The plebeians, who outnumbered the patricians, 9 to 1, wanted to have a say in Rome's government. Two Assemblies were present in Rome, the Century Assembly and the Tribal Assembly. The Century Assembly was made up of Roman soldiers that were divided into groups called centuries. Each century as a group would get one vote. Each Roman soldier was assigned to a century based upon how much property he owned. Therefore a majority of the centuries were made up of wealthy patrician soldiers. It is this Assembly that elected the two consuls every year. Remember that the two consuls are the high magistrates that would lead Rome.

The Tribal Assembly was made up of Romans that were divided into groups called tribes. Each tribe was based on geographical location and was made up of both patricians and plebeians. Each tribe had one vote. The Tribal Assembly chose lower magistrates to the Roman government. During the history of the Roman republic another assembly within the Tribal Assembly was created called the Plebian council. This council was made up entirely of plebeians and by the year 287 BC had tremendous power, even more power than the Senate.

Activity Four

Matching - Match up the correct term with the proper characteristics.