Was the Renaissance its own separate time in history or was it an extension of the Middle Ages, why?

The Renaissance was a historical period characterized by a return to the values of the classical era, especially with regard to art and cultural expressions. Thus, from this period there was the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Modern Age, which in itself is a separate historical period from the first.

During this period, humanity returned to the values and classical cultural expressions of Ancient Rome and Greece, as well as a much stronger link with religion, but not from a dark and occult place as in the Middle Ages, but already from a clear influence on government institutions and a central role in the vision of God as the rector of society, which only ceased after the emergence of Enlightenment and liberal ideas.

pretty sure they split up because of religious conflicts.

affirmative action refers to the policies that take gender, race, or ethnicity into account in order to promote equal opportunity.

employers subject to title vii are prohibited from taking race or sex into account in any employment decisions. aa is a penalty for having any job group substantially statistically "underutilized" in any race or either sex. the employer must take steps to eliminate the underutilization, then stop, ending its aa efforts