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.
1,492
questions
3
votes
2
answers
366
views
Can someone help identify this statue?
please if anyone can give any info on a statue my aunt found in her garden (elkton oregon)
11
votes
1
answer
1k
views
When was the last US letter of marque issued?
Article I of the United States Constitution lists "grant[ing] Letters of Marque and Reprisal" as an explicit power of the Congress. Are these still being issued? If not, when was the last ...
- 221
35
votes
1
answer
6k
views
What exactly is the US national anthem?
In 1931, a congressional resolution designated that "[t]he composition consisting of the words and music known as the Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem." Unfortunately there isn't ...
- 461
1
vote
0
answers
112
views
How did US defense spending split on weapons categories in ww2?
How much of production was devoted to tanks, planes, ships, ammunition etc.? Links to published papers are very welcome, as well as sources for the other powers in the war.
I'm not interested in ...
- 21
-1
votes
1
answer
141
views
In the US, why did anti-authoritarian sentiment grow only in the 1960s?
In other words, why didn't anti-authoritarian sentiment grow after other controversies like the Civil War, or World War 1? Why so much later?
For decades, the rate of violent and property ...
user48253
-1
votes
1
answer
155
views
What was the original intent of US presidential power to pardon?
What is the original intention in granting the American president the power to pardon people for their crimes?
Gershom
1
vote
0
answers
92
views
Who was this US civil rights leader?
Back in my high school days (I'm 23 now) we learned about a lot of topics but the one that stood out to me was the period of heavy segregation, racism and important historical figures from that time ...
- 11
11
votes
3
answers
444
views
What was the first documented mention of American English different from British English?
What was the first documented account (newspaper article or book) that points out American English emerging with its pronunciation, vocabulary and distinctly different from British English?
- 314
11
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Was there a US state where video games were banned by accident?
I remember reading about some US state that banned video games up until something like the mid-seventies, not intentionally, but as collateral damage of a vaguely worded law intending to ban slot ...
- 2,595
9
votes
3
answers
1k
views
MLK used "negro" several times in his "I have a dream"-address. Could white "liberals" at the time also use "negro" as a neutral word for blacks?
According to this transcription of Martin Luther King's I have a dream-address, he used negro 15 times in his speech, as a neutral word for black people.
Did/could "leading", documented non-...
- 1,776
-5
votes
1
answer
210
views
Is it true that novel 1984 became famous under US propaganda? [closed]
I've heard from some one that novel 1984 was not a very excellent novel but under US propaganda and CIA's pressure it became famous.
And also the opposite of this happened to novel Brave New World.
...
2
votes
1
answer
178
views
What degree of relations did the different Hawaiian islands have between themselves before Kamehameha's unification?
I am trying to figure out if there were actual cultural, commercial and political links among the islands, and especially if there was an actual Hawaiian unified identity or this is constructed after ...
- 233
9
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What is the origin of Americans sometimes refering to the Second World War "the Good War"?
WWII has gone down in American popular memory as "the Good War" (later criticized by authors like Studs Terkel, etc.).
But who coined this term? I don't mean the concept, which refers to the ...
- 217
0
votes
0
answers
139
views
Can anyone tell me about this old portrait of George Washington?
I’ve searched online, and can’t seem to find this exact portrait of him. There are always differences in the ruffles, lips, nose, etc. Also, what type of print is this and roughly how old is it?
0
votes
1
answer
204
views
Why did United States choose conflict with Japan over China? [closed]
Why did United States choose conflict with Japan over China ?
Especially from 1937 (2nd Sino-Japan war) compared with 1894 (1st Sino-Japan war which basically were an conflict about influence and ...
- 547
-2
votes
1
answer
176
views
Has any U.S. Vice President not been nominated as presidential candiate although he ran as candiate? [closed]
The nomination process for US presidential candidates favors incumbents. This seems also to be true for Vice Presidents (e.g. George H. W. Bush, Gore). Have any Vice Presidents not been nominated ...
- 745
25
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Is black American history only about segregation, slavery, and the 3 people you get taught about in school?
I'm a black eighth-grader, and I'm learning about slavery and stuff. But it hit me, in all of the time I've been learning history, I have only seen my people talked about (just in the book) if the ...
- 367
4
votes
2
answers
391
views
Why were Japanese escort ships not numerous at the battle of Bismarck Sea?
During the battle of Bismarck sea, Allied units performed air attacks that resulted in the nearly destruction of Japanese fleet.
I understand the reasons why the Allies obtain such a success, namely:
...
- 5,893
2
votes
0
answers
66
views
What are some annotated sources to guide me through the Federalist Papers and other early American historical documents? [closed]
As a STEM guy I could very easily read the Federalist Papers and never understand the historical context or the significance of each paper.
Can you recommend a source (audio book, video series, or ...
- 121
1
vote
0
answers
290
views
What U.S. President said “It's fiction, stupid!”?
In the epilogue to his final book in the “Space Odyssey” saga: 3001: The Final Odyssey (1997), Arthur C. Clarke writes:
And if any readers of the earlier books feel disoriented by such
transmutations,...
- 111
1
vote
0
answers
117
views
What is a "jerry-built area" in the 1937 HOLC maps?
Established as part of the New Deal, the Home Owners' Loan Corporation offered mortgage loans to expand home buying. In the process it made a detailed grading of neighborhoods into categories A (green)...
- 151
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Where can I find what the cost of a train ticket in the USA was in 1930?
I am looking for the cost of a train ticket in the USA from like New York City to Los Angles for example in 1930. I found it on for an airplane ticket but not a train. Not sure if this Stack Exchange ...
- 131
3
votes
1
answer
195
views
What proportion of US government revenue came from taxes on slaves, between 1790 and 1846?
What proportion of US government revenue (federal,state,local) came from taxes on slaves between 1790 and 1846?
I chose 1846 as the breakpoint because of the Walker Tariff; feel free to critique that ...
- 204
2
votes
0
answers
106
views
To what extent was the US government financed by land expropriations between 1790 and 1846?
How significant was land expropriation as a source of US federal, state, and local government revenue between 1790 and 1846?
I chose 1846 as the breakpoint because of the Walker Tariff; feel free to ...
- 204
1
vote
1
answer
62
views
How can I evaluate the relative fiscal burden on different groups in the US, for various periods between 1790 and 1846?
What are some good ways to evaluate the relative burden of government finance on different groups in the US, for various periods between 1790 and 1846? I'm especially interested in state and local ...
- 204
0
votes
0
answers
98
views
How significant were government-linked enterprises as a source of revenue for the United States between 1790 and 1846?
What proportion of US government (federal,state,local) revenue came from profits or debt issuance of government-linked enterprises between 1790 and 1846?
I chose 1846 as the breakpoint because of the ...
- 204
1
vote
2
answers
278
views
Why did Al Smith win six "Dixiecrat" states, and very little else?
Al Smith was the governor of New York who ran for President against Herbert Hoover in 1928. A factor in the race was that he was also the first Catholic to run on a major party ticket (John F. Kennedy ...
- 104k
3
votes
0
answers
261
views
Did "errand boys" really have to wear handcuffs attached to the briefcase?
In a Donald Duck comic published in 1994 (possibly conceived up to a few years prior, and possibly "set" in the 1950s), Donald Duck is forced to become an errand boy. The boss gives him a ...
- 31
1
vote
1
answer
950
views
Why does the Canadian Air Force name its ranks like its Army, whilst the Australian and New Zealand Air Forces use the Royal Air Force's?
Like the US's, the Canadian Air Force's ranks are named identically to its Army's.
But Australia's and New Zealand's rank names follow the RAF's. Why?
user36377
2
votes
1
answer
179
views
When did the concept of compassion for the handicapped become commonly accepted in the USA?
From reading of 19th century literature and history -- for example, I read that it was believed by people in the time of the "Elephant Man" that deformities were caused by bad deeds of ...
- 1,740
2
votes
1
answer
259
views
What was this weapon (or its mechanism), that Iraq was accused of having in the 1990's, called?
Back in the 1990's Iraq was accused of having a missile-based weapon system that could deliver a mist of toxic gas over a large area through a two-phase explosion.
In the scenario that was painted in ...
- 296
35
votes
4
answers
4k
views
What is this symbol in a financial record from Wisconsin, USA, in 1860?
I am trying to read some records about wages in Wisconsin in 1860 (the data is from the Social Statistics schedules of the Decennial Census). I cannot read the record from Milton, Rock County, ...
- 459
1
vote
0
answers
137
views
How did the US military "put the 'go slow'" on the use of force in the Vietnam War since the Tet Offensive?
In the recent CNN News video Retired general reacts to Trump's military comments after 00:50 Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark (ret) says (my transcription from the video):
...
- 1,767
3
votes
0
answers
79
views
Why was 'France' excluded from Henry Lane Wilson's clique during the Mexican Revolution?
The book by Friedrich Katz, The secret war in Mexico, mentions that the USA minister Henry Lane Wilson organized in part the overthrow of president Madero during the first phase of the Mexican ...
- 467
-1
votes
1
answer
253
views
Why did Teddy Roosevelt have his second wedding in London? [closed]
Theodore Roosevelt married Edith Carow in 1886 at St George's, Hanover Square, London
Both of them were New Yorkers being raised at Union Square.
At the time of his marriage he was just reentering NY ...
0
votes
1
answer
222
views
Why did the Soviet Union take the risk of deploying missiles to Cuba, which precipitated the Cuban Missile Crisis? [closed]
During the Cuban Missile Crisis both sides risked further escalation into a WW3. However, under MAD, Wikipedia says:
By the time of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, both the United States
and the ...
user26470
1
vote
1
answer
311
views
What were common crew ranks on US Navy flying boats and bombers?
historians! I asked this question over on the Aviation SE, but was also suggested to ask here. Below is a copy of my question from over there.
I have been trying to figure this out for some time, but ...
- 163
8
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Why did the US Navy and Marine Corps use satanic symbolism in WW2?
When you look at certain names and symbols used by the U.S. Navy (USN) and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) during WW2, you could see they are heavily loaded with satanic symbols. You have the F6F Hellcat ...
- 11k
11
votes
1
answer
775
views
When did the White House get its current address, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
Thanks to Wikipedia's "On this day" feature, I’ve just seen this painting of the White House after it was burned by the British forces in 1812:
The background appears to be farmland, but ...
- 533
-5
votes
1
answer
255
views
Why did the USA stop expanding westwards into East Asia?
Why did the USA stop expanding westwards into East Asia? The USA initially started on the east coast of North America, and gradually expanded westwards to reach the Pacific Ocean through a combination ...
17
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Why was Reagan sworn in twice for his second term?
I was looking at Wikipedia's article on Justice Potter Stewart and was surprised to read:
On January 20 and 21, 1985, Stewart administered the oath of office for Vice President George H. W. Bush.
(...
- 761
26
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Has any U.S. Vice President cast a tie-breaking vote against their own administration?
The US Constitution says the Vice President of the United States may only vote in the Senate to break a tie.
The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have ...
- 917
7
votes
0
answers
161
views
What did a 19th century New Orleans Yellow Fever immunity passport look like?
In response to proposals for a so-called "immunity passport" system to be developed so that people who have recovered from COVID-19 can return to life as usual (without being subject to ...
- 3,510
8
votes
1
answer
914
views
What's the difference between Country Born and Mulatto people in the 18th century New England?
I have a history assignment and it's asking me to provide context of the table already provided that contains "background characteristics of New England Runaways."
To be specific, it states ...
- 83
6
votes
3
answers
1k
views
When was the last time the US had the highest GDP per capita?
I never associated the United States with the label of the richest country in the world so it greatly surprised me that according to some estimates there was a time when the U.S. had the highest ...
- 89
-2
votes
1
answer
84
views
Does the expansion of the U.S federal government after 1865 support the argument that U.S civil war itself was about states' rights? [closed]
Some people appeal to the fact that the U.S government expanded its bureaucracy after 1865 to support the argument that states' rights were the leading cause of the U.S Civil War. For example, you ...
- 125
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
To what extent is the flora and fauna on Guadalcanal edible?
At the battle of Guadalcanal,, the initial wave of 11,000 Americans were stranded with something like two weeks' worth of food (five days worth of "landed" rations, nine days worth of ...
- 104k
6
votes
1
answer
374
views
Why were the Marines so badly outnumbered at the critical point at Guadalcanal?
Prior to the battle of Guadalcanal,, the Americans had landed 11,000 men on the island in August, 1942. This compares to the 5,000 or so men that the Japanese had on the island by the first week of ...
- 104k
2
votes
1
answer
391
views
Did the people who jumped from the World Trade Center during 9/11 lose their life insurance policy due to committing suicide?
I know there is a contestability period in which the insurance company can deny a claim for suicide, and that it’s relatively short, but I’ve been wondering if anyone who jumped, was still in that ...
12
votes
3
answers
530
views
How close did the US come to removing the Electoral College in 1970?
A NY Times opinion article mentioned a failed 1970 bill that would have introduced a potential constitutional amendment removing the electoral college.
It had passed the House of Representatives, but ...
- 603