Ancient+Rome+and+Cicero

Ancient Rome and Cicero

Background Information:

Rome was ruled by kings, whom were elected from Rome's major tribes. The king may have held near-absolute power and was also the head of the state religion. Along with the authority of the King, there were three administrative assemblies which were: the Senate, which was an advisory body; the Comitia Curiata, which could ratify laws suggested by the King; and the Comitia Calata, which could assemble the people to bare witness to certain acts and hear proclamations. The King, Comitia Curiata and the Comitia Calata all formed the democracy and oligarchy government in Ancient Rome.



Contributions Made by Cicero:

Cicero believed in the republic of Greece and thought that traditional values of Greece should be kept and that ‘true law was reason’. Cicero believed that corruption was caused by corrupt leadership. His beliefs that the people should rule instead of kings contributed to the construction of the American government and the abolishment of British rule in the American colonies. Cicero also believed that the people had the right to choose how the government was run, who the power belonged to, and the balancing of power in the country. These beliefs are seen in America’s government today in the balancing in powers and the right to vote for the leadership of America. Present day democracy was helped shaped by the philosophy and values of Cicero.



“Six mistakes mankind keeps making century after century: Believing that personal gain is made by crushing others; Worrying about things that cannot be changed or corrected; Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it; Refusing to set aside trivial preferences; Neglecting development and refinement of the mind; Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do.” -Marcus Tullius Cicero

Cicero states 6 mistakes made over and over again, these 6 ideas are some of the fundamental ideas of democracy. He insists that not respecting other ideas, and forcing your own on someone else is a mistake. Also not trying to learn and understand what is happening is another common mistake.

“God's law is 'right reason.' When perfectly understood it is called 'wisdom.' When applied by government in regulating human relations it is called 'justice.” -Marcus Tullius Cicero

The quote above states how Cicero viewed the government, and he believed that it should be run with wisdom and intelligence, rather than brute force and enstilling fear in the people of Ancient Rome.

“True law is right reason in agreement with nature;...it summons to duty by its commands, and averts from wrongdoing by its prohibitions...It is a sin to try to alter this law, nor is it allowable to repeal any part of it, and it is impossible to abolish it entirely.” -Marcus Tullius Cicero

The quote above takes what Cicero believed about the government and the law another step further by mentioning how he believes in one true law, which is reason. He believed in reason and reason alone, everything that a government would do must have had a reason, which is why he did not completely believe in the Roman government.

Works Cited: " Cicero [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]." //Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.  "Ancient Rome: Roman History." //ThinkQuest//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. .

Created by: Max Wiesendanger Ashley Harding Aly Rakowski