I am a 6th grade teacher. We are starting our unit on Rome and I would really like to explain the concept of Libertas to them. My overall question is "How did the idea of Libertas affect the development of Rome?" I am briefly going to discuss the Kings of Rome, The Republic (covering the Punic Wars), and the early Empire (mostly the Julio-Claudians... because they're so fun and show how absolute power corrupts absolutely).
I understand that it is the state of not being controlled by another (personal liberty) and that it distinguished between a slave and a citizen; but I know there must be more to it than that. Any other tidbits for me? Any help is greatly appreciated.
I have pretty comprehensive litterature on Roman history and society, so I'd be glad to help you, but I never heard of that "libertas" concept. You mean it as a legal or cultural insitution that distinguishes between slaves and not-slaves ? Because be careful: being free did not mean being a citizen. There were slaves and citizen, but also freemen. You could even add equites and patricians, lower and higher aristocracy respectively. There might even be other social/legal classes I don't know of.