Is exploration a 'good' thing?

The Renaissance was a period of great exploration that continues to affect the world we live in. Art was flourishing as humans looked inward and developed more knowledge and wisdom than they possessed before. Also during this new enlightenment Europeans explored the boundaries of the map. Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage to the new world. New trade routes were established. Ideas as well as knowledge flowed across the globe. Exploration into human knowledge and the globe was good for Europe.

In Italy the Medici family was one of the most powerful in all of Florence. They were the strongest during the fourteen and fifteen hundreds. They played a major part in the creation of the Renaissance in Europe. In Florence Lorenzo controlled the area after the death of his father. “He had the greatest love and admiration for all who excelled in any art and was a great patron of learning and of literary men” (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/machiavelli-histflo-lorenzo.html). Lorenzo was extremely powerful and influential in Florence. He controlled the Medici family bank which was the largest banking system in Europe. “Lorenzo took the greatest delight in architecture, music and poetry; and many of his own poetic compositions, enriched with commentaries, appeared in print. And for the purpose of enabling the Florentine youths to devote themselves to the study of letters, he established a university in the city of Pisa, where he employed the most eminent men of all Italy as professors” (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/machiavelli-histflo-lorenzo.html).
Lorenzo also established the first school for artists. He was always on the lookout your young talent. The family was so powerful that the Pope used the Medici Banks for the Church’s use. The explorations into many fields of knowledge were invaluable during this new enlightenment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Medici#Legacy). The family would sponsor some of the greatest artist of all time with their vast wealth.

The family encouraged art and architecture in Europe. The Renaissance art was much different than any art created before. Although a lot of art was religious some was more imaginative. The new ideas introduced during this time included perspective and realism. Also the Medici family was patrons for scientist like Galileo who would change the way the world thinks. Galileo like the Medici family so much that he even named some of the moons of Jupiter after the Medici children. The art that was created looked into the human person to create a more lifelike representation of anatomy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Medici#Legacy). This exploration would influence artists far into the future.

Along with inward exploration of science and creativity, Europeans began to explore the blank edges of the map. Christopher Columbus was an Italian Navigator born in 1451. He would show the rest of Europe that there was land to the West across the wide ocean. He made a total of 4 trips over to the New world. He was funded by Queen Isabella I of Castile. With her wealth he began Colonization of Spanish. Columbus's ship log records when land was first spotted. It says, "As the Pinta was the swiftest sailer and kept ahead of the Admiral, she discovered land and made the signals ordered by the Admiral. The land was first seen by a sailor called Rodrigo de Triana, although the Admiral at ten o'clock that evening, being on the castle of the poop, saw a light, but so small a body that he could not affirm it to be land" (http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/ca/books/bke1/sources/bke1_template.jsp?name=columbusc&bk=bke1&state=ca). Later many more Europeans would follow in his footprints and make their own colonies. He first reach the America’s in 1492. This was greatly needed for Europeans who needed more trade routes. Columbus allowed the Spanish to take control of the first spice trade routes. These trade routes generated a large amount of money for Europe. Columbus wasn’t the first one in America because Native Americans were already present .The colonies helped Europe harvest raw materials to send back (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus#Legacy). Columbus was famous for opening up America for Europe and contributing to Europe’s knowledge about the size of the world.

In Europe exploration was extremely helpful. It opened new trade routes and establishes European colonies around the world. Christopher Columbus colonized the New World for Spain and increased Europe’s supply of natural resources. Exploration into the human person was also valuable and created a renaissance in Europe. This enlightenment changed how all of Europe thought and influenced disciplines like art, science, and math. Europe would not have grown to the supper power that it became without exploration.

Sources:

"Christopher Columbus." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 06 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus.

"Christopher Columbus's Log—Ship's Log." Education Place®. Web. 06 May 2010. http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/ca/books/bke1/sources/bke1_template.jsp?name=columbusc&bk=bke1&state=ca.

"House of Medici." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 06 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Medici#Legacy.

"Medieval Sourcebook: Niccolò Machiavelli: History of Florence: Lorence De' Medici." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 06 May 2010. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/machiavelli-histflo-lorenzo.html.

"Renaissance." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 05 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance.

Picture Sources:

"File:1893 Nina Pinta Santa Maria Replicas.jpg." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 06 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1893_Nina_Pinta_Santa_Maria_replicas.jpg.

"File:Gozzoli Magi.jpg." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 06 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gozzoli_magi.jpg.