What type of government did the ancient Romans have how did this contribute to the government in the US today?

Answer 1

You have two questions here. First of all, ancient Rome had a very long history and had three types of government during its existence. the first was a monarchy, which was overthrown, just as the monarchy of the early US was overthrown. The second form of government of the ancient Romans was the republic in which certain civil rights were guaranteed and the people elected their representatives. This form of government, called the republic, was the form of government that influenced the United States and most of the western world.

The question also asks how. This is an interesting question because nobody would think of replicating the institutions of the Roman Republic which would be very weird to us. Two key sources of inspiration for the US Constitution were the British philosopher John Locke, the father of classical liberalism, and the French philosopher Montesquieu. They both advocated the separation of powers (the division of power among the executive, legislative and judiciary). Montesquieu based this concept on his interpretation the British political system and on his reading of the 2nd century Greek historian Polybius' treatise on the checks and balances of power of the Roman Republic The concept of of checks and balances of power is fundamental to the workings of the US system. The presidential veto must also have been influenced by the Roman Republic. Veto was central to checks and balances in the Roman Republic. Officers of state of the same rank could veto each other and officers of state of higher rank could veto officers of lower rank.