The 19th century began on January 1, 1801, and ended on December 31, 1900.
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Could the anti-Napoleonic forces have done better by uniting earlier before Waterloo?
During the Waterloo campaign, there were TWO Allied armies facing Napoleon, one under England's Wellington, and one under Prussia's Blucher. Napoleon first defeated Blucher at Ligny, then turned on ...
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1answer
170 views
The British and the French built the Suez Canal?
How is it that British officials and French engineers were responsible for the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869? This was before Egypt became a protectorate of the British Empire in 1914.
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99 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 ...
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0answers
20 views
Were there more robberies of “commercial” or “personal” nature in 19th century in USA?
Is there any statistics showing which trips on highways were statistically safer from being robbed in 19th century USA?
the "commercial" ones (e.g. banks or government moving money) which offered ...
3
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2answers
64 views
Was Brown v Board of Education the only major decision that changed educational choice in America?
Brown v Board of Education was the landmark Supreme Court case in America that was supposed to allow more educational choice for all Americans, basically stopping segregational policies and on a legal ...
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2answers
170 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 ...
3
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2answers
164 views
Recommended Reading 19th Century US Settler Daily Life?
At the time of this writing, I am riding in the comfort of an air conditioned minivan, traveling through the deserts of Arizona and California along I-10. I began to think about 19th century settlers ...
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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 ...
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2answers
157 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 ...
24
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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
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2answers
959 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 ...
7
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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, ...
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1answer
180 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?
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1answer
199 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 ...
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1answer
44 views
Were labor shortages ever a problem for the railroads in the Old West?
Many different rail lines were build in the western United States from the 1850s onwards. Was construction ever delayed/canceled due to difficulty in finding workers, or due to workers leaving 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 ...
9
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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 ...
5
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2answers
138 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 ...
4
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1answer
103 views
Where were the Mormons going?
From what I've heard, when the Mormons left Illinois in 1846 they hadn't decided where exactly they were going to settle. Did they have some choices they were looking at? Did they have a route they ...
5
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1answer
103 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?
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1answer
228 views
Where did the railroad companies find workers to build the rails?
In the building of the various transcontinental railroads in the western US during the late 1800s, how did the railroad companies find workers?
I suppose I'm looking for an answer like "They paid a ...
7
votes
3answers
404 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 ...
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1answer
86 views
Did Johnny Appleseed actually exist? [closed]
According to Wikipedia, his real name was John Chapman. Is this true?
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1answer
158 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.
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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 ...
4
votes
1answer
372 views
Sources for letters written during the Boer Wars
For a project at my school i need to make a 'letter home' of a canadian soldier that participated in the second boer war. I need to draw from primary sources and im not having luck finding any. so ...
5
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0answers
53 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 ...
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2answers
148 views
Prevalence of Torture
How prevalent was torture by the regular police force and the army in 19th and early 20th century in the US and Western Europe? When it was practiced, are there documented instances of it being ...
10
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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 ...
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1answer
180 views
What precipitated the Meiji restoration?
What other factors, apart from Commander Perry arriving at Edo, precipitated the Meiji restoration?
7
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2answers
144 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 ...
