Hello Printing Press!

The printing press was one heck of an invention! Gutenberg's contribution to the invention of this wonderful machine gave way to many of the movements and changes that occured following it. It would be hard to say if these changes would have happened without the printing press. It gave people the ability to spread information to the masses quickly. 

I am sure that no one could forsee the changes that this could bring. People realized that they would now be able to take their dependancy on the church back. Humanism began and the printing press pushed it along. Individual thought and expression began to take hold. People became more private in their religious and educational practices. The Renaissance was tied into all of this as well. Not to place blame, but it seems as though the church held so much power that people were unaware of their individualities. This is where the Reformation comes in. Martin Luther found the church to be a sanctuary of the corrupt and greedy. He created the Ninety-five Thesis which was (thanks to the printing press) reproduced and distributed. This led to a realization of what was really important in the spiritual world. Hello Reformation!

It seems to me that all of these events are related somehow. They all represent individuality and expression. These are luxuries we take for granted at times. To think, back then you might have been sentenced to death for speaking your mind.