Grade/Course: 9th grade World History Honors

Number of Learners: 26
Lesson Length: 90 minutes; 10:08 am - 12:38 pm

Roman Government vs US Government

Essential questions:
- How different from the monarchy was the Roman Republic?
- In what ways were the experiences of various social groups similar or different during
the Roman Republic?
- What are the lasting legacies of the Roman government, and how does it connect to the
contemporary world?

Prior knowledge:
Students learned from the past lectures the political rights of different social groups in Rome
(patricians, plebeians, women, slaves). They also learned that the Romans had a executive
branch and legislative branch, and who hold public offices. Students should also have basic
knowledge regarding the structure of the US government. In previous lessons, we talked about
the word “influence”, and how long and short term influences are not unique to the Etruscans/
the Greeks on the Romans. We will be revisiting this idea once again.

Rationale:
“Why do we need to study Rome?” is one of our unit questions. Through looking into the political
structure of Rome, as well as the political structure of the US, students can draw parallels
between the two seemingly unrelated civilization. This lesson allows students to revisit the word
“influence”, and understand how history exist on a continuum. Furthermore, by the end of this
lesson, students will get to participate in our government system.

Opportunities to emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion

For the first part of the lesson, students will continue to work on their project from yesterday,
which target the big question “In what ways were the experiences of various social groups
similar or different during the Roman Republic?” More specifically, students will look into the
experiences of the marginalized (women and slaves), and how their experiences were different
from full citizens of Rome. Then, in the second part of the lesson, students will look at how
Roman history is still highly relevant nowadays, as the US government structures borrowed
many features from the Roman government. For our closing activity, students will apply their
civic knowledge and participate in our democracy even though they are not 18 yet. It will allow
them to make connection between the past and present, and understand that not all citizens in
the US always had the ability to have political freedom, just like many marginalized groups in
Rome.

Standard:
1. Describe the rise of the Roman Republic, its government, including separation of powers,
rule of law, representative government, and the notion of civic duty.
Objective:
1. SWBAT compare and contrast the government structures of the United States and Rome
2. SWBAT apply their civic knowledge and perform research on our government today
3. SWBAT articulate the concept of political power, and how many marginalized groups did
not have the privilege to participate in our democracy

Materials:
1. Powerpoint slides
2. Gallery walk materials (Appendix A)
3. US gov’t and Roman gov’t hand out (Appendix B)
4. My civic engagement hand out (Appendix C)
5. Homework (Appendix D)

Procedure:
Inquiry Questions: How different from the Roman Republic’s government was the U.S.
government?

1. Students will take the first 15 minutes of class to work on their group project on the
different experience of various social groups.
2. Students can take these project home and work on them - due the day before test.

Opener (10 mins)

1. KWL chart on what they know about the US government structure
a. What do you know?
b. What do you want to know?
2. Have students briefly share what they wrote on their chart, and reveal the inquiry
question: How different from the Roman Republic’s government was the U.S.
government?
3. Explain to students that we are going to connect the Roman government to the US
government, and understand how the two government structures are similar/ different.

Development: (40 mins)

1. Explain to students the activity we will be doing this class: (5 mins)
a. Gallery walk is an activity where students split into groups and circulate the
classroom to look at the class materials posted on the walls.
b. For this activity, there are 5 stations in total:
i. Station 1 - Executive station
ii. Station 2 - Legal code station
iii. Station 3 - Judicial station
iv. Station 4 - Legislative station
v. Station 5 - Citizenship station
2. Gallery walk: (25 mins)
 a. Students will split into groups of fives, and each group will circulate around the
classroom, students will have 5 minutes at each station.
i. As students circulate, they will need to try to find out two things:
1. Which branch of government/ big idea does this station belong
to?
2. What are the main points of the classroom materials that I
posted?
ii. Guided questions are posted at each station, and students will need to
answer them collectively as a group, and put their answers on the
handout.
iii. Remind students to find similarities and differences between the US
government vs. the Roman government.
b. As students participate in the activity, circulate the classroom and monitor their
progress.
2.
3. Debrief: (10 mins)
a. Together, we will review the answer and fill out the worksheet.
b. Tell students that they could erase the answer on their worksheet and fill out the
correct answer if they need.

Closing: (25 mins)

1. On the topic of government structure, I would introduce my student to the closing
activity of the day: we will focus on the midterm election and have student watch this
video:
a. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-dL07h0R2I&t=61s
2. Explain to students that you don’t have to be 18 to participate in the democracy, and how
you could still be civically involved through other means:
a. Pass out civic engagement self-reflect checklist, ask students reflect on it and fill
these out
3. Relate back to Rome, and explain how not many people had the privilege to participate in
our democracy at a young age
a. Mention how for the past few lectures we talked about power struggle, and we
looked at how different social groups had experienced their lives differently
4. For homework, pass out worksheet that focus on action civics
a. Have students read one piece of local news and write a “tweet” for response

Performance assessment task:

I will be evaluating my students summatively and formatively. I will evaluate students’
understanding by circulating during group work time and monitoring their engagement. I will
also gage their level of understanding by their response to my worksheet. Students will also
demonstrate their ability to connect the past to present by answering questions I raised in
class, and through their self-reflection. Last but not least, the exit ticket/ homework will serve
to show the students’ connection with the material by directly engaging in our democracy.
 Appendix A

Executive
During the early Roman Republic, important new political offices and
institutions were created. These two people had come to replace the
Etruscans king, and they were primarily generals whose task it was to lead
Rome’s armies in war. These two people held the highest elected political
office of the Roman Republic. These two people serve jointly for a one-year
term. In times of military emergency, when unity of command was
sometimes necessary, Rome could appoint a dictator in place of these two
people, who, however, could not hold supreme military command for longer
than six months.

Who are they? What branch of government do they belong in?

In the United States government, this person is elected by the people for a 4
years term. He or she could govern the country for two 4 years term, and
this person is the head of state and head of government of the United States
of America. This person is also the commander-in-chief of the United States
Armed Forces. In contemporary times, this person is looked upon as one of
the world's most powerful political figures and as the leader of the only
remaining global superpower.

Who is this person? What branch of government does this person

belong in?

Legislative
This was a political institution in ancient Rome. It was one of the most
enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of
the city of Rome. It survived the overthrow of the kings in 509 BC, the fall of
the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC, and the fall of the Roman Empire
in 476 AD. During the days of the kingdom, it serves as the advisory council
to the king. It consisted of 300–500 people, who were initially patrician and
served for life. Before long, plebeians were also admitted. This institution
directed the magistrates, especially the Roman consuls in their prosecution
of military conflicts. They also had an enormous degree of power over the
civil government in Rome. Since the 3rd century this political institution
also played a pivotal role in cases of emergency. It could call for the
appointment of a dictator.

The other kind of institution functioned as the machinery of the Rome, and
thus passed all legislation. These institutions operated on the basis of direct
democracy, where ordinary citizens would cast all ballots. These
institutions were subject to strong checks (limitation) on their power by the
Roman consuls, as well as the political institution mentioned above. Laws
were passed, and magistrates elected according to tribes.

What are these political institutions? What branch of government do

they belong in?

This political institution is the upper chamber of this United States branch
of government. This political institution is composed of 100 people who
represent all 50 states of the United States, with each state being equally
represented by two of these people, regardless of its population. These
people serve terms of six years. As the upper house, this political institution
has several powers of advice and consent which are unique to it; these
include the ratification of treaties and the confirmation of Cabinet
secretaries, Supreme Court justices, federal judges, etc. This political
institution is widely considered both a more deliberative and more
prestigious body due to its longer terms, smaller size, and statewide
constituencies.

This political institution is the lower chamber of this United States branch of
government. This political institution is composed of 435 members, who are
elected by the people for 2 years terms. This political institution is charged
with the passage of federal legislation, known as bills, which are sent to the
President for consideration. In addition to this basic power, this political
institution has certain exclusive powers which include the power to initiate
all bills related to revenue, the impeachment of federal officers, and in cases
wherein no candidate receives a majority of electors for President, the duty
falls upon this political institution to elect one of the top three recipients of
electors for that office, with one vote given to each state for that purpose.

What are these political institutions? What branch of government do

they belong in?
Judicial
This political institution of government is often referred as the highest court
of the United States. The political institution has the power of judicial
review, the ability to invalidate a statute for violating a provision of the
Constitution or an executive act for being unlawful. However, it may act
only within the context of a case in an area of law over which it has
jurisdiction. Each year it agrees to hear about 100–150 of the more than
7,000 cases that it is asked to review.
According to federal statute, this political institution normally 9 people who
are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Once
appointed, these 9 people have lifetime tenure unless they resign, retire, or
are removed from office. Each of them has a single vote in deciding the
cases argued before it.

What is this political institution? Who are these 9 people? What

branch of government do they belong in?

Praetors, in ancient Rome, is an officer who had broad authority in cases of

equity, was responsible for the production of the public games, and, in the
absence of consuls, exercised extensive authority in the government. From
early times the praetor as a civil administrator issued an edict stating the
procedure by which he would be guided. Praetors are elected by the
Century Assembly for a 1 year term, and they oversaw the legal system.
Often, they also command certain armies and they are people who presided
trials in courts.

Who do you think the praetors are? What branch of government do

they belong in?
Legal Code
This was the legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law.
Displayed in the Forum, this legislation stated the rights and duties of the
Roman citizen. Their formulation was the result of considerable agitation by
the plebeian class, who had hitherto been excluded from the higher benefits
of the Republic. This legislation had previously been unwritten and
exclusively interpreted by upper-class priest. They were sufficiently
comprehensive that their substance has been described as a “code”,
although modern scholars consider this characterization exaggerated. They
were also sequence of definitions of various private rights and procedures.
What is this legislation? What are their main points?

This is the supreme law of the United States. Originally comprising seven
articles, its first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of
powers, whereby the federal government is divided into three branches.
Articles Four, Five and Six embody concepts of federalism, describing the
rights and responsibilities of state governments and of the states in
relationship to the federal government. Article Seven establishes the
procedure subsequently used by the thirteen States to ratify it. It is
regarded as the oldest written and codified law in force in the world.
Since it came into force in 1789, it has been amended 27 times in order to
meet the changing needs of a nation
What is this legislation? What are their main points?
Citizenship
Citizenship in ancient Rome was a privileged political and legal status
afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance.
A male Roman citizen enjoyed a wide range of privileges and protections
defined in detail by the Roman state. A citizen could, under certain
exceptional circumstances, be deprived of his citizenship. Women had a
limited form of citizenship. Though held in high regard they were not
allowed to vote or stand for civil or public office. The rich might participate
in public life by funding building projects or sponsoring religious
ceremonies and other events. Slaves were considered property and lacked
legal personhood . Over time, they acquired a few protections under Roman
law. Some slaves were freed by for services rendered, or through a
provision of a will when their master died. Once free, they faced few
barriers, beyond normal social snobbery, to participating in Roman society.
Who were the legal citizens of Rome? Who weren’t?

In the United States, there are two primary sources of citizenship: birthright
citizenship, in which a person is presumed to be a citizen if he or she was
born within the territorial limits of the United States, or—providing certain
other requirements are met—born abroad to a U.S. citizen parents, and
naturalization, a process in which an eligible legal immigrant applies for
citizenship and is accepted. These two pathways to citizenship are specified
in the Citizenship Clause of the Constitution's 1868 Fourteenth Amendment.
U.S. law permits multiple citizenship. A citizen of another country
naturalized as a U.S. citizen may retain their previous citizenship, though
they must renounce allegiance to the other country.
Who are the legal citizens of the U.S.? Who aren’t?

Appendix B

Name _______________________________________
Roman Republic - Government

Part of Roman Republic United States

Government

Executive

Legislative

Judicial

Legal Code
 Citizenship

Appendix C

Name______________________________

My Civic Engagement Experience

Check off the ones that apply to you to see how civically engaged are you!

I have I know
done someon
this! e who
has!
Volunteering for an organization
Going to meetings of a group or club
Donating to a charity (money, books, food,
clothing…)
Reading newspaper or watching news to stay
informed
Signing a petition
Raising money for a worthy cause
Forming an interest group
Writing a Congressmen
Taking part in a protest, boycotts, or sit-ins
Voting in local/ national election
Talking about current events with a friend
Contacting the media about your opinion
Contributing money to a political campaign
Contributing money to a advocacy group (e.g.
UNICEF, Planned Parenthood)
Putting a bumper sticker on the car in support of a
cause or a politician
Persuading others to be for or against an issue
Using Civil Disobedience
Serving the country through military or other
services
Wearing a button to support a cause or a politician
 Appendix D

Name _____________________________________________

Write your own tweet!

To do this homework, please find a piece of local news story from Massachusetts that
address a political problem that you are interested in. Describe what the article is.
Then, in 140 characters or less, write a response to it! (Be concise and have fun with
it)

What is your news story about?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________