Let's study for Quiz #3 Questions #1 & #2

1) What were the motives of Western European powers in colonizing the Americas?

We can start with the 3-G's:  Gold, God, and Glory. The Europeans were looking for treasure and hard currency to gain wealth and status so they could participate in the Indian Ocean trade, and they found Gold and Silver in South America.  Missionaries were looking to enlarge the realm of Christianity, and they brought the word of God to spread to the indigenous peoples of the New World.  They greatly expanded their numbers and built houses of worship everywhere they went.  Later Europeans would be drawn to the New World to worship God freely and without persecution.  Glory came to the Voyagers who were the first to discover the New World and claim it and all of its riches for their Kings and Countries.  As a Spanish Conquistador was quoted as saying, "we came here to serve God and the King, and also to get rich". (Strayer 2009)

2) Discuss the roots and development of Renaissance humanism.

Renaissance humanism came about two generations after the European plague of 1348 which decimated the population of Europe.  Renaissance humanism was focused on 'This Worldly', as opposed to the 'Other Worldly' of the pre-plague time.  This was a re-birth of the classical Greek Humanism.  This was a celebration of individual freedom and expression, and an opposition to authority.  The development came about with the expansion of trade, and increased prosperity and luxury. " Pioneers of Renaissance Humanism were inspired by the discovery and spread of important classical texts from ancient Greece and Rome which offered a different vision of life and humanity than what had been common during previous centuries of Christian domination". (http://atheism.about.com/od/abouthumanism/a/renaissance.htm)