Imagine that you have the opportunity to travel back through time. At what point in history would you like to stop and why? (Swarthmore)

If I could travel back in time I would definitely want to stop at the Italian Renaissance which is during the 14 century. This is because so many ideas were brought forward during this time. Artist expressed themselves, they did things that were seen as a taboo to society. Sculptors such as Michelangelo took a risk when he sculpted a nude David. During this time people were ready to risk their life. They were proud of the talent they had. The artists wanted the others to see their work. Many famous artists belong to this period such as Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. The literature such as The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli also belong to this period of time. Their work is famous and loved by many. If I could travel back in time I would want to see all these great painters and writers. I would want to talk to these famous men and find out what kind of trouble they went through in order to publish their work. Their lives in the history books don't always tell us the kind of person and the personality they had. If the opportunity was given I would want to know what kind of people these men were. Why they did what they did. Was expressing their opinion so important that they went against societies laws? These questions are few of the many that I would ask them. Also this period brought forward the idea of humanism, and how an individual is important. I would like to see the difference of how an individual sees things today, and they way an individual saw the world during the Renaissance. Because the idea of humanism was new back then, I am sure it had a different meaning to the ones living then, than to the people living now. This period brought forward so many ideas to be thankful for. Thanks to this period humans think differently and act differently.