Citizens of ancient Rome in 50 BC had more rights than American citizens in 1790. Roman society in 50 BC was a republic controlled by the senate, but patricians also played a role important in government. However, in 1790 the American government was established as a democracy, with a new constitution. Roman society granted all legal rights to its citizens, including women. Rome not only granted Romans legal rights, but there was also better social mobility and distribution of wealth. While in America there were many unnecessary requirements for its citizens to participate in government. Both countries had slaves, but used them for very different purposes. The laws of Rome were put in place to protect all citizens. Part of their laws protected the legal rights of children. One of these laws stated: “everyone must support his own offspring, and anyone who thinks he can abandon his child will be subjected to the punishment prescribed by law”. While Rome had laws to protect all citizens, American laws consisted of freedoms such as free speech and the right to bear arms. These laws do not protect citizens; they simply give citizens the right to do things like carry a gun. Even in America it was claimed to prohibit cruel and unusual punishments. The American people believed that cruel and unusual punishment was unethical and the United States of America would not support such a thing. However, the government would simply outsource the punishment to another country, so the United States appeared to have followed this law. However, people didn't know this, the government didn't want people to realize that they were actually breaking their own law. While America... in the center of the paper... on people, and on over half a million slaves. One-eighth of the American population were slaves, but they had no rights. Although these countries did not prosper in the same era, they have similarities, but more importantly differences. Their governments were set up differently: America as a democracy and Rome as a republic. Both had a wealthy class, a middle class, and a slave class. However, it was how they treated each class that made these governments so different. While in America it was the wealthy class that governed, in Rome both the upper and middle classes were part of the government. The citizens of Rome had more legal rights, greater social mobility, and treated their slaves better. Rather than America, which gave its citizens fewer rights by excluding members who did not own the required property, it had lower social mobility and treated slaves much worse than the Romans.