When you have said the pledge of allegiance, have you ever wondered what the words "and to the republic, for which it stands" mean? First, we are going to explore what the earliest form of republic was, and then we will explore another form of government called a parliamentary system. In order to do this we are going to have to first travel back in time to ancient Rome. The year is 500 BC.

Before 507 BC, the government of Rome was a monarchy. The king held the power and to the Romans, this power made him a tyrant. The Romans overthrew the king and started a new form of government, called a republic.

From 507-27 BC, the government of ancient Rome was a republic. A republic is a representative form of government in which leaders are elected to represent the people. To the Romans, having a republic would balance the power and not allow one person to rule like the previous kings.

Vote
Republic

⇒Good⇒

Representative

Source: Caesar, Pablo000, Wikimedia

All over Rome, the letters SPQR were chiseled on buildings and put on Roman coins. The Romans were happy to no longer be ruled by a king. The Roman government was composed of the Senate and the People of Rome. That's what SPQR stood for - the Senate and the People of Rome.

Source: SPQR: The Senate and the People of Rome, Lamre, Wikimedia

Activity 1

What would be the reasoning to put SPQR all over Roman buildings? Can you think of a similar motto in the United States that is visible to people on a daily basis? In your notes, answer those questions.