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Government is a group of people with the power to rule in a territory. A government also makes the rules and sets written laws for the citizens. Moreover, citizens have rights and duties to follow as instructed by the government.

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Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of Rome

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Romans changed their government from a republic to an empire when Rome gained more territory and population. The Romans put control of the government in the hands of individuals who had great power. Augustus was the first emperor of Rome and he set the foundation of powers for others who later became emperors. As an emperor, he had powers such as declaring war, raising taxes, nominating public officials, and punishing those who broke the laws.

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Rome’s laws were written and displayed in public to protect the Romans from unfair treatment and to ensure everyone was treated equally. The Romans adopted the twelve tables of laws that were written on stone and they were posted in the center of Rome. This helped to limit the power of the government by making access to the laws available to everyone.

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Being a citizen of Rome came with both legal and social advantages. Romans had legal advantages such as the right to have a legal trial with a judge and the right to appeal the decision. Social advantages that Romans had were the right to have a lawful marriage and the children were automatically Roman citizens. The Romans also had duties to perform as citizens such as paying taxes and male citizens had to serve in the army. Citizens had the duty to participate in government affairs by attending assembly meetings and voting in elections.

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The Roman government has also influenced the U.S. Constitution by having written laws. The Romans adopted the Twelve Tables, a set of laws written to protect the citizens. Similarly, we have written laws in the U.S. Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, that were created to protect the liberties of citizens. To sum up, the Roman Empire made an impact on our lives today by us acquiring their policy on having written laws in our government to ensure equality for all people.

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The three branches of the U.S. government.

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The separation of powers in the U.S. Constitution was influenced by the Romans. The Romans had a structured government with the separation of powers between the Consuls, the Senate, and the Assembly. Similarly, we have separation of powers between three branches of government in the United States. These branches consist of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. The Romans also influenced our government with the idea of elected officials voted by the citizens to act for their interests. Likewise, our government today is built with the concept of democracy, in which citizens rule and vote for the officials to represent the people in our country. This is how the Romans have impacted our lives in our government today.