Questions tagged [united-states]
The United States of America is a sovereign state stretching across North America between Canada and Mexico, Alaska in the continent's northwest, the mid-Pacific archipelago of Hawaii and several territories in the Pacific & Caribbean. Founded by European émigrés rebelling from British control in the 1700s, the US spread across the continent by conquest and land-purchase to become the most powerful country on the planet after the Cold War in the 1900s.
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What made Washington DC "dominate" politics in the USA?
Through history what role did Washington, DC play to become important and influence the US political system, and did it change its influence with time?
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Is one of the causes behind the cultural atmosphere surrounding the Scopes trial, and the concepts about family, "children are the future"? [closed]
To start, I noticed that during the peak of the American eugenics movement (1920-1929) that anti-evolutionary bills and eugenical bills were being passed in the same 37 states (well, just about), ...
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Why did the the US House of Representatives stop reading George Washington's farewell address on his birthday?
In January 1862, during the American Civil War, thousands of Philadelphia residents signed a petition requesting the Congress to commemorate the 130th anniversary of Washington's birth by reading his ...
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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, ...
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Has the US Congress's power to declare war been rendered superfluous by recent conflicts?
After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the Congress of the United States formally declared war on Japan. After Germany declared war on the United States, the Congress then formally declared war on ...
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Underground Tunnels in New York City and Boston
Where are the underground tunnels built by masons in New York City and Boston in 1760's~1780's? Do they exist till our present day?
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Who invented and marketed the first "clip on" headphones?
Headphone style terminology seems dodgy at best, but I'm trying to determine what company first sold this style of headphone in the US:
I've seen them variously described as "on the ear," &...
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After the American 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?
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What factors contributed to the U.S economy flourishing during the early cold war period?
Wars, cold or otherwise, are bad for economies, right? So why did the American economy flourish during the early Cold War period (shortly after World War II)?
I think there are several positive ...
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Did the Founding Fathers of the USA really make a distinction between a Republic and a Democracy (and despised the latter)?
I've come across this video that makes a distinction between a Democracy (rule of majority) vs Republic (rule of law). It contests that a Republic is a state that is designed to protect the rights of ...
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When was the last time (if ever) an elector was faithless in US presidential elections?
With regards to the ongoing US presidential elections, I just read this on electoral-vote.com:
Could There Be Faithless Electors?
Presidential electors are supposed to vote for the person who got the
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Why did the US getting involved in the European theater in WW2?
From this question: World War II - Have Historians Envisioned How The Axis Powers Might Have Won? I understand that it is unlikely that Germany with its allies could have won WW2 even if they had ...
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Has the accounting services industry ever been disrupted in the U.S.?
What is the most-radical example of a disrupting service / model in the accounting business services industry?
What I mean by disrupted is that someone has at some point taken such a radically ...
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Natural born citizen
From what I understand, the so-called "birther movement" in the US asserts that Barack Obama is not eligible to be president of the USA because he allegedly wasn't born in the US and therefore is not ...
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Which battle enabled Andrew Jackson to become the President of USA?
Which significant battle enabled Andrew Jackson to become the President of the USA? Considering his leadership and contribution to this war he was catapulted to the White House.
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Where the did the concept of "smear campaigns" originate?
In the US political system there have been campaigns against and for certain candidates, and this goes back to the first Presidential Elections, where both sides used to have editors of newspapers ...
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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 all ...
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Was the US Navy larger in 1917, and if so, why?
Following the recent discussion in the third US Presidential Debate on Oct. 22, 2012 about the size of the Navy, there actually seemed to be a good discussion buried in there, primarily in this quote ...
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In the United States government, has there been cases that electoral colleges don't vote for the candidate the majority of their state voted for?
Has there ever been a case where electoral colleges vote for someone the people didn't vote for during an election for president of the United States?
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Who turned the (originally) "anti-slavery" GOP into the "pro-business" party?
It is my understanding that the Republican Party arose from the anti-slavery movement, and, more specifically, as a reaction against the 1854 repeal of the Missouri Compromise.
And yet, pretty early ...
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Any precedents of U.S. presidents having served in other government roles after the ends of their terms?
Are there any precedents for U.S. presidents having served in other official government roles after the ends of their terms. Conceivably they could become ambassadors or Supreme Court judges, for ...
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Were the (early 17th C) arrivers/colonists to North America (USA) outcasts from European societies?
I have heard that early pilgrims for 'the new world' (North America / USA) left because they were indigent and had no support in their homelands. I have also heard that some were criminals or ...
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Did liberalism in the USA degenerate into something more totalitarian than liberal? [closed]
I'm not US resident, so that's a real question rather than pre-election discussion.
Where I live liberalism never seriously changed meaning in public debate (yet) - it is still more or less faithul ...
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Evolution of the names of slaves
I'm curious to know how the names of African slaves in the US changed from that of traditional names used by their tribes eventually to their modern, (mostly Christian) names. In other words, how did ...
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How significant was the US military role during the NATO campaign in Libya?
The NATO campaign in Libya was started by the UK and France, and the US was later also involved. How significant and vital was the US assistance in this campaign?
Edit: I am primarily interested in ...
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What is the single longest Presidential Campaign run in the United States?
Looking back to 2008 it looks like Mitt Romney has been running for President ever since he was in the 2008 Republican primaries where he lost to John McCain. Considering a short stoppage while ...
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The Great Compromise, is there analysis on the outcome?
I'm doing a research about the Great Compromise and how it originated from the Virginia and the New Jersey Plan. Has there been any analysis on which side got the better part of the compromise. (The ...
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Can Bill Clinton run for president of France?
Bill Clinton says in an interview (Bill Clinton on running for political office again) :
Because I was born in Arkansas, which is part of Louisiana Purchase, any person anywhere in the world that ...
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What involvement did Jonathan Edwards have with the Conspiracy of 1741?
According to this article:
Rev. Jonathan Edwards delivered the hellfire and brimstone "spider" sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" in Enfield, Connecticut on July 8, 1741. This topical ...
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Is the Terrorist Exclusion List (TEL) still used for anything?
Section 411 of the USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001 (8 U.S.C. § 1182) authorized the Secretary of State, in consultation with or upon the request of the Attorney General, to designate terrorist organizations ...
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What was the average US unemployment rate for Democrat and Republican presidents?
Starting with the end of World War 1, what was the average unemployment rate for each United States President? Was the overall average different for Republican and Democratic presidents, and if so, by ...
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Did Ted Kennedy turn to the Soviet Union for help winning an election?
Reading an interesting article in Forbes, I was dumbfounded by the idea that Ted Kennedy might have sought out Yuri Andropov's help to run for president against Ronald Reagan in 1984. A relevant ...
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How have changes in taxation affected philanthropy in the US?
Every so often, I see a newspaper article which states that the wealthiest people in my country make less substantial contributions to philanthropy (relative to their wealth) than do their American ...
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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 ...
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How much has U.S. currency inflated since 1792?
How much has U.S. currency inflated since the Coinage Act of 1792 established the U.S. Mint? Adjusting for inflation, what amount of modern currency would have the same buying power as a 1792 dollar?
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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 ...
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Why is the USA the world's strongest country? [closed]
The USA has been the world's strongest country for a long time now.
Even after the rise of China as one of the dominant economies in the world, the USA is still the world's top economy.
Does the USA ...
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How did the US "Greek" fraternity system at universities arise and what is its relationship with ancient Greece?
How did the American college fraternity and sorority system come to incorporate ancient Greek names and motifs? Was this a 19th century phenomenon?
Any color on the following would also be appreciated....
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Why Americans like to enroll in military services despite huge risks involved? [closed]
Working in US military is one of the riskiest jobs in America because of the regular engagement in battles compared to other military in the world.
I live in a third-world country. Even in my country,...
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First US police officer killed in the line of duty
Who was the first US police officer killed in the line of duty? When and where did it take place? By US police officer, I mean any active-duty police officer working for any force in the US post-...
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What was President Jimmy Carter's role in the Iranian Revolution?
Iran was a friend to the USA until Carter traveled to Iran and immediately afterwards Iran faced revolution. Khomeini went to Iran from France.
On November 4, 1979, an angry mob of young Islamic ...
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Early attempts to abolish slavery in USA
Were there any early attempts or debates to abolish slavery in the USA, before Lincoln?
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Did the Olympics make the Star Spangled Banner the US national anthem?
A long, long time ago, I remember watching a TV miniseries about the first Olympics of the modern era in 1896.
One of the amusing substories I remember involved the USA's National Anthem and the ...
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When was federal sovereign immunity in the U.S. established?
Lawsuits against the federal government can be dismissed under the doctrine of sovereign immunity. For example, Al Haramain Islamic Foundation v. Obama was recently dismissed (Appeals court dismisses ...
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Chronology of Political Party Alignment with "Left" and "Right"
I once heard it said that U.S. political parties (Republicans and Democrats) have both spent the last century becoming increasingly liberal, such that 21st century Republicans now hold the same left-...
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Did Jefferson really say this quote about patriotism?
Who said this quote?
Patriotism is not a short frenzied burst of emotion, but the long and steady dedication of a lifetime.
I've seen some sources claiming it was Thomas Jefferson and others ...
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President proposes bills: provenance
The President of the United States sends proposed bills to members of Congress, that they may introduce the bills on his behalf. There's no provision for this in the Constitution (AFAICT).
What was ...
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Why hasn't Russia maintained significant numbers of aircraft carriers?
The United States has 11 aircraft carriers in total. Russia has only one. This is reflective of the past, in which we saw that the USSR also didn't put much importance on constructing aircraft ...
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Why did Spain not participate in World War I?
Spain was losing influence in America for the previous 100 years, and there was a recent Spanish-American war. So how could have Spain remained neutral?
Why could Spain not find a place in the ...
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Why did the United States enter World War I?
The topic of World War I came up last night with a few strangers, at a bar, of course. One seemingly knowledgeable gentleman, who happened to have Howard Zinn's A Peoples' History of the United States ...
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