What were the civic duties of Romans?

The plebeians were the commoners, all non-patricians, both rich and poor, both rural and urban. Peasant-proprietors served in the army, which in those days was a citizen militia.

The early Republic also was the beginning of the 200-year old conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians. The poor plebeians fought for their economic grievances, which were the abuse of defaulting debtors who were imprisoned, tortured and sometimes sold as slaves buy the creditors, the problems of indebtedness and the rates of interest on loans, and shortages of land for poor peasants. The rich plebeian fought for access to the offices of state and the senate which were monopolised by the patricians.