Renassaince, Reformation

The Europeans drew much wealth from the New World. By taking away the freedom of the Native Americans, the Europeans were able to acquire gold. While doing so, Native Americans were kept enslaved and suffering with strict rules they were forced to abide. Due to the mass of diseases and epidemics the Europeans brought to America, the Indians were susceptible and forced to accept the aggression. If these rules were not obeyed by the Natives, mistreatment of these Indians would take place. This mistreatment was not allowed according to the Christian religion, though. Cutting off the hands of the Indians was one of the nastiest punishments the Europeans performed. The Indians would come back with little or no gold and the Europeans became angry which lead to more cruelty towards them. The Europeans were now able to increase trade.

Much opportunity arose for Europe and Asia, such as trade, since they were also able to attain silver from the new world. Trade was taking place in Asia, Europe, and Africa, and in all three continents people were interacting like never before. The Europeans were able to trade silver for many other goods such as expensive spices such as pepper, ginger, and saffron. This helped in the preservation of their meats considering they ate mostly meat and butter. The Europeans, living in colder climates, used these dyes to add pizzazz to their clothing. The Europeans craved new luxury goods

The Renaissance, or “re-birth,” began in Italy as the highest point of human development. The new prosperity allowed scholars to concentrate on different levels of importance than money, food, and war with other countries. These scholars began looking toward attractions rather than things affecting them. Money entering the world so suddenly allowed people living in Florence and Rome make it beautiful. Different types of artwork became very famous. Some of the famous artists of this time were Donatello, Michelangelo, and Verrocchio. Fine art glorified the capabilities of humans and many people became artists. The cities in Italy soon became popular attraction sites and scholars moved from Constantinople towards Rome.

During the Reformation, money became tied into the Church. The papacy became more politically based instead of spiritually based. The Church started off by charging people for indulgences. People would buy indulgences in hopes of paying their relatives into Heaven instead of Purgatory. The reason the Popes charged such larges sums of money was due to their lack of education and the fact they were underpaid.