Volscians, the Senatevoted to exile him, and he wasn't let back into the city. After his reign, the people vowednever to have a king again, and a law was made where anybody who even talked abouthaving a king back was executed. A senator named Brutus said, "I swear, and you, o gods,I call to witness that I will drive [away]... Tarquinius Superbus, together with his wickedwife and hiswhole family, with fire and sword and every means in my power, and I will not[allow] them or anyone else to reign in Rome." (Nardo 25) Republic is English for theLatin Res Publica, meaning the public thing. A republic is "a country governed by theelected representatives of the people" (Encarta "Republic"). Instead of a president or king,the Republic has two praetors, later known as consuls, who were elected annually. Theone exception was emergency dictators, who served for six months and six months only.The Senators served for life. The object of the Republic was to give the people a voice inthe government, and to keep just one person from having all the power. Noting the Greekgovernment, the Romans created the Centuriate Assembly of citizens. This was anassembly where citizens discussed and voted on important issues. Many of the memberswere Patricians, but there were a few Plebs, or commoners too poor to own land. Onlyfree Roman adult men who owned weapons were citizens. Not long after the Republicwas formed, the Patricians closed off immigration of new patriarchal families. In the earlyyears of the Republic, the Patricians often made laws unfair to the Plebs. Only Patricianscould become consul, thesenate was almost all Patricians, and the Patricians controlled thePlebs in the Assembly by giving the Plebs financial aid, who in turn voted the way theywere told. Public Officials weren't paid, so only wealthy people could afford to serve on aregular basis. One time, the Plebs refused to serve in the army until they got their way. AsLivy said, "The Patricians d...
