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Cristian Tenas

Ms. Montes

United States History

24 January 2018

Topic A: Question II

Renaissance Influence in Today’s World

The Renaissance was cultural movement which brought a great revival of classical

learnings and ideals from Ancient Greece and Rome. These ideals and teachings paved the way

for advancements in the arts, literature, sciences, economy, diplomacy, and humanism. Leading

humanists of the Renaissance, such as Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio, emphasized the secular

ideals and the prime importance and value of humans beings. Ideals of the Renaissance helped

keep the city-states of Italy whole through war and turmoil, mainly through the emphasis of

humanism. Yes, the values of the Renaissance can bring help and maintain hope for a bright,

positive future today.

A global conflict the world today faces is the turmoil in the Middle East. The war in

certain areas in the Middle East have brought havoc in areas such as Iraq and Syria. With the

spreading influence of ISIS, the people of Iraq and Syria are terrorized and denied basic human

rights on a daily bases, such as the persecution of the LGBT community along with those of

other religions. Although the Middle East is a perilous land now, I still believe there is hope for

it. The ideals of the Founding Fathers of the United States and those of the Renaissance are a

necessity in these areas.

With the war and conflict in Syria, there those in need of dire help and American

idealistic influence can suffice. Amnesty International, a London-based human rights

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organization, accused a Syrian rebel group of summary killings, denying them a full and fair

trial. Kurdish media alleged that prisoners of war from the rebel group YPG had been tortured by

the Sultan Murad Division. In 2016, the United Nations had confirmed 851 cases where child

soldiers had been used in Syria. These accounts obviously denied those affected basic liberties

and rights, such as the right to trial and the right to a child’s association with both parents. The

group Rojava can leave behind American idealistic influence if they are successful in Syria, due

to them being backed by the United States and identifying as a direct democracy. The Syrian

people deserve a safe, democratic environment, other than that of a war torn one they exhibit

now.

Humanism from the Renaissance may alleviate the tension in the Middle East by its

secular ideals. Humanist emphasized several things such as knowledge gaining and secularism.

Galileo Galilei was one of smartest and influential men of the Renaissance, but unfortunately he

was oppressed and shunned by the Catholic Church. It did not stress the importance of the

individual; it stressed the importance of God. As Catholicism was the basis of the Catholic

Church, radical and fundamentalist Islam is the basis of the terrorist organization ISIS, which

enforces Islamic ideals in its controlled areas. According to The Italian Renaissance, “The

recovery of many of Aristotle’s works in the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries...created and

intellectual ferment in scholastic circles. As secular life grew in complexity and stability and

urbanity, the laws of Justinian became the object of devoted research...This complex

society...threw up men of great intellectual stature and brilliant literary gifts.” (Plumb p.13)

Perhaps with the inclusion of secularism in the Middle East, society can change from being a

bigoted one into a diverse one, granting those that are oppressed, such as women and LGBT
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individuals, basic human rights and liberties. It can also increases the chance of knowledge

gaining and understanding rationalism.

Humanists of the Renaissance such as Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio spearheaded and

spreaded humanism, a philosophy which emphasizes human importance and secularism rather

than religion, dogma, and superstition. These humanistic ideals of the Renaissance can indeed

secure a positive future for all, but only if they are willing to. These emphasis of liberty,

freedom, tolerance, secularism, and diplomacy can help change problems the world faces today.

Works Cited

Hart, Diane. History Alive!: Pursuing American Ideals. Teachers' Curriculum Institute 2,

Inc, 2008.
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Montes, M. “Introduction to the Renaissance”. History. 1 January 2018, Ambassador

School of Global Leadership, Los Angeles, CA. School Lecture.

“Syria: Abductions, torture and summary killings at the hands of armed groups.” Amnesty

International. 5 July, 2016.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/07/syria-abductions-torture-and-summary-

killings-at-the-hands-of-armed-groups/

Plumb, J.H. The Italian Renaissance. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1987.

“ UN reports reveal shocking level of grave violations against children affected by conflict.”

United Nations News Centre. United Nations. 5 Oct, 2017.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=57823#.WmZr5ZM-fVr

Van Helden, Albert. “Galileo.” Encyclopedia Britannica,

www.britannica.com/biography/Galileo-Galilei. Accessed 12 January 2018.