Plebeian Civil Rights Analysis

Dear friends, and to all that are gathered here today at the Pnyx, what I come to talk to you about today is voting rights. I have come to appeal to your logical sides, as opposed to your emotional ones. Any Athenian of sound mind cannot make an argument against voting rights for slaves and Metics. Metics, as we all know, are the foreign residents of Athens, however, many of our Metics are Athenian born. Our current definition of citizenship is outdated and should be adjusted. As it now stands, the only true Athenian citizens are those born in Athens to both Athenian-born parents. If you are born in Athens to parents who are not citizens, you are not a citizen. It is as simple as that, but should it be? Those metics who were born and raised in Athens, or whom helped us contribute to the war in some significant way, should be granted citizenship.

Patricians hold all the offices in ancient Rome and plebeians who outnumbered them were mostly farmers, craftsmen and soldiers. Therefore one can understand that practically while plebeians had no rights or knowledge, they were in an advantageous position as patricians couldn’t defend the city or do any kind of job without their help. Plebeians couldn’t tolerate the increasing debt and the abuse of patricians and demanded equality, by blackmailing the patricians

By around 500 BC, the new idea of citizenship began to take shape. The people of an empire were no longer referred to as subjects, but as citizens. These people were given certain rights, but along with these rights came responsibilities as well. Although both the Romans and Athenians had citizens, they had different outlooks on what an individual’s right and responsibilities were. Athens’ system for citizenship was better than that of Rome’s because all citizens were given equal right, their government was built by the poor, they protected their democracy.

Plebeians pressured the patricians to make political concessions, one result being the publication of laws which served as a check on decisions by judicial officers. New officials and tribunes were created and were drawn from non-elite classes. They could veto or block actions the Assembly or officials that threatened lower order interests.

“Arcana imperii” “Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it.” (Thomas Paine). Thomas Paine was an American philosopher, political activist, and revolutionary who encouraged the rebels to fight against the British during the time of the American Revolution. He believed that in order for one to experience the benefits of a powerful and secure nation, one must be willing and able to support the nation that supplies those benefits. In order for a nation to encompass the benefits that come with a powerful society, they need to be able to possess characteristics of a powerful nation.

Those articles of the law did not apply to him. We had even lost the yardstick with which to gauge.” Likewise, a Patrician could stack, or even invent, any number of laws against a Plebeian who did not even possess a right of appeal; therefore, the later, was totally at the mercy of the ruling class.

The palebians made up the majority of the population. But they were not allowed to have any say in political issues. The palebians were the poor, lower class citizens who couldn't become priests or be a part of the senate. They were the peasants, craftsmen, farmers, and shopkeepers. On the other hand, the patricians were the ones who were wealthy (the upper class) and the only ones that could have power in religious offices, in the senate, and could control over the military. Unllike the Palebians, the patricians were the smaller part of the population that had all the power. But just because the Patricians had all the control over Rome, this did not mean that the Palebians weren't important or "necessary"

Over the course of history, all across the world there have been countless incidents where one group of people has persecuted another, for little or no reason. One of the worst instances of this happening was in the 1800s in America when people kept thousands of African Americans as slaves. Slavery in the Americas caused Africans Americans to be considered an inferior race for over a century later. For all this time, African Americans were forced into slave labor, then forced to have their own everything such as schools, churches, and even bathrooms.

It is clear that the dynamics that characterized Rome’s society during the Republic were never easy. There was a constant push and pull of intentions and interests between Patricians and Plebeians. The Patricians always wanting to maintain economic and political supremacy while the Plebeians were in constant

They control the most valuable lands, and held important religious and military offices, “the rich landowners that typically had a house in the city and a villa in the country run by slaves (Rymer, 2014).” Despite the fact that the Plebeians were the majority but they were poor and had no say in the government. They were just peasant farmers, craftspeople, laborers and shopkeeper. Notwithstanding all these unfair treatment, they were force to serve in the army. This resulted into a struggle between these class of people.

So how did they shape the perceptions of the people, including the illiterate plebeian’s, in their favour? How did they transmit their power to the furthest reaches of their territory and achieve, maintain and promote an atmosphere of peace, prosperity and good governance when Rome was in conflict? While written works, such as the pro-Roman writings of Livy, were used as

They claimed that their ancestry gave them authority to make laws for Rome. The plebeians were citizens of Rome with the right to vote. However, they were barred by law from holding the most important government positions. In time, Rome’s leaders allowed the plebeians to form their own assembly and elect representatives called tribunes. Tribunes protected the rights of the plebeians from unfair acts of patrician officials. (page 156)

The historical significance of the term tribune is to describe a branch in the early Roman republic. They were elected

These factors led to the plebeians wanting and needing equality with the patricians. After hundreds of years, the plebeians finally got the power and equality they had hoped for. By

Was the ancient Athens that was so long ago democratic or was it not democratic?