Document1

IntheMiddleAgestopraisemanwasequaltopraisingGod,becausemanwasacreation
ofGod.ButRenaissancewriterspraisedmanhimselfasacreator.Theyplayeddownthe
sinfulnesshewasbornwithandemphasizedhisabilitytothinkandactforhimself,to
produceworksofart,toguidethedestinyofothers.Theyfreedmanfromhispeggedplace
inthemedievalhierarchy,halfwaybetweenmatterandspirit,andallowedhimtoroamat
will,throughallthelevelsofbeing,sometimesidentifyinghimselfwiththebrutes,
sometimeswiththeangels.Hewasseenastherulerofnaturethelord,althoughnotthe
Lord,ofcreation.
ThisnewRenaissancevisionofmansprangfromaheightenedawarenessofself.Medieval
menhadbeenpreoccupiedwithsearchingtheirreligioussouls,butRenaissancemenwere
muchmoreintriguedwithexploringtheirreallifepersonalities.Petrarchisaperfect
example.Althoughhisseriousinterestscenteredonhisworkindiscoveringandediting
ancienttexts,Petrarchwasalsointerestedinhimself.Inhisletters,hewrotehisreactionsto
loveaffairsandfriendship,tomountainsandtheflowersinhisgarden
Source: John R. Hale, Great Ages of Man: A History of the Worlds Cultures: Renaissance, Time-Life, 1965

Accordingtotheexcerptabove,howdidRenaissancephilosopherslikePetrarchrepresenthumanism?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Document2
The artists of the early renaissance period believed that art can't remain stable - it should
develop and move forward. For this, Roman and Greek classical styles in art, literature, and
architecture were studied. The artists of the early Renaissance (1400-1475) examined the
light, color and space techniques used by the ancient Greek and Roman artists. They used the
successful creative processes of the ancient period artists to create a new and modern art
form.
Unlike the artists of the medieval period, who painted heavenly creatures and religious
figures, the focus of the artists shifted to the human body. Realistic expressions were given to
the human figures in painting, architecture, or sculpture, and the concept came to be known
as Realism. Painters like the famous Masaccio still painted religious themes, but the saints in
the paintings wore common people's clothes and had natural expressions. The artworks of
early Renaissance depicted people carrying on with their everyday activities like eating,
dancing, etc., rather than doing something extraordinary.
Source: Frederick Hartt, A History of Italian Renaissance Art, (1970)

Accordingtotheexcerptabove,howdidRenaissanceartistsrepresenthumanism?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Document 3
TheRomansproducedalargeliterature.Butinpublishingittheywere,asinmany
otherfields,markedlyconservative.Theyknewaboutthecodexthatis,acollectionof
foldedandcutsheets,sewntogetherandenclosedwithinabindingbuttheyclungtothe
oldfashionedscrollasthenormativeformofbook
Printingfromwoodenblockswasanoldidea:theRomansusedthetechniquefor
textilesandtheMongolempireusedittomakepapercurrencyThekeynovelty,however,
wastheinventionofmoveabletypeforletterpresstheworkoftwoMainzgoldsmiths,
JohannesGutenbergandJohanFust,intheyears144648.In1450,Gutenbergbeganwork
onaprintedBible,knownastheGutenbergBibleortheFortytwoLineBible(fromthe
numberoflinesonapage),whichwascompletedin1455andistheworldsfirstprinted
book.
By1500therewereprintingfirmsinsixtyGermantowns,andVenicealone
had150pressesBeforeprinting,onlythelargestlibrariescontainedasmanyassix
hundredbooks,andthetotalnumberofbooksinEuropewaswellunderonehundred
thousand.By1500,afterfortyfiveyearsoftheprintedbook,thetotalhasbeencalculated
atninemillion
Source: Paul Johnson. The Renaissance: A Short History. Random House Publishing Group, 2007

Accordingtotheexcerptabove,howdidJohannesGutenbergsprintingpressrepresenthumanism?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Document5
TheCopernicanModel:ASunCentered(Heliocentric)SolarSystem
TheEarthcenteredUniverseofAristotleandPtolemyheldswayon[influenced]Westernthinkingfor
almost2000years.Then,inthe16thcenturyanewideawasproposedbythePolishastronomerNicolai
Copernicus(14731543).
InabookcalledOntheRevolutionsoftheHeavenlyBodies,CopernicusproposedthattheSun,nottheEarth,
wasthecenteroftheSolarSystem.Suchamodeliscalledaheliocentricsystem.Theorderingoftheplanets
knowntoCopernicusinthisnewsystemisillustratedinthefollowingfigure,whichwerecognizeasthe
modernorderingofthoseplanets...

Source: The Copernican Model: A Sun-Centered Solar System, Department

of Physics & Astronomy, University of Tennessee

Accordingtotheexcerptabove,howdidCopernicusrepresenthumanism?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Document4
ThisisanexcerptfromaletterwrittenbyGalileoGalileiin1615totheGrandDuchessChristina.Hehad
disprovedthePtolemaictheoryofanearthcentereduniverse,andmadeCopernicusheliocentrictheory
seemmoreaccurate.ThisalsocontradictedmanypartsoftheBible.Galileoexplainsthereactionagainst
him.
Someyearsago,asYourSereneHighnesswellknows,Idiscoveredintheheavensmany
thingsthathadnotbeenseenbeforeourownage.Thenoveltyofthesethings,aswellas
someconsequenceswhichfollowedfromthemincontradictiontothephysicalnotions
commonlyheldamongacademicphilosophers,stirredupagainstmenosmallnumberof
professorsasifIhadplacedthesethingsintheskywithmyownhandsinordertoupset
natureandoverturnthesciences.Theyseemedtoforgetthattheincreaseofknowntruths
stimulatestheinvestigation,establishment,andgrowthofthearts;nottheirdiminution
[lessening]ordestruction.Showingagreaterfondnessfortheirownopinionsthanfor
truth,theysoughttodenyanddisprovethenewthingswhich,iftheyhadcaredtolookfor
themselves,theirownsenseswouldhavedemonstratedtothem.
Source: Galileo Galilei, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina (1615)

Accordingtotheexcerptabove,howdidGalileoGalileirepresenthumanism?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Document7
Atfirst,thediscoveriesofCopernicusandGalileoupsetmanyEuropeans.Overtime,
however,anewwayofthinkingaboutscienceemerged.Scientistsbegantoobservethe
worldaroundthemandtodevelopideasaboutwhythingshappened.Theydidexperimentsto
testtheseideas.Thisnewwayofthinkingwascalledthescientificmethod

Source: Guide to the Essentials of World History, Prentice Hall, 1999 (adapted)

Accordingtotheexcerptabove,howdidthescientificmethodrepresenthumanism?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Document8

LeonardodaVincistudiedtheanatomyofthehumanbodywhilehewasapprenticedto
AndreadelVerrocchio.Tolearnaboutthebody,hedissectedandstudiedhumancorpses.
DaVinciwasinterestedinthestructureandthefunctionofthevariouspartsofthehuman
body.Hisdrawingsreflectwhathelearnedashestudied.

Source: David Reutelers website, The Drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci

Accordingtotheexcerptandimageabove,howdidLeonardoDaVincirepresenthumanism?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Document6

DuringtheRenaissance,kingssoughttoincreasetheirpower,wealth,andinfluencewithoutbeingcontrolled
bythePopeorlocalArchbishops(leadersofthechurchesinonecountry).NiccoloMachiavelli,anofficial
foranItalianPrince,wroteabookcalledThePrince.ItexplainedhowItalianprincesruledtheircitizens,
madewaragainsteachother,andsupportedtheireconomies.
The Prince ought to have no other goal or thought than war and its rules and discipline; for
this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules. It is much safer to be feared than loved,
because in general men are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and they will offer
you their blood, property, life, and children when they need something or another. And that
prince who relies entirely on promises is ruined, because friendships that are obtained by
payments are not secure, and fear never fails.
A prince ought also to show himself a patron of ability, and to honor the skilled of every art.
At the same time he should encourage his citizens to practice their art peacefully, both in
commerce, agriculture, and every other following; but the prince ought to offer rewards to
whoever wishes to do these things and to honor his city or state.
Source: Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, ed. W. K. Marriott. London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1908.

Accordingtotheexcerptandimageabove,howdidMachiavellirepresenthumanism?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________