The Ordinary Citizens: The Roman Golden Age

Romans believed all Romans should have food and shelter, so they developed the welfare program for the needy.

A golden age is a period of cultural accomplishments brought on by economic prosperity and relative peace. The Roman empire experienced a golden age after the fall of the Roman Republic, arguably one of the greatest golden ages in history. The Pax Romana began in 27 B.C. and it reigned for 200 years before falling. The Pax Romana was a time of great prosperity with many accomplishments. The Pax Romana was not only significant because of the amount of wealth and power it wielded at the time, but it also contributed an enormous amount to society today. These contributions can be seen in many things like literature, currency, religion, medicine, etc. These accomplishments is what made them thrive during their golden age and help us thrive today. Their advanced society is one of the many things that shapes us today .Some of their greatest accomplishments were the architecture and their strong military and government. There were some important accomplishments in architecture and political and military structure that greatly influenced us today. The most important and influential of these achievements was the peace and stability they achieved.

The “Letter from the Birmingham jail” was a great letter. Written by a very eloquent man, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, the letter was very persuasive and I believe it must be hard to disagree with him after he made so many valid points. That is precisely what will be discussed.

Courage can be defined in many different ways as shown by Anne Sexton’s “Courage” poem and Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Anne Sexton would say courage comes in small acts and in these small acts of courage is what teaches people how to find the strength within themselves to accept things the way they are. Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird, would argue that courage is perseverance and fighting till the end even though the battle has already been lost. This novel takes place around the 1930s, and is told through the eyes of Scout Finch. From her, one might learn about her father, Atticus Finch, an attorney who hopelessly aims to prove the innocence of a black man wrongly accused of rape. Both of these definitions, however, apply to three of the characters in the novel; Atticus represents both his definition and Anne Sexton’s, Scout represents Anne Sexton’s and Mrs. Dubose, an elderly woman addicted to morphine, represents Atticus’s.

The roman republic came into existence at the termination of the Roman kingship in 507 B.C.E. The last king of Rome, Tarquin the Proud, was expelled by Collatinus and Brutus, as a result of his arrogance involving the matter of one of his relations raping the wholesome Roman matron Lucretia and her subsequent suicide. The rape of Lucretia was really a representation of the frustration that the roman citizens felt regarding the kingship. The later kings had little regard for roman values and the roman populus, which they used as something of a slave labor force. Brutus and Collatinus became the first Roman Consuls, elected by popular vote.

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

The 1920’s where a time of conservatism, it was a time of great social change. From the world of fashion to the world to politics, forces clashed to produce the most explosive decade of the century.

Some policies and institutions of the Roman Republic were useful to help them succeed in conquering first Italy and then the Mediterranean world. Before of the institution of the republic, the romans were a monarchy since their beginning and they were basically a pastoral people. Rome suffer several changes and improvements under the control of the Etruscan kings. The Etruscan were civilization settled north of Rome in Etruria, and they once had control over almost all the Italic peninsula. The Etruscans influences in Rome were profound, they transformed Rome from a pastoral community to a city (91). The Etruscan built the street and roads that help the development of temples, markets, shops, streets, and houses. They basically brought urbanization to Rome. It is fairly to say that the Rome republic was a fusion between the elements of the Etruscan civilization and the Rome elements. The combination of the different political institutions and policies made the Romans succeed in their conquest territories.

The Roman family life was a very simple and complex system at the same time. Every aspect of life for the typical Roman family was male dominated, they were in on every decision. The everyday family life was based on social status and diplomatic classifications. Everything from jobs to entertainment that could be participated in was based on gender or social standing within the community. The Romans were very absorbed with different types of entertainment and recreation. Everything about the Roman life revolved around the family, it was the basic unit of their daily lives.

The ethos of the Roman nobility at the time of the second century BCE was driven by ambitious military and political careers. These where brought about by a rigorous set of ideals which were built upon Rome’s cultural foundations. “The four terms that ascribe such a rigorous set of ideals are gloria, nobilitas, virtus and auctoritas ”.

The Romans once proud and established society who valued duty and responsibility to their Gods, family, friends, and to the state (Jones, Rome, Podcast 1). Romans like to believe they were descended from the noble Trojans. (Backman, Cultures of the West, p.171).

Written Assignment Unit 4: The Economic and Political Differences Between the Patricians and the Plebeian Classes and the Results of the Revolt Ancient Rome was comprised of two main classes of people; the Patricians and the Plebeians. Their many differences in both economic and political status lead the way to the uprising and revolt of the Plebeians that would forever change the economic fairness and governing of Rome. The term Patrician refers to the ruling class of Ancient Rome. They were derived from the old governing elite and Senatorial families.

The Roman Republic was a “democratic” republic, which allowed first citizens to vote, and to choose their governors in the senate (Hence, their consuls). However, it was a nation ruled by its aristocracy, and, consequently, the entire Republic`s power was concentrated in a few individuals. Furthermore, the Senate was controlled by Patricians, which directed the government by using wealth to buy control and power over the decisions of the senate and the consuls. This situation aroused the inconformity of the people; as result, a civil war took place in the Republic (destroying it), and then the Roman Empire was born.

The Roman way of life is different and similar to modern day. Though one may not know much over the Roman’s the culture is fascinating and still remembered in history. The clothes, food, customs, and leisure are major in Roman lifestyle.

Rome became a powerful empire engulfing much of Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia and what seemed like this great entity called the Romans were always in the search of more territory and land to conquer and assimilate into their ever growing vast empire. However, this was not always the case, before Rome became one of the greatest empires in all of history, Rome was a republic. They were government consisted of a Senate who much like our country today represented certain classes of the citizens of the Republic. During the growth and rise of the Roman republic conquering neighboring territories and competing for land grabs was not Romans primary objectives. Romans