The Twelve Tables Summary

In Ancient Rome, the people were split into social groups. The two main social groups were the patricians and the plebeians. The patricians were the upper-class and wealthy citizens who controlled most of the political parts of ancient Rome. The plebeians were the lower-class Romans that made up most of the population. The plebeians gained political power by having representatives called tribunes. The plebeians demanded for the laws to be written down, so the participations couldn't interpret them how they wanted to. The set of written ancient Roman laws that made all citizens politically equal is the Twelve Tables. The Twelve Tables helped the Roman people to all become equal because the political power of the patricians couldn't be abused. The Twelve Tables were also the start of plebeians gaining more political power over time. The Twelve Tables were first made out of wood and placed in public so everyone could see. Then the tables were made into bronze so they would last longer, but most of Rome already had them memorized. Overtime, new laws were added and old laws were changed. The Twelve Tables helped the Roman Empire to become more equal, and preserved their laws for hundreds of years.