Beard establishes liberty as an important Roman value. How does the expression of this value change with Rome's different political structures?

Students should discuss the differences between Rome's monarchal, Republican, and imperial periods. They should note how the value of liberty led to the fall of the monarchy and the rise of the pseudo-democratic Republic. They should also discuss the ways that the value of liberty was reconciled with the reestablishment of autocratic rule in the imperial period.

What are some of the ways that liberty was manifested to some and denied to others in Ancient Rome? How is the Ancient Roman value of liberty different from our own?

Students should be able to explain how liberty was a privilege primarily granted to the minority elite in Ancient Rome. They should discuss the struggles the plebeian classes engaged in order to achieve greater rights and freedoms, and...