280. How Rome Came to Win Victories. The wars made great soldiers out of the Romans, who, now that they had trained generals, began to conquer all the nations about them. They invaded Macedonia, Greece, Asia, and Africa, destroying the mighty nations which had grown out of the work of Alexander the Great.
How do you suppose the Romans defeated the Macedonian phalanx? The Roman generals planned the battle with the Macedonians so that it always occurred in a forest or on rough broken ground where the phalanx could not stand in solid columns. With the phalanx already in disorder the Romans charged and defeated them easily.
281. The Effect on the Romans. Long before the Romans began to conquer other nations they were a simple farmer-like people living by raising grain and horses and cattle and sheep. But as soon as they began to conquer other nations many of the Romans grew proud and haughty. A great many grew rich from what they took from the defeated nations. Hundreds of Romans who had been small farmers now lived on great farms. On these farms or plantations the work was done by slaves, who were prisoners taken in battle. Some of these slaves were rude men taken in wars against half-savage people. Others, like the Greeks, were well educated, and really knew more than their masters. Those who belonged to this class of slaves were treated kindly and often played the part of tutors to the children of their rich masters.
282. The Rich and Poor Quarrel Again. The rich men oppressed the poor in many ways. A great many poor went to Rome to live because they found it hard to make a living on their little farms. Then, too, the great city was full of interesting doings. Besides, the city did not permit her poor to starve. Great shiploads of grain were brought from Egypt to feed them.
In Rome at this time there lived two brothers called the Gracchi. They were both great orators and rose to high positions in Rome. They saw their city was in a bad way on account of the many poor that were flocking to it.
The Gracchi tried to change this by taking away from the very rich landowners a part of their land and giving it to the poor. The Gracchi wanted to make farmers out of the poor. This plan roused the anger of the rich. They raised riots against the brothers and both men were killed. Rome never forgot the Gracchi, and even in our time they are looked upon as noble men laboring for the good of their country.
The Leading Facts. 1. What Italy looks like on the map. 2. Romulus and Remus. 3. The founding of Rome; the six kings. 4. A republic with "consuls" and "senators." 5. The story of Horatius; of Cincinnatus. Our Cincinnatus. 6. The first quarrel, and the removal to the second hill. 7. The capture of Rome by the Gauls; the Gauls become Romans. 8. Rome and Carthage rivals. 9. Quarrel over Sicily. 10. Hannibal takes a great oath. 11. Hannibal's army. 12. How it reached Italy and how long it remained. 13. Hannibal's victory at Cannae. 14. The Romans invade Carthage and defeat Hannibal at Zama. 15. How Rome defeated the phalanx. 16. Romans before conquests a simple people. 17. Effect on the Romans of conquering the world. 18. Second great contest between rich and poor. 19. The Gracchi to the rescue. 20. Death of the Gracchi and why they are remembered.
Study Questions. 1. Why did the Romans believe the story of Romulus and Remus? 2. Tell the story of Horatius and Cincinnatus. Which do you like best? 3. Tell the origin of the word "veto." 4. Who was Hannibal and how could he stay so long in Italy with his army? 5. Who built Carthage? 6. Describe the battle of Cannae. 7. Why did the Romans scatter salt over the ground where Carthage stood? 8. How did Rome overcome the Macedonian phalanx? 9. What bad effect did the world conquest have upon Rome? 10. Tell the story of the Gracchi.
Suggested Readings. Tappan, The Story of the Roman People, 1-122; Yonge, Young Folks' History of Rome, 13-202; Harding, The City of the Seven Hills, 7-165; Lang, The Red Book of Heroes, 43-94; Guerber, The Story of the Romans; Mace-Tanner, Old Europe and Young America, 74-93.