a possible
reference to an ancient
constitution of
Rome which divided the citizens into two classes, the patricians and the
plebeians, with a person's ancestry determining to which he belonged. The patricians enjoyed full
rights as citizens and were allowed to
hold governing positions, while the
plebeians had
limited rights. The
plebeians resented their inferior
position and around 500 B.C. began what was called "the struggle between the orders," a political contest which lasted for many years. It eventually resulted in the
plebeians acquiring political equality with the patricians.
the
constitution of ancient
Rome. At first, the
constitution was aristocratic in
nature with the
rights of citizenship depending upon family and wealth. The citizens were divided into two classes with the higher
class enjoying full
rights of citizenship and the lower
class having only
limited citizenship. The lower
class organized and insisted on political equality which they won after many years.