The Twelve Tables

1452 Words3 Pages

The Twelve Tables were the first laws ever written down and shown to the public in Ancient Rome. The Twelve Tables were displayed in the Roman Forum or marketplace. The Twelve Tables were also the earliest surviving writings of Ancient Rome.
When the founding fathers started to draw up the Constitution, they looked at Rome, and were inspired by The Twelve Tables to write the first laws of the United States. The Twelve Tables were not just the first written down laws in Ancient Rome. The Twelve Tables were used as a basis of future law throughout the world.
Rome was changing. The people of Rome were changing. The citizens of Rome were getting tired of being ruled by others. They wanted to rule themselves. So after years of fighting against the last king of Rome, who was Tarquin the Proud, the people of Rome took over, and created a new form of government called a republic (Mr.Donn). In Rome’s republic, citizens of Rome would vote for their own leaders. Now, Rome was not ruled by heirs to the throne, but by the power of citizens that strove to become great leaders. From 509 to 82 BCE, the Republic of Rome thrived. In 451 BCE, ten men were chosen to write the first ten tables of the Twelve Tables after long opposition by the patricians to publicly educate people about the rights they had. One of these ten men was lucky enough to write the last two “tables” to make The Twelve Tables. Some of the rights included in The Twelve Tables were a person’s innocence until proven guilty and a person’s right to pay off debt. During this time, the Roman Republic annihilated Carthage and poured salt on their fields as Rome grew and became stronger. When 82 BCE came around, Cornelius Sulla, a conniving dictator took over Rome when he named...

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...erstand their rights. Citizens now knew that they were no different from anybody else. The Twelve Tables were not just the first written down texts. The Twelve Tables inspired law in America that affects our life today.

Works Cited

Peck, Harry T. "Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898)." Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Twelve Tables. Web. 16 May 2014.
"Law of the Twelve Tables." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. .Donn, Mr. "The Twelve Tables - Ancient Rome for Kids." The Twelve Tables - Ancient Rome for Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. http://rome.mrdonn.org/12tables.html"Roman Law." N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. http://chip.choate.edu/

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