Download Study Guide for Unit 2 Social Studies Test

Study Guide for Unit 2 Social Studies Test
The Renaissance: began in northern Italy (Florence) and lasted from about 1400 AD to 1650 AD. The
word Renaissance is French and means “rebirth,” and relates to art, philosophy, and learning. The
Renaissance was characterized by Humanist thought.
The Renaissance was thought to have started in Florence because Feudalism fell apart earlier in northern
Italy, which led to the increase in cities and other changes. Florence, Venice, Milan, and Genoa were citystates during the Renaissance and ruled by wealthy, powerful families. The most famous of these was the
Medici family of Florence. The Medicis supported and encouraged the Renaissance by paying many
Italian artists. The philosophies, art, cultural, and other changes and beliefs of the Renaissance were able
to be so successful and permanent was because of the Medicis and other wealthy families who paid the
artists and philosophers, and supported education and new beliefs.
The Medicis made most of their money in trading and banking, making Florence one of the first places
where banks were started and successful. Banking was started during the Renaissance when merchantbankers held people’s money and issued early types of checks. Bankers financed mines, manufacturing
and sheep-raising and merchants began to sell in markets. Trading brought new items to sell and new
markets for European goods. Cottage industries were also started at this time. More people were
moving to towns, and more people were craftspeople and merchants.
Explorers of the Renaissance: During the Renaissance, explorers sailed off to discover new lands. It is
often said that they sailed for “God, Glory, and Gold.” This means the causes of exploration were to find
new land, and for wealth and for new products or goods. They also wanted to convert the native people
to Christianity. Spain and Portugal led the way in exploration. Prince Henry “the Navigator” of Portugal
established a school for sailors, paid sailors to explore Africa, travel to India in a faster way than going on
the Silk Road.
The Silk Road was an overland trade route linking Asia and Europe, consisting of a network of caravan
routes. Marco Polo traveled this route to China and was the first European to reach China. The Silk Road
supported trading so that new items, such as spices and silk, were imported to Europe from Asia.
Some of the more famous explorers that we studied were Christopher Columbus, Vasco Da Gama,
Ferdinand Magellan, and Amerigo Vespucci. Magellan was the first explorer who was the first to sail all
the way around (circumnavigate) the world. Vespucci was the first European to reach the mainland of the
Americas. Later mapmakers named the land America for Vespucci.
Christopher Columbus accidentally “discovered” the Americas by traveling west from Europe in search of
a new western route to Asia because he believed it was a faster route to India. King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella of Spain sponsored his trips. He landed on an island in the Caribbean Sea, not India. At first he
thought he was in India, and called the Native Americans he saw “Indians.” However, there were negative
impacts of European exploration on Native Americans, as they were treated horribly. Many native people
died from new diseases, were forced into slavery, and were pushed off of their lands.
The Columbian Exchange and Atlantic Slave Trade: The Columbian Exchange was known for the trading
and selling of manufactured goods from Europe, slaves from Africa, and crops & other natural resources
from the New World. Each of these went from one of the 3 continents to the others in a triangle shape
route. Atlantic Slave Trade refers to the buying and selling of Africans into slavery. Between 1500 and
1600, nearly 300,000 Africans were captured, sold into slavery, transported to the Americas. Most slaves
were sold by Spain. The slaves worked throughout South America and North America on plantations and
in mines.
The 13 Original Colonies (3 Regions) of America: (Using modern-day geography to make it easier to
understand): England colonized the east coast of the US and center section of Canada, Spain colonized Florida
and the Southwest- including California, and France colonized central US and eastern Canada.
There were 13 original colonies (that were British) in what is now the USA. These were divided into 3
regions: The New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies.
The New England Colonies were known for education, strict rules, plain food, cold climates, poor soil for
farming, Puritan faith, the Pilgrims and Mayflower Compact, and having no religious tolerance
The Middle Colonies were known for good soil for agriculture (farming), more diverse (different) people,
market towns, originally settled by the Dutch, a moderate climate, less strict rules and less education than
New England, and having religious tolerance.
The Southern Colonies were known for enjoying feasts of spicy and flavorful food, having limited
education, a warm and humid climate, fewer cities, an agricultural economy with plantations and with the
use of slaves, and contained the site of the first British colonies (Roanoke and Jamestown).
Art and Artists of the Renaissance: There were several important artists of the Renaissance who are still
called some of the greatest artists who ever lived. Michelangelo is the artist we studied. Michelangelo
sculpted “David” and a “Pieta.” He also is known for painting the Sistine Chapel (a fresco) in Rome, which
took 4 years to complete. As an architect, he created the ribbed dome on St. Peter’s Basillica in Rome and
the unique staircase in the Laurentian Library.
Renaissance painting was different from Medieval painting by its realism by use of shadows and
highlights, perspective - making it look like the paintings were “3D” and therefore show depth in the
picture, and subjects being more about everyday life, as well as scenes from the Bible.
Frescoes were a new form of art during the Renaissance that were created by painting directly on wet
plaster that has been put on a section of a wall.
Renaissance art was more realistic and looked more like real human bodies. The human body was more
seen in Renaissance art because it was accepted to be seen more in the Renaissance culture. The body
was studied more and understood regarding how it looks and how it works.
Humanism: Humanism is a kind of philosophy. During the Renaissance people focused more on secular
things - everyday life and not things that are focused on religion. Humanism was also seen as a revival of
the art and traditions of Greece and Rome and renewed emphasis on the importance of the individual.
Literature during the Renaissance: William Shakespeare was a famous British writer of plays, stories, and
poems during the Renaissance. Queen Elizabeth I sponsored (paid) Shakespeare to write many of his
poems and other works. We still read and learn about his plays today, and he’s still considered one of the
greatest writers ever.
The Protestant Reformation: was a movement against the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century.
Martin Luther, a German Monk, started the Protestant Reformation. He wrote a document, called 95
Theses, which listed 95 complaints he had about the horrible wrongs of the Catholic Church of the
Renaissance. He tried to change the church, especially getting rid of the corruption and abuses in the
Catholic church, but that did not work. Instead, a new form of churches, called Protestants, was formed.
The most important outcome of the Protestant Reformation was that Europe was split into two large
religious groups (Catholics and Protestants). Most Protestants in the sixteenth century lived in the
Northern region of Europe. Martin Luther and John Calvin are considered important historic figures
because of being the new Protestant leaders.
The Counter Reformation (Inquisitions): During the Counter Reformation, the main outcomes that the
Catholics wanted were to: stop Protestantism, fight corrupting in the church, and spread Catholicism to
other parts of Europe. They would often arrest Protestants, put them in jail, or kill them if they did not
convert to being Catholic at the time. Several wars were fought because of the split in Christianity
(Catholic and Protestant) at this time.