During the Renaissance, individualism was a noteworthy concept which emerged during the era. It stressed personality, uniqueness, genius, and full development of one's capabilities and talents. Before this idea materialized, recognition of remarkable individuals of the Dark Ages was limited strongly due to the fact that Christian humility discouraged self-absorption. However, from the Renaissance on, individualism remains as a dominating theme in Western civilization.
             The Age of Exploration exhibited individualism through the desire of men to discover lands and gain fame for not only their respective country, but also themselves. Columbus symbolized individualism and escape from Old World tyranny in his discovering of America. Sir Francis Drake brought fame to his country and himself by being the first man to circumnavigate the world. Vasco da Gama's traveling to India led to the claiming of India for Portugal. The emergence of prominent individuals during this time period was significant.
             Years later, The Glorious Revolution replaced one ruler with minimum bloodshed and helped eliminate the collectivism of the British laws. Political philosopher John Locke maintained that people set up civil governments to protect the three basic needs of life, liberty and property, and if those rights aren't fulfilled, the people would have the right to revolt. During the Enlightment, several writers and philosophers appeared and shared their views with the world. Copernicus was the first to derive a heliocentric theory. Voltaire believed in "...laws which protect the freedom of the feeble against the ambitions of the strong" and Diderot, along with other philosophers, published the Encylopedia.
             During the next era, the Romantic Movement was the new individualistic event. It was characterized by a belief in emotional liveliness, uninhibited imagination, and spontaneity in both art and personal lif
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