NC General Curriculum for Elementary Educator License Help Site: History and Social Science

  1. Home
  2. Indigenous Peoples Before the Arrival of Europeans
  3. European Exploration
  4. Colonization
  5. The Revolutionary War
  6. Key Developments in the Formation of the National Government (including Founding Documents)
  7. Settlement of the West and Overseas Expansion
  8. The Civil War and Reconstruction
  9. The Industrial Revolution
  10. The Progressive Era, Depression, and the New Deal
  11. Emergence of U.S. as a world power
  12. Civil Rights
  13. U.S. world leadership (collapse of Soviet Union to the present)
  14. World History (Major Developments and Key People)
    1. Eras
      1. Early Civilizations (Characteristics of)
      2. The Middle Ages
      3. The Renaissance
      4. The Age of Exploration
      5. The Enlightenment (The Age of Reason) & The Romantic Movement (The Age of Emotion)
      6. The Industrial Revolution
      7. The Modern Era
  15. Geography
  16. Economics (Basic Terms and Issues)
  17. Interactive Sites (Survey Sites that Cover Multiple Time Periods)

The Renaissance

GENERAL CURRICULUM TEST OBJECTIVE : 0008  Understand major developments and figures in world history.

  • Demonstrate knowledge of major figures, eras, developments, and turning points in world history with stress on Western civilization (e.g., the Renaissance, Reformation, the Scientific Revolution).

The Renaissance (French for "rebirth")  began in 1450 C.E. in Florence, Italy as a cultural movement, a revival of learning and the arts. It is characterized by a renewed interest in classical arts, literature, as well as in interest in the exploration of the human experience. It was a time for creativity and change for Europe. Art was more realistic (such as the paintings, sketches, and sculpture of Michaelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci) There was growth in commerce, banking and industry. The Guttenberg Press (invented in the mid-15th Century) helped raise literacy rates because writing could be mass produced. The writings of Shakespeare and Cervantes (Don Quixiote) were also during this time period.

In 1517, the peak of the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation began. It was a revolt against the Roman Catholic Church, which had become very rich and powerful and included nearly all Europeans. However, some people questioned the authority of the Church when it began the practice of selling indulgences, or pardons, for sin. A major event in this movement was the posting of a list of statements by a monk named Martin Luther, outlining complaints against this practice and others of the Roman Catholic Church.

During this time exploration and the establishment of colonies by a number of countries (England, Spain, and Portugal - see European Exploration section) was popular. A renewed interest in classical learning spurred intrigue in scientific knowledge. During this time Sir Issac Newton discovered the laws of gravity and motion building on Galileo's work (e.g., the foundation of physics). The period is marked by a time of political change as many countries moved toward monarchies, a form of government in which power is in the hands of kings, or monarchs, rather than the nobles as it was in the feudal system of the Middle Ages.

Resources:

https://youtu.be/dcZ6_hKT_9A
http://www.learner.org/interactives/renaissance/index.html 

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/history/1500-1600-Renaissance-Reformation (Khan Academy - Renaissance and Reformation)

 
Author: Janet Painter
Last modified: 10/3/2016 10:56 AM (EDT)