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 incentives are in place for American soldiers to go fight in Iraq?
I am from Brazil, a country that has not fought any war since WW2. If you join the army, go fight in Iraq and then return, what will the USA pay you? Is there a health plan for life, a pension, or ...
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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 ...
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Founding Fathers and the American Civil War
I was reading an article and was wondering if there is anything out there to indicate that the Founding Fathers saw the potential for conflict regarding these specific points:
Economic and ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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What is the significance of "Flappers" in American history?
The Flapper image of the 1920's American history of cosmetics seems to transform the cultural image of the feminine. However, I cannot piece together exactly how this change came about. I read about ...
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Why did baseball become more popular than cricket in the USA?
Recently I started reading a very interesting comic about high school baseball. I found that baseball shares so many similarities with cricket. So I tried to look for some information regarding the ...
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How did people react to Cavendish bananas when they first replaced the Gros Michel strain?
I was reading that the bananas we eat today (Cavendish) weren't particularly popular until the 50s, when the more popular Gros Michel variety was virtually wiped out by a nasty disease. Apparently ...
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Can someone help explain this floor plan of a mid 20th century apartment? [closed]
I was watching 12 Angry Men, which was made in 1957; and they show this floor plan of an apartment:
My main question is, what's the opening in the wall between the hallway and the main room? It ...
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Has the United States ever been formally condemned by the United Nations?
Presumably, due to its veto power, the United States has never been condemned by the UN Security Council, but has it has it ever been formally condemned by another UN governing body, like the General ...
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If Bill Clinton was impeached, why did he finish his second term?
I don't understand how he could have been impeached but did not have to leave office.
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How did New York become the financial hub of America?
Why did New York become the financial hub of America, rather than one of the other big cities?
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What courses would have been required to get a B.A. in America in the 1930s?
I know in the early 20th century the liberal arts curriculum was focused much more on the classics, but am interested in knowing specifically what courses were required to graduate during the Great ...
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What is the historicity of the film "Revolution.com - USA: The Conquest of the East"? [closed]
This is a Russian version of a French film from mid-2000s "Revolution.com"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3QxDgft148
French version with Spanish subtitles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...
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Has there ever been a serious effort to reform the US Electoral College system?
There seems to be widespread feeling that the US Electoral College distorts the will of the people in presidential elections. Of course, that ability was part of the reason that our founding fathers ...
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What were the reasons for making Prohibition a constitutional amendment?
What were the reasons that the Prohibition in the United States was passed as a constitutional amendment, rather than a normal federal law, or a set of state laws?
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Since the inception of the United States, has the term "America" ever referred to something more than simply "the United States"?
Today we use the terms America and the United States as synonyms. The official name of the country is The United States of America. But prompted by a question on another forum, wherein an author ...
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Symbol on utility pole in photograph from 1906
I happened to notice this symbol:
on a utility pole in a photograph from 1906.
What's the meaning of that symbol?
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Does US law permit spending taxpayers' money to support foreign political parties? [closed]
Here is a video, showing a number of Russian opposition activists visiting U.S. embassy before Russian presidential elections:
http://www.youtube.com/v/yf3LjntNX20?version=3&feature=...
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Who was the last US president who did not start a war?
Who was the last US president who did not start a war?
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Was the Zimmerman Telegram a ruse on the US or a way of Germany to incite Mexico to declare war on the US?
Prior to America's entry into WWI the Zimmerman Telegram was one incident that helped push America to declare war against Germany and join the Allies.
While Mexico never fought against the US, so was ...
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When the United States Congress passes an amendment, how are its votes counted?
For a constitutional amendment to pass in the United States Congress, must the two-thirds vote include those present only (i.e., abstentions count against) or those present and voting (i.e., ...
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What is the definitive biography of James Madison?
I'm in the early stages of a project whereby I want to read a biography of each US President. Can you point me towards the best such biography on James Madison? I'd like something that covers his ...
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How beneficial were war bonds to the US during WWII
I've been watching classic cartoon shorts from Disney and Warner Brothers. So many devoted time to encouraging Americans to buy war bonds.
Did money collected from war bonds amount to a significant ...
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Did JFK win the presidential election by fraud? [closed]
Based on sources such as Chicago Tribune, Encyclopedia Britannica, Slate Magazine and many other books, it is said that JFK's father played a significant part in making him president. In the book, "If ...
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Were there any political checks on the U.S. executive during their covert support of the military junta of Pinochet?
U.S. secretary of state Kissinger- with the support of the executive- actively supported the overthrow of Chilean president Allende in favor of the military dictatorship of Pinochet. After the fact, ...
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Why did Ford pardon Nixon?
Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon for the crimes he committed during his presidency was quite an unpopular and controversial move. Why did he make this decision?
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Why did the USA stay out of the League of Nations?
Woodrow Wilson, who was President of the USA at the time of the League's creation, was the person who pushed for the inclusion of the League in the Treaty of Versailles in the first place. Why is it ...
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Why did the United States not seriously develop Anti Aircraft Missiles?
During the Cold War, the United States did not seem to actively develop anti-aircraft missiles
(I know that Wikipedia is not an exhaustive source for lists, but just as a rough estimate, they list ...
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What institutional precursors enabled labor unions to emerge in the United States?
What institutions and organizations existed in the United States before the structured and recognizable labor unions formed as a visible sign of organizations to come? How did these predecessor ...
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When and how did the idea of a "class-less" society originate in the United States?
The United States is often referred to as a "class-less" society where anyone can rise to any height. Leaving aside whether this is actually the case or not, when and how did this idea originate? Was ...
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Why was the number of U.S. Representatives limited?
According to this Wikipedia article, the number of Representatives was limited to 435 in 1911 (bumped to 437 when Alaska and Hawaii were admitted and then bumped back to 435 four years later).
How (...
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What was the American policy on colonisation and why?
What was the official policy of the USA on colonisation? How well did America follow it officially and non-officially? What were the reasons behind it?
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Was it worthwhile for Britain to side with the USA in the Canada-Alaska border dispute?
In 1903 the Canada-Alaska border dispute was decided by a tribunal of 3 American members, 2 Canadian members, and 1 British member. The British member sided with the Americans with the stated goal of ...
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Is the Cold War still going on? [closed]
Do any historians consider the Cold War, or Cold War II, to be going on?
I'm asking because some features of the Cold War still exist, such as an antagonism between Russia and the Western world, and ...
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Why did the Federalist Party collapse?
The Federalist Party in the United States was a significant political force during the early years of the United States' history. Wikipedia doesn't really cite reasons why the party declined and ...
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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 ...
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Did the USA win the counter insurgency war in the Vietnam war?
What happened in the aftermath of the Tet offensive to the Viet Cong? Was it actually broken or did it just incorporate into the North Viet Nam army?
Edit: I am fully aware that the USA lost the ...
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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 ...
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Why did Hitler declare war on the USA?
Since there had not been any offensives launched by either side against the other, why declare war just because Japan had attacked the USA?
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Did President Kennedy really cut 100,000 government jobs during his presidency?
In Michel Crozier's book, La crise de l'intelligence, he states that during John F. Kennedy's presidency about 100,000 government jobs were terminated.
Is this figure accurate?
Where can I find any ...
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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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