This document provides guidance on writing a thesis statement for a DBQ comparing medieval and Renaissance views of man. It emphasizes that the thesis should be the last statement of the first paragraph, directly answer the question, address all parts of the question, and specify the groupings of body paragraphs. Sample thesis statements are provided that contrast medieval and Renaissance views by focusing on differences in views of individual free will, human nature, the importance of antiquity and learning, and the relationship between man and the Catholic Church.

1. Mirandola Practice DBQ:
Composing an “Acceptable”
Thesis
AP European History
St. Anne’s-Belfield School

2. Compare and contrast Medieval and
Renaissance views of Man.

3. Compare and contrast Medieval and
Renaissance views of Man.
Always begin by writing the question at the top of your paper,
underlining the tasks, and circling the terms.

4. Thesis Statement...
Compare and contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.

5. Thesis Statement...
Compare and contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.
-The thesis should appear as the direct, firm, and self-assured last
statement of the first paragraph

6. Thesis Statement...
Compare and contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.
-The thesis should appear as the direct, firm, and self-assured last
statement of the first paragraph
-The Thesis should provide the reader with a direct answer to the
question posed: it’s your argument!!!

7. Thesis Statement...
Compare and contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.
-The thesis should appear as the direct, firm, and self-assured last
statement of the first paragraph
-The Thesis should provide the reader with a direct answer to the
question posed: it’s your argument!!!
-The Thesis should address all parts of the question.

8. Thesis Statement...
Compare and contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.
-The thesis should appear as the direct, firm, and self-assured last
statement of the first paragraph
-The Thesis should provide the reader with a direct answer to the
question posed: it’s your argument!!!
-The Thesis should address all parts of the question.
-The Thesis should be specific through the use/mention of the
groupings of the body paragraphs. (remember, the most effective
thesis is one generated by the documents, NOT one which is
generated first and the documents tailored to fit).

9. Thesis Statement...
Compare and contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.

10. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.
Seen in historical terms, and based on the writings
of St. Augustine, Mirandola, and the work of
Michelangelo, it is apparent that medieval and
Renaissance views of man were similar while also
quite different.

11. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.

12. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.
During both the Middle Ages and Renaissance, each person’s life was
viewed as being dependent upon God and the Church, but with the
Renaissance, this view shifted from absolute control to man’s free will.

13. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.

14. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.

15. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.
Medieval scholars believed that man was innately evil, but with the
rebirth of thinking and the emphasis on the individual, Renaissance
intellectuals regarded man as good and capable of accomplishing
anything on his own.

16. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.

17. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.
The Renaissance having its deepest roots in Medieval times in
combination with a revolution in thought during the Renaissance
caused the two to have several similarities and several differences
in each period’s view of man.

18. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.

19. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.
...so it can be said, then, that the views of man stemming from
Medieval Europe and branching into that of the Renaissance are
both very alike and yet very different due to changes in society and
in the thought process over time (about the church's relationship to
people and on worth of the individual, especially).

20. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.

21. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.
Medieval and Renaissance views of Man were different because of
the developing idea of humanism and the role of the Catholic
Church. However, they were at the same time akin because of the
importance of individualism, learning and antiquity to peoples of
both eras.

22. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.

23. Thesis Statement...
Contrast Medieval and Renaissance views of Man.
Medieval and Renaissance Europe share a common perspective of
man's innate wickedness, however they diverge over man's ability
to overcome such profoundly evil roots.