differences between patricians and plebeians?:
patrician: upper class, landowning
plebes: lower class / middle class

senate: roman government
consuls: 2 people in government that share equal power
tribunes: leaders of plebeian assembly; at first powerless, but then gained power

- first time that laws were written down
- set up to protect plebeians
- publicly diplayed in forum
- 12 tables

senate / assemblies - US Senate / house of reps
consuls / dictator - president of the US
senate could act like judges - like supreme court