Greek Empire and the Renaissance: Shaping the New World

Other pull factors such as ideas of political, economic, and social freedom along with trade and exploration of nations hat were an inherent part of the European Renaissance lead to the questioning the Catholic Church and its powers over the people, which ultimately led to the desire for a new place to practice these freedoms. The Greek Empire reached its political peak as a result of simple trial and error. Originally, they began as a monarchy, developed into an oligarchy, and finally advanced into what is now known as the first form of democracy, or power of the people.They strongly believed that in order to be a strong, united, successful nation that there had to be an educated electorate, which eater became the central idea of what the founding fathers established this newly emerging nation on: an idea of freedom. The Greek, much like America later on, were split up into different social classes: slaves, non-slaves, men, and women. Women in Greece were not entitled to a social li fe, much less a voice in politics, bit rather picked up their social status along with everything else from their husbands. Likewise, the Roman Empire played a critical role in the discovery and foundation of the New World.The Romans were the strongest, largest Empire throughout history due to heir advancement in technology, their form of government which was even able to withstand a weak leader, and their their powerful military which enabled them to conquer many nations, expanding the empire further than any other, spanning from Turkey to England. As a result of the fall of the Roman Empire, the entirety of Europe experienced two to three-hundred years of little to no progress and religious conflict. During this time, art and culture was being lost and the only knowledge left was what survived in the monasteries; education was scarce.This period was known as the Dark Ages, also known as the Early Middle Ages, which then led to the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a rebirth of clas sical learning. Everything that was lost and forgotten during the Dark Ages was coming to light. During this time, European people gained a sense of hope and individualism rather than tradition. People began thinking for themselves for the first time in hundreds of years and began to explore art, music, drama, philosophy, and most importantly exploration of the world and questioning of the Catholic Church's authority over the people.For example, â€Å"The Roman Catholic Church taught that an individual could gain favor with God by what were called â€Å"good works†. [Martin] Luther believed that he, as a sinner, was condemned in the eyes of God and that nothing could help him. Despite doing many good works, Luther found no peace of mind†¦ Lather's main complaint against the Catholic Church was that it was supporting a system that left sinners in sin – and this was the institution that was meant to save lost souls !!†¦ In October 1517, Luther pinned his †Å"95 Theses† to a church door in Wattenberg. â€Å"(â€Å"Martin Luther. ) When our nodding fathers designed what was the foundation of our country, they brought ideas such as democracy from the Greek Empire and similar social practices such as the split classes. Likewise, practices such as religious freedom, intellect, and art, developed during the Renaissance, were influences that shaped the New World in a powerful way. During a time of desperation for freedom and a fresh start, founding fathers brought the strongest ideas from significant civilizations and time periods in European history, which essentially shaped what we know as the New World.