How Did Tiberius Gracchus Have Become Tribunes

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“Tiberius Gracchus, having become tribune of the people, proposed a law concerning the public lands, that no one should hold more than five hundred iugera of land, but the remainder should be distributed among the poor citizens. This law was opposed by many of the wealthy, who possessed large tracts of land. However, it was passed through the efforts of Tiberius and his fellow tribunes. Tiberius himself was responsible for carrying out the provisions of the law, and he conducted himself with great integrity and fairness. This law greatly benefited the poorer citizens, who had been deprived of land and had become dependent on the largesse of the wealthy” (Plutarch, Lives, Tiberius Gracchus, 8.1-2).

This excerpt is taken from Plutarch’s “Lives,” …show more content…
His writings are some of the most important knowledge sources about famous people from classical Greece and Rome. Roman politicians Tiberius and Gaius Gracchi, who lived in the second century BC, were well-known for their attempts to implement agrarian and social reforms. When Tiberius Gracchus was elected tribune in 133 BC, he distributed public land to citizens who had lost their right to vote to close Rome's growing wealth and poverty gap. This passage talks about the historic agrarian law of Tiberius and the ensuing political unrest.

Historical Significance The stark economic inequality in the Roman Republic is brought to light in this passage. The wealthy owning a large portion of the land and the poor being left without it highlights the structural problems with Roman society. This book aids historians in comprehending the social tensions and economic structure resulting from wealth distribution and land ownership. The
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