95
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Was murdering a slave illegal in American slavery, and if so, what punishments were given for it?
Yes, murder of a slave was illegal in the antebellum South, and it was a capital offence.
An example is the case of John Hoover of North Carolina. He was arrested on 28 March 1839 for the murder of ...
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74
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Why didn't line infantry tactics try to keep up a constant volley of fire?
That's actually exactly what they did. In the early 17th century, Maurice of Orange reformed the Dutch army and drilled them to use volley fire. This involved the first rank (i.e. the first row of the ...
- 97.6k
58
votes
What would have been the typical drinks for a US farmer in the late 18th/early 19th century?
The time period of interest is entirely prior to the rise of the railways, and even to the construction of such infrastructure as the Erie Canal (completed 1825). Thus anything regarded as a typical ...
- 72.5k
56
votes
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Why did Peter the Great name Saint Petersburg, Russia with a foreign styled name?
The whole point of the reign of Peter the Great was to "modernize" (westernize) Russia. Per the wikipedia article,
"Peter implemented sweeping reforms aimed at modernizing Russia.[10] Heavily ...
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55
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How likely it is that a nobleman of the eighteenth century would give written instructions to his maids?
I think the answer to the headline question is "not very, which is why everyone thought Cavendish was a bit weird" :-)
But focusing on the detailed question - from his entry in the revised ...
- 9,102
37
votes
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Could George I (of Great Britain) speak English?
Yes, George I was indeed able to speak English. Not particularly well, mind you, but also not nearly as incapably as popular history portrays. In fact, he even opened his first Parliament in English:
...
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36
votes
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What was the criminal charge of "pretending sodomy" in 1719 England?
"Pretending sodomy" here is just that: claiming that 'sodomitic practices' have taken place, with the accuser starting or 'pretending to start'/feigning to begin such an act.
This means that ...
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35
votes
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Did Catherine the Great really call for the abolition of serfdom?
This answer is based on the assumption that the OP is referring to the HBO miniseries Catherine the Great and, more specifically, the following segment of the script:
[Catherine:] But in these more ...
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35
votes
Was it possible for a message from Paris to reach London within 48 hours in 1782?
The French Postal Service started operation in the fifteenth century and by 1632 - 150 years before your inquiry - there was already a network of over 623 coaching inns operated by it across the ...
- 72.5k
30
votes
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When did F become S in typeography, and why?
There's a typographical distinction between an actual f and the ſ you're referring to in the text. See for instance the difference between 'magiſtrats' and 'behalf' in the second paragraph.
The 'ſ' ...
29
votes
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Where did John Adams write of the night he shared a bed and an argument with Benjamin Franklin? Did Franklin write of it as well?
John Adams recorded this event in detail in his diary under "Monday, September 9":
The taverns were so full we could with difficulty obtain entertainment. At Brunswick, but one bed could be ...
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27
votes
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Origin of scientific racism?
There's no universally recognised "father of scientific racism", though a number of names could be suggested.
One example is the French noble Arthur de Gobineau, best remembered today for pioneering ...
- 97.6k
26
votes
Was murdering a slave illegal in American slavery, and if so, what punishments were given for it?
As sempaiscuba has said, it was illegal to kill a slave in the slave-holding states of the United States. Premeditated murder of a slave has always been illegal in the slave-holding states.
However, ...
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25
votes
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What is the London Enemies List 1775?
The London Enemies List seems to have been a list of 59 men who were considered to be a danger to the crown. I found a couple of sources that suggest the list was drawn up by London Tories, but these ...
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25
votes
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Was there a way for ships to disengage from boarding actions?
Before considering how to disengage from a boarding action, I think you have to consider the difficulties and risks of bringing about a boarding action in the first place.
To evade a boarding attempt ...
- 19.8k
24
votes
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Hiring professionals to transcribe historical documents
The short answer is yes.
The detail will depend on where in the world you are based. In the UK, for example, we have the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives. Their website ...
- 77.2k
22
votes
Accepted
What is a "Johnsonian world of clubs and coffee houses" in the context of 18th century England?
Yes it's Samuel Johnson. There is an idealized view that 18th century London coffee-houses were full of great men exchanging dazzling repartee on the popular matters of the day. These meetings led to ...
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22
votes
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How was the linen weaving trade learnt in 18th century Scotland?
Weaving generally had been a fairly common occupation during the medieval period in Scotland. The skills were taught to apprentices, who may or may not have been related to the master weaver. This ...
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20
votes
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How many British navy officers were from lower classes at the end of 18th century?
In his book "A Social History of the Navy 1793-1815", Michael Lewis gives the following breakdown of the background of Navy officers based on their parents' social status.
Social Status of R.N. ...
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20
votes
Why didn't line infantry tactics try to keep up a constant volley of fire?
That's roughly what they did. Both sides would line up their men, where the defender had the advantage: they could form two or more lines. The first line fired, then reloaded, while the second line ...
- 22.7k
20
votes
What was the error in 1790, if any, of the lat. and long. of Greenwich Observatory of 1783?
I found the answer. In 1790, no error was found.
Roy [who headed the survery] probably did not know that in 1785 Maskelyne [who was confident of the coordinates of Greenwich] had equipped his ...
- 409
19
votes
Accepted
What are the dates of these panoramas of Paris?
Acknowledgement: this answer owes a debt to some of the comments posted under the question and under this answer, especially Kimchilover.
There is conclusive evidence that all three images are from ...
- 108k
19
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Did Augustus the Strong sleep with his own daughter?
No. there is no evidence to backup this claim.
Like it says on Wikipedia:
The Countess frequently appeared in men's clothing and even in military uniform. Some sources alleged that August the Strong ...
- 80.8k
18
votes
Accepted
Is there any documentation on the creation of Article 1 Section II of the US Constitution?
Yes, there is.
The deliberations took a while and the participants were all literate, letter-writing folk, so there is actually a lot more documentation about the deliberations than many people think.
...
- 122k
16
votes
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What did it mean to be a Grecian in late-18th Century British schools?
From the 1928 OED:
Grecian:
....
2. One learned in the Greek language; a Greek scholar. [Attestations omitted]
b. A boy in the highest class of Christ's Hospital (the Blue-coat school).
Blue-Coat:
...
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15
votes
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Has a book ever secretly been written with gold ink?
This is very implausible, as related. Gold has a melting point of about 1065 degrees Celsius, so melting gold while out prospecting would be extremely difficult. Mixing something that hot with ink is ...
- 32k
15
votes
Accepted
Why was the Declaration of Independence handwritten, rather than printed with a printing press?
Remember that it takes several times longer to typeset a page (by hand, as in 1776) than to hand-write it; and that the typesetter still requires a hand-written fair copy to set from. So you don't ...
- 72.5k
15
votes
Accepted
What was the average age of first marriage in 18th century Russia?
The "average age of brides in Russian history" is quite the timespan to observe. For that it might be said it varied, a lot, but a lot around basically the same age window: very young. ...
- 80.8k
15
votes
Why were so many female members of Hapsburg family named Maria something?
Because they are Catholic. No other reason. Doesn't matter if you are a boy or girl. It's very common practise to give children many baptismal names, including Maria. To both girls and boys. Perhaps ...
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