Daily Blog 4 Week 7

Konnor Drewen

3/17/011

What elements of the Roman Republican political and legal system appear present in the systems of modern democracies?

            Well, the Roman legal system was somewhat like ours. First, an interesting fact is that the Romans got many governmental ideas from the Greeks. The Roman state was described as the republic and its councils, or chief magistrates, continued to be appointed even after the establishment of one-man rule under the empire, but in its pure form it lasted only until the beginning of the first century B.C. At the creation of the republic, supreme power probably resided with a popular assembly, but early on the Senate became very influential, and the traditional formula, which survived for centuries. In the case of the Twelve Tables it was said that ten Plebeians were chosen at a time to have supreme governmental power where the power of the magistrates was restricted. They could veto laws that they disapproved of and had to record new laws passed. It consisted of ten Plebeians until a second decemvirate is said to have added two further tablets in 449 BC. The new law of the Twelve Tables was accepted by the people and was passed. Another thing that was similar between the Roman government and our government today is democracy.  The democracy of ancient Romans was different in some ways like the way they voted but other than that the democracy was much like ours.