly land-based wealth. The conflict did not destroy the hierarchical, class-based nature of Roman society, nor did it greatly improve the lives or the prospects of the poorer segments of society.

In Ancient Rome the existence of social inequalities as well as unfair treatment of plebeians by aristocratic patricians was cause for many problems. The Twelve Tables were written to solve that problem in 450 BC.

Your task is to produce a timeline based on the development of Roman law and government . It should include the history prior to, during and after the writing of the Twelve Tables. Be sure to talk about the problems related to the development of Roman law and government and the solutions or policies of the Romans during that time. Be sure to include pictures, drawings and whatever else you can to enhance the timeline. Each member of your group must contribute to this assignment. You are also responsible for completing the five GHPPA worksheets for your group. You will also give a five minute presentation to the rest of the class when you are finished explaining why you created your timeline the way you did.

You will be assigned to a group of five. Using a variety of resources (Internet websites, textbook, class notes, handouts) your group will research the topic of the development of theTwelve Tables of the Roman Empire. You will record your findings for each section on the worksheets provided, and then use the worksheets to develop your timeline You will all have individual roles within the group but you will work with the entire group to put together your timeline. Use the website resources listed below, as well as your textbook and handouts to complete the GHPPA worksheets.

GROUP LEADER-You will make sure that all members of the group complete their tasks and that the group task is completed. You will help guide the discussions as to the final product. You will also make sure that each member of the group contributes.

GHPPA-You will make sure that the worksheets are completed and that all of the members of the group contribute to their completion.

PRESENTER-When the timeline is complete you will present for your group your timeline with explanations for how it was designed.

TIMELINE CREATOR-You are responsible for making sure that the groups work is represented in a creative timeline that is information, colorful and engaging.

RESEARCH LEADER-You will lead the group through the various websites, textbooks and anything else the group uses to do research for the timeline.

Step (click on these links to help you better understand each step)	GHPPA Assignment (Click on the ‘worksheet’ links to bring up a word document, in which you will record your answers.)
Identify the Problem	include all answers on your worksheet
Gather the Evidence	Gather evidence to show/prove the problem existed & include all answers on your worksheet
Determine the Causes	Identify the causes of the problem by analyzing the websites and completing the worksheet
Evaluate the Policy	Explain what changes were made to Roman law, including the advantages, disadvantages, and your suggestions for an improved policy. Include your findings on the worksheet
Do a Comparative Analysis	Compare the Twelve Tables of Ancient Rome in relation to law and government prior to the Twelve Tables Complete the worksheet

Individual work

Begin preparing your contribution to your group timeline. Each group member will contribute a one page paper of your discovery stating the facts of your research and your analysis.

A. In your paper, be sure to include this information (from GHPPA worksheets)

1. What is the problem?

2. What is the evidence that the problem existed in Ancient Rome?

3. What were the causes of the problem?

4. What policies were enacted and what events took place in an effort to solve this problem?

5. What happened as a result of these policies or events? (

B. In the analysis, you will state your opinions:

1. What policies can you create to correct the problem?

2. List three ways in which you think the Twelve Tables benefited plebeians?

3. Why would the Twelve Tables empower Plebeians?

4. What would change about Roman society after the Twelve Tables?

Step III. – Group work

With your group you will now assemble your timeline. Be sure your completed timeline meets the following guidelines:

A. Make sure you relate all information to Ancient Rome).

B. It should be neatly typed without spelling or grammatical errors.

C. It should cite each source used.

D. It may be colorful and have as many visuals (illustrations, photographs, etc.) as you would like.

Step IV. - Presentation

Finally, each group will make a five-minute presentation to the entire class. Each group member must contribute to the presentation either by speaking or creating a visual piece for the presentation.

A Timeline of Western Civilization:

http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.a%2Dten.com/art/history.htm

Timeline with descriptions:

http://eawc.evansville.edu/chronology/ropage.htm

Ancient Rome:

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romeancientrome/a/12tablets.htm

Early Roman Government:

http://home.att.net/~u100482000/homeworknovemberdecember/ancientromenov282000a.htm

History of the Twelve Tables:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/12tables.html

Analysis of Roman Government:

http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fordham.edu%2Fhalsall%2Fancient%2Fpolybius6.html%23An

	Unsatisfactory 0	Needs Improvement 1	Good 2	Very Good 3	Excellent 4
Group GHPPA worksheets are complete, neatly written, and include thoughtful answers to each question.
Individual Timeline included at least 1 page that is n well written and thought out
Group Timeline Group members produced a timeline, which was creatively designed and well thought out
Presentation (Speaker(s) spoke loudly and clearly. Visual aids were neat and well developed. All presenters were respectful of the speaker, and answered students/teachers questions after the presentation.)
Groupwork Members shared their own paper and worked as a team on their project.

Social Studies - World History

2:1 The study of world history requires an understanding of world cultures and civilizations, including an analysis of important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions. This study also examines the human condition and the connections and interactions of people across time and space and the ways different people view the same event or issue from a variety of perspectives.

2:2 Establishing timeframes, exploring different periods, examining themes across time and within cultures, and focusing on important turning points in world history help organize the study of world cultures and civilizations.

2:3 Study of the major social, political, cultural, and religious developments in world history involves learning about the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups.

English Language Arts

1 Listening & Reading to acquire information and understanding involves collecting data, facts, and ideas; discovering relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and using knowledge from oral, written, and electronic sources.

By completing this WebQuest, you identified one problem that existed in Ancient Rome, that being the existence of social inequalities. You also identified unfair treatment of plebeians by aristocratic patricians. Further, that The Twelve Tables were written to solve that problem in 450 BC. You should also have learned how to use the Public Policy Analyst to help you understand the social problem, gather evidence, determine the cause, evaluate the existing policy, and compare the law and government of Ancient Rome before and after the introduction of The Twelve Tables. You should have learned to work with a group to produce a group project with your individual contribution included. You should now have a better understanding of Ancient Rome and the problems of unequal law for the people of Rome during those times.