The 19th century began on January 1, 1801, and ended on December 31, 1900.
24
votes
2answers
1k views
Why did Britain not purchase Alaska when Russia had it up for sale?
One thing that comes up often when discussing "what-ifs" with family or friends is why the British government never nabbed Alaska when Russia had placed it up for sale and made it into Canada's fourth ...
21
votes
2answers
972 views
Why did the French sell Louisiana?
Why did an imperialistic country like France (at that time) sell a territory so large for so cheap? Was it an important region at the time? I heard that the port of New Orleans was particularly ...
18
votes
3answers
775 views
When and why was the samurai class abolished?
I am aware the Emperor Meiji abolished the Samurai class during the reformation. Why did he do so? How was it enforced?
17
votes
2answers
304 views
What led to the first fight in the American Civil War?
After Lincoln was elected president 11 states seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America. What circumstances surrounding this secession led to the first battle of the war, and ...
15
votes
4answers
2k views
Why did the United Kingdom industrialize first?
What factors made the United Kingdom the first to industrialize? Was it simply the importance and benefit of its position in the global community for trade?
13
votes
3answers
323 views
In what ways did the rise of a true middle class in Europe during the late 19th century become apparent?
The late 19th and early 20th centuries were very transformative for Europe with the rise of a real middle class. Typically before this the middle class was more of a bourgeoisie and not the middle ...
12
votes
3answers
2k views
Which Confederate State provided the most troops in the American Civil War?
Of all the states that elected to secede during the American Civil War, which one had the largest number of citizens who actually fought for the Confederacy? I would also be interested if anyone could ...
12
votes
1answer
133 views
How did the existence of the Alps impact the development of Switzerland?
Can anyone tell me what was the role of Alps and Alpine region in Swiss development of Switzerland?
11
votes
1answer
115 views
Why was Iceland not a part of the Danish-Swedish deal in Kiel in 1814?
In the Treaty of Kiel of 1814, Norway was essentially given from Denmark to Sweden as a "sorry we were on the other side", but Iceland was not a part of this deal at all. This is in spite of the fact ...
10
votes
1answer
5k views
When did the American War of 1812 actually end?
My daughter was recently studying this in high school, and somehow I had always assumed that it had only lasted a year. Apparently it ran on for at least a couple of years, but her textbook only ...
10
votes
2answers
266 views
Why did the Monitor and Merrimac (aka Virginia) have such radically different designs?
This is something that's always baffled me. You have one ship that appears to sit just above the water with one little canon on a turret (the Monitor) and a second that sits high and is brimming with ...
10
votes
1answer
183 views
Were there originally seats in the elevators in the Eiffel Tower?
There were seats drawn on the blue print for the tower. Today there are no seats. Were they fitted and then taken out or were they never installed at all?
10
votes
2answers
384 views
Effectiveness of Cossack cavalry
I know that some people in Europe very much admire Russian Cossack cavalry and think it is very effective. But in Russia there was a proverb that one hussar is equal to two cossacks, one dragoon is ...
10
votes
1answer
262 views
Why did Meiji consider switching from Japanese to English?
During the Meiji restoration, the Emperor sought to switch Japan's national language from Japanese to English. Why was that? Why, ultimately, was it unsuccessful?
The Role of English and Other ...
10
votes
3answers
166 views
What was the basis for valuating large territorial purchases by USA?
There were at least 2 times when USA extended its territory by purchasing it outright - Louisiana+ from French and Alaska from Russians.
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United ...
10
votes
1answer
72 views
Why did Stephen Ambrose believe that the election of Aaron Burr would have led to the end of the USA?
I'm reading Stephen E. Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage", and in pg. 50, he writes:
On December 5, 1800, Lewis was promoted to captain. That month the states selected their delegates to the Electoral ...
9
votes
3answers
245 views
Would the original readers of Lewis Carroll's books have made connections between the experiences in the books and drug use?
Modern readers of Lewis Carroll's books (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass) will undoubtedly make some connections between radical changes in perspective following the ...
9
votes
1answer
128 views
Is there evidence that working for the Pony Express was dangerous, or not dangerous?
So I was thinking about what it was like working for the Pony Express and I am wondering was it an extremely dangerous job? I'm thinking that given the success of the Pony Express it must not have ...
9
votes
1answer
100 views
Who compared giving women the vote to giving cows the vote (& in what context)?
I recall hearing (in History class) that when women were campaigning to get the vote, some (powerful?) people suggested that if women were given the right to vote, you might as well give the vote to ...
8
votes
3answers
310 views
When did aircraft carriers eclipse battleships as the “King of the seas”?
During the 19th century and into the early 20th century, battleships were the Kings of the Sea, and every naval power of note had at least one. When did they lose this title to the aircraft carrier, ...
8
votes
2answers
173 views
Were the 19th century decades referred to as 40s, 50s back then?
I was just thinking what will happen to our reference of "the 50s", "the 60s" when we get to the end of this century.
So I began wondering if this collision has already happened back when the 20th ...
8
votes
2answers
163 views
How many soldiers were present at the charge down Little Round Top?
The events of July 2, 1863 have been discussed endlessly, from Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels to the film Gettysburg. Since reading the book and seeing the film many times, I can't help but wonder ...
8
votes
2answers
137 views
Why didn't the Arab states industrialize?
Why didn't the states of the Arabian peninsula industrialize around the time that Europe and East Asia were? Was it simply a lack of accessible natural resources? Why not import coal?
8
votes
2answers
730 views
Why was old Shanghai called “Whore of the Orient”?
I've been doing research on Old Shanghai, during the 19th Century and early 20th Century. I know all about the Opium Wars and the Opium trade and their effect on the country. But I'm still not sure ...
8
votes
1answer
242 views
What were Hispanic people called in the US in the 1800s?
Today in the US, people from Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas are called by various names: Hispanic, Latino, Chicano, etc. What was the term used by Americans for such people in the 1800s?
...
8
votes
2answers
178 views
Ethnic Germans in Russian service in Poland
General Brusilov wrote in his memoirs that a few years before the war he was serving in a high military position in Russian-controlled Poland and that he was appalled by the fact that all Russian high ...
7
votes
3answers
409 views
Why did the Protestants in Ireland in the 1800s not want Home Rule?
I know there was conflict between Protestants and Roman Catholic nationalists due to their difference of opinion on Home Rule, but why would the protestants in Ulster and conservative party want to ...
7
votes
2answers
186 views
Why did Robert E. Lee stop offensive maneuvers?
According to the Wikipedia article on the Battle of Gettysburg, after that battle Robert E. Lee stopped making offensive maneuvers and rather started reacting to Union offensives. Is this 100% true, ...
7
votes
2answers
166 views
Supplies for army of Napoleon
How was such a great army, like the army of Napoleon on its way to Moscow, supplied with food and other needed things? Were they transporting it from France or maybe stealing from territory on their ...
7
votes
1answer
102 views
Why did the states that were born out of the Louisiana purchase adopt a common law system, and not a civil law system?
The French system of laws is a civil law system that is based upon the Napoleonic Code, and further back the Justinian Code. The legal system in Louisiana is now bijuridicial retaining some of the ...
7
votes
2answers
145 views
What was the significance of the Schleswig-Holstein question in the 19th century?
As the title states, what was the specific significance of the Schleswig-Holstein question (Denmark and Prussia arguing over contested lands bordering the two nations) as it directly relates to German ...
6
votes
3answers
354 views
Why so many Italians immigrated to Argentina?
On 13th of March, 2013, archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became new pope of Catholic Church. He was born and raised in Argentina with Italian origins.
There are more than 24 ...
6
votes
1answer
107 views
What did the sympathies lie of the US Navy around the time of the American Civil War?
Around the time of the American Civil War the land military (that is the Army) had its sympathies on the cause of the Confederacy, in my opinion, due to the make up of the military officers of the ...
6
votes
1answer
201 views
What were the Government Press Prosecutions of 1858 and why did they occur?
In the second chapter of On Liberty, John Stuart Mill mentions in a note the "Government Press Prosecutions of 1858". He further writes that "The offence charged was not that of criticising ...
6
votes
1answer
114 views
Did American Indians disrupt railroads in their regions?
In the Old West, many railroads went through Indian-occupied areas. Are there any documented instances of the Indians ever sabotaging the railroads? Please provide dates and circumstances where ...
6
votes
1answer
168 views
Why was cricket's popularity in USA a casualty of Civil War?
"Cricket was by far the biggest sport [in the USA] in this period," Tim Lockley, an expert in American history at Warwick University, told the Guardian in 1999. "Then the civil war started in 1861, ...
6
votes
1answer
100 views
Did the US gov't pay the Cherokee for their lands in Georgia?
According to the Treaty of New Echota, ratified by the US Senate in 1836, the US government was supposed to pay the Cherokee Nation $5 million for their lands in and around Georgia. In exchange, the ...
6
votes
1answer
94 views
During the American Civil War, could you send mail to someone across the border?
Before the Civil War, there was mail service between all the different states. During the war, could you still send a letter from, say New York to Georgia, or did the post office shut down services ...
6
votes
1answer
246 views
After the Civil War, which states had the most problems with rejoining the Union?
Once the American Civil war ended, did some states encounter more difficulty than others when it came to rejoining the Union? What circumstances or conditions might have contributed to their issues?
6
votes
1answer
125 views
Why did Austria cede Venetia at the end of the Third Italian War of Independence?
Looking at the wikipedia articles, they seemed to be winning (the Battle of Custoza and the naval battle of Lissa), and the war against Prussia was already finished. So why did it still cede Venetia ...
6
votes
1answer
77 views
Did most pants in the late 1800s have plackets at the ankle?
Recently, while at the New York Public Library, I spotted this painting:
In it, Charles Astor Bristed is, in his youth, sporting pantaloons that appear to have a placket from ankle to knee.
Did ...
6
votes
1answer
145 views
Did the Ottoman Empire lose some control over Egypt during the Crimean War?
What were the effects of the Crimean War on the relationship between the British and Ottoman empires? Did they lose partial control over Egypt?
5
votes
2answers
367 views
Why did Russia give up its claims to the Oregon Country?
Originally, everyone in the area claimed the Oregon Country: the British, Americans, Spanish, and Russians. Why did Russia give up its claim to the region? What did they get in return?
5
votes
3answers
186 views
How compare the rights and conditions of the American slaves to those of Russian serfs?
How compare the rights and conditions of the 19-th century American slaves to those of the 19-th century Russian serfs?
5
votes
2answers
140 views
Did non-Indians go into Indian Territory (now Oklahoma)?
From 1854 to 1907 there was a territory reserved for American Indians (aptly named "Indian Territory") in what is now the state of Oklahoma.
How exclusive was this territory? Did non-Indians go ...
5
votes
1answer
105 views
Did Native Americans sabotage telegraph lines running through their territory?
In the 1800s in the Western US, there were a number of telegraph lines running through territory mostly inhabited by Indians. Did they ever sabotage the lines?
5
votes
1answer
161 views
Were there opium dens in Russia during the 19th century?
The title says it all. I've tried searching information on opium use in Europe, but I can't find any source that says whether or not opium dens were ever prominent in Russia specifically.
5
votes
1answer
99 views
Upper-class male cohabitation in mid-19th century USA
James Buchanan is often considered to be the first (and only so far?) gay American president. The major piece of evidence for this (at least according to wikipedia and some popular articles on this ...
5
votes
0answers
78 views
How much of a role did Sakamoto Ryoma play in overthrowing the Shogunate?
Sakamoto Ryoma is often portrayed in the Japanese media for his role in attempting to overthrow the shogunate during the Bakumatsu period. Since he was assassinated when he was still very young, the ...
5
votes
0answers
54 views
What made William Pitt beleive that it was in England's “interest of England to govern Ireland” when Ireland and England were unified? [closed]
William Pitt, the Prime Minister of Britain when the Union of Ireland and England was formed in 1801, said that it was in the "interest of England to govern Ireland". In what aspect of Ireland and its ...
