Ask a Historian (Part 4)

Using Leonardo da Vinci's life as an example, which statement is true?

• Just like feudalism, in the Renaissance you could not move up in society.

• Unlike feudalism, during the Renaissance you could move up in society if you had the opportunity and skills.

• Leonardo da Vinci was born into a wealthy noble family, which was the only way to succeed during the Renaissance.

• People in the Renaissance had fewer job opportunities than in feudal times because they could only work as farmers or knights.

What do YOU think? Did Machiavelli’s ideas in The Prince encourage leaders to be ruthless and immoral in order to maintain power?

• Yes, Machiavelli’s concept of being “beast-like” and doing “immoral things” to hold onto power justifies ruthless leadership.

• No, Machiavelli wasn’t promoting immorality but was offering practical advice for maintaining stability during a time of political chaos.

• meh...I see it as a combo of both of these...as things become more unstable, the leader needs to be more ruthless

TRUE or FALSE: All new ideas that were made during the Renaissance were successfully implemented.

• TRUE

• FALSE

TRUE or FALSE: Only the wealthy people could particpate in the new styles of the Renaissance.

• TRUE

• FALSE

He didn't really explain...why do you think a sumptuary law consisted of?

• regulating extravagant spending, particularly on clothing, food, and household goods, aimed at maintaining social order and preventing the blurring of class distinctions

• forcing all citizens to donate a portion of their wealth to the government to support public projects like roads and bridges

• banning people from wearing any jewelry or brightly colored clothing to promote a simpler way of life

• requiring merchants to sell goods at the same price to both the rich and the poor to create economic equality

So...who gets to take credit for the heliocentric theory of the universe?

• Copernicus: the guy who first came up the the idea/possibility of it

• all the other people: who did the science to PROVE it

What do you think? When we learn about the Renaissance, should we only focus on the new things happening in/by Europe OR should we include what is also happening elsewhere in the world?

• Europe ONLY

• Europe MOSTLY, but also some of the rest of the world

• both Europe and the rest of the world

How much do you agree with this Claim?

Brunelleschi’s dome represents both an incredible engineering achievement and the ambitious, innovative spirit of the Renaissance.

• Completely AGREE

• Kind of AGREE

• Neutral = neither agree or disagree

• Kind of DISAGREE

• Completely DISAGREE