Write A Formal Speech Advocating Or Supporting A Proposal ✓ Solved

Write a formal speech advocating or supporting a proposa

Write a formal speech advocating or supporting a proposal for the Senate to consider on one of three topics: extension of SCU, land reform, or debt reform. If your character is undecided, explain what factors you would consider in making your decision and why. The speech must clearly state the proposal as it would appear on the Senate board and present arguments demonstrating why it is a good idea. Include at least one quotation from Cicero’s First Catilinarian and discuss how that idea supports your argument.

Paper For Above Instructions

Title: For the Preservation of the Res Publica — A Motion to Extend the Senatus Consultum Ultimum

Honorable consuls, fellow senators, and defenders of the res publica: I rise today to propose a single, urgent measure designed to preserve the safety and constitutional order of Rome. The measure I propose is as follows, to be written on the Senate board and placed to the vote in clear form:

Proposal: That the Senate issue and extend the Senatus Consultum Ultimum (SCU) empowering the consuls and necessary magistrates to take and direct all measures required to protect the res publica and public safety from the present internal conspiracy for a period of three months, subject to subsequent senatorial review.

Thesis

I support this extension because the evidence of an organized, violent conspiracy against the state demonstrates an immediate and exceptional threat that ordinary legal processes cannot adequately and quickly address. The SCU is an emergency constitutional instrument intended for such exceptional moments. Its temporary, supervised use respects the balance between urgent security needs and the rule of law.

Evidence of Threat

Primary evidence for the present risk comes from intercepted correspondence, witness testimony, and confessions indicating coordination for armed uprising within the city and among certain provincial factions (Sallust, Bellum Catilinae) (Sallust, 1st c. BCE). Cicero’s own exposé in the First Catilinarian warns of active betrayal from within our gates. As he famously summoned the conspirator: "Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra?" (Cicero, In Catilinam I). This outbreak of rhetorical outrage signals not mere rumor but a tangible pattern of repeated offenses and audacious contempt for our institutions (Cicero, 63 BCE).

Interpretation of Cicero’s Claim

Cicero’s cry is not only an accusation; it is an argumentative device that diagnoses the problem: persistent, escalating efforts to subvert the state. To quote Cicero is to recognize that when conspirators repeatedly attempt to erode public order, delay and ordinary legal niceties can facilitate their success (Cicero, In Catilinam I). Thus, Cicero’s idea supports emergency action: the state must act decisively when patience has been exhausted, but it must ensure proportionality and accountability.

Why the SCU is Appropriate

The SCU is a constitutional response, not an extra-legal usurpation. It has precedent as a measure to restore order when regular magistracies face immediate danger (Lintott, 1999). The present conspiracy aims not at personal grievance but at overthrowing collective institutions (Sallust; Gruen, 1995). Under such circumstances, temporary expansion of executive authority—limited in time and reviewed by the Senate—permits rapid protective action (be it arrests, movement restrictions, or military deployments within legal bounds) while preserving the longer-term rule of law.

Addressing Civil Liberties and Precedent

Some may protest that invoking the SCU threatens liberty. This is a legitimate concern. That is why I propose a narrowly worded motion: a three-month extension, explicit enumeration of allowed measures, and mandatory senatorial review before renewal. Historical analysis warns against open-ended emergency powers (Beard, 2015; Scullard, 1982), so our proposal binds the consuls to report weekly and mandates judicial oversight where feasible. This mitigates abuse while enabling necessary action (Lintott, 1999; Brunt, 1971).

Practical Benefits

Immediate extension of the SCU will enable the consuls to coordinate intelligence, secure arsenals, prevent armed assemblies, and detain individuals who pose imminent danger until proper trials can be conducted. It signals to conspirators and to the Roman people that the Senate will not permit violent subversion. Moreover, a clear, temporary, and accountable SCU demonstrates to allies and provinces that Rome can contain internal threats prudently, preserving confidence in our institutions (Gruen, 1995; Beard, 2015).

Counterarguments and Rebuttal

Opponents may argue that ordinary tribunals suffice and that extraordinary measures risk setting dangerous precedent. Yet ordinary tribunals require evidence presented in open court, procedures that conspirators exploit through delay and intimidation. When timely action is needed to prevent massacres or the burning of the city, the state cannot await prolonged judicial processes (Sallust; Cicero). Our proposal guards against precedent by design: strict temporal limits, public reporting, and immediate senatorial review.

Conclusion and Call to Vote

In sum, Cicero’s poignant charge captures the moral and political imperative before us: when plots multiply and patience is exhausted, the res publica demands decisive but accountable action. I urge the Senate to adopt the motion as written on the board: issue and extend the Senatus Consultum Ultimum for three months with required weekly reports and mandatory senatorial review at thirty, sixty, and ninety days. This path protects our city, safeguards our institutions, and upholds the rule of law in the most trying hour.

For the safety of Rome, and for the preservation of the liberties we cherish, I ask for your support.

References

• Cicero, Marcus Tullius. 63 BCE. In Catilinam I (First Catilinarian). Translations and text in Cicero: Selected Political Speeches. Loeb Classical Library.
• Sallust (Sallustius Crispus). Bellum Catilinae (The Conspiracy of Catiline). 1st century BCE. Loeb Classical Library.
• Beard, Mary. 2015. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome. Profile Books.
• Lintott, Andrew. 1999. The Constitution of the Roman Republic. Oxford University Press.
• Gruen, Erich S. 1995. The Last Generation of the Roman Republic. University of California Press.
• Scullard, H.H. 1982. From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome 133 BC to AD 68. Routledge.
• Brunt, P.A. 1971. Italian Manpower: 225 B.C.–A.D. 14. Clarendon Press. (discussion of manpower, unrest, and social pressure relevant to rebellions)
• Syme, Ronald. 1939. The Roman Revolution. Oxford University Press.
• Broughton, T.R.S. 1951. The Magistrates of the Roman Republic. American Philological Association (detailed magistracy records and procedures).
• Flower, Harriet I. 2010. Roman Republics. Princeton University Press. (context on republican institutions and crises)