Human Geography

Matthew Bishop 6/1/20 What were the factors that led to the downfall of the Roman Republic? 1st Paragraph- When Rome was settled by Etruscans, Greeks, and the Latins they drained swamps into the Tiber river. Tarquin the Proud's Grandfather built the Cloaca Maxima, and this is indirectly the beginning of the Roman Republic. Tarquin the Proud ruled Rome very poorly, as he killed people and his family was just as bad. So after he is expelled from Rome, kings are replaced by consuls. Well this has already lead to the downfall of the Republic. Plebians are not happy, and they refused to serve in the military. This lead to Rome creating a legal code but than they go through the Punic Wars and this creates economic change where farmers lost their land, another reason of why the Republic was going downhill already. But than, Julius Caesar became in charge, and his sudden rise in power is the deciding factor of why the Roman Republic didn't work. 2nd Paragraph- The first reaso

Matthew Bishop 5/28/20 After Julius Caesar's murder, his grandnephew, Octavian took over at 18 years old. He had the Second Triumvirate with Mark Anthony and Lepidus. Octavian forces Lepidus to retire. He and Mark Anthony become rivals. Mark Anthony partners up with Cleopatra but Octavian defeats them at the Battle of Actium. He is than the unchallenged ruler of Rome. He creates an empire. He ruled for 40 years and began the Pax Romana, a 207 year long era of peace and prosperity. He expanded Rome into Africa and set up civil service to run the government/empire. He died from natural causes. This began the age of emperors. Tiberius was a great general but a reluctant emperor. He died at age 77. Caligula was a cruel, extravagance and insane tyrant. Claudius suffered from many infirmities but was a good ruler. He built roads, aqueducts, canals, and started the conquest of Britain. Died from poisoning by his wife. Nero hugely overspent and would raid the temples for money. Not

Matthew Bishop 5/26/20 On June 2, I'll be taking my test from 8:55 to 9:45 A.M. Bread and entertainment kept plebeians alive and to keep them quiet, docile and happy. Tiberius Gracchus recognized the advantages of courting the plebeians. Military generals worked that angle. They led army that conquered a land, than give the plebeians a share in the spoils. Nobody did this better than Julius Caesar. He made common folks happy, made friends in high places. He became friends with Pompey, a general and Crassus, the richest man in Rome and they formed the First Triumvirate. He served as consul for one year and than was appointed governor of Gaul. This made Pompey jealous and they battled in Greece, Asia, Spain, and Egypt. Caesar won. He was than named dictator. He granted citizenship to people in provinces. He expanded the Senate, making more friends. Created jobs for the poor, increased pay for soldiers, and started colonies. But he was assassinated because the senators saw his r

Matthew Bishop 5/20/20 For my essay, I'm going to talk about the factors that contributed to the downfall of Rome and the Roman Empire.

Matthew Bishop 5/18/20 As Rome grew, the gap between rich and poor grew wider. The rich landowners lived on huge estates. Thousands of slave were forced to work on these estates. By 100 B.C, slaves made up 1/3 of Rome's population. Tiberius and Gaius attempted to help Rome's poor. They proposed reforms like limiting the size of estates and giving land to the poor. Both met violent deaths because they made enemies with numerous senators. A period of civil war followed their deaths. In 60 B.C, Julius Caeser took over. He conquered all of Gaul. The people of Rome loved him. He than defeated Pompey's army in Greece, Asia, Spain and Egypt. In 46 B.C he returned home to Rome where he had the support of the army and the masses. The senate than appointed him dictator. Many nobles and senators expressed concern over his growth in power. In 44 B.C. he was stabbed to death in the senate chamber. After his death civil war broke out. Rome was at its peak in 27 B.C. to A.D. 180 with

Matthew Bishop 5/14/20 Punic Wars- The Punic Wars took place from 264 to 146 BCE. The battles were between Rome and Carthrage. It was three wars. The First Punic War was 264-241 BCE. Both sides were fighting for control of the island of Sicily. Rome ended up winning. The Second Punic War was from 218-201 BCE. It started by Carthaginian leader Hannibal almost taking Rome. He attacked Rome from the North after crossing Iberia. Rome wins this however, as Hannibal can't get to Rome. The Third Punic War was from 149-146 BCE. Rome began this one to finally get rid of Carthage. Scipio, Tiberius Gracchus, and others mercilessly attacked. Carthage was burned for 17 days. When the war ended, the last 50000 people were sold into slavery. The rest of Carthage's territories were annexed and made into the Roman province of Africa.