We see a variety of Roman elements in our political system today. First, the veto system used by the president, whereas he is one sole person who can decide whether a law is passed or not. This was a system first used by the Romans, in the case of Plebians and Patricians. One Plebian was able to either let a law pass, or veto it. The Romans had a Senate, who handled the public money, i.e. they handled all returns that were brought into the treasury, as well as all the payments issued from it. The Senate of today has similar responsibilities. However, like the Senate of today, the Senate of Rome had other responsibilities. While our Senate enforces laws for bills that may or may not be passed, the Senate of Ancient Rome adjusted all disputes, determined how ambassadors would be treated, and had many other responsibilities. The people of today and Ancient Rome's tome also played close to the same part. The people of Ancient Rome, because the Senate and other parts of the government held so much power, dispensed all punishments, and condemned citizens to paying fines, and had the right to sentence any one person to die. It was very much their job to enforce the rules and look after the country. The people of today have similar responsibilities. As we can plainly see, the Roman Republic was very successful, at least in its time; and in hopes of receiving that successful type of government, we are able to see many similarities in the governments of today.Works Cited:
1. "Ancient History Sourcebook: Polybius : Rome at the End of the Punic Wars [History, Book 6]."FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 08 Mar. 2010.
Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Us_senate_seal.png
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