The earliest form of government in ancient Rome was a monarchy, or rule by a king. The Etruscans took control of Rome and placed their own kings in power. After over a century of Etruscan rule, the Romans overthrew the last Etruscan king in 509 BCE and founded a republic. A republic is a government in which the people (citizens) choose representatives to govern them. This is a representative government. All citizens were not equal in the Roman Republic. They were divided into different social classes. The patricians were the wealthy landowners. They also had the most power in the Roman Republic. The plebeians, or common citizens, were usually artisans, merchants, farmers, or traders. They made up the majority of the population, but had very little say in government. The third group in Rome was the slaves, who were not considered citizens. Women, though generally respected in Roman society, could not vote or hold public office. How is our current American government more so a “thing of the people” than Rome’s republic?