askhistorians

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Was the village idiot of the past used to describe someone who was mentally disabled? How long has the concept of a village idiot been around, or recognized in writing?	14
How "great" was Nathan Bedford Forrest as a cavalry general? Were there other cavalry generals who are as good or better than the "Wizard of the Saddle"? And was the Ft. Pillow massacre an outlier in his military career, or was killing prisoners something his troops did commonly (on a smaller scale)	14
It seems pretty remarkable how plain and simple the design of Igreja de São Roque, the first Jesuit church is. Yet the interior is a sumptuous feast for the eyes of gold sculptures and paintings, the exact opposite of what I'd expect. Why the contrast?	14
Listening to gospel music from a liberated Ghana, I am wondering what role did Christianity play in the decolonization movement in Africa, considering the role of missions as part of the colonizing strategy. Did mainstream, traditional, localized, or evangelical churches broadly pick sides?	14
By being born a slave in the New World, you were considered property of the slave master. Did early abolitionists who campaigned to end the slave trade as a compromise with slave owners try to target this practice as well?	14
After the Civil War, the South re-invented the Confederate cause to be about states' right and downplayed slavery and its cruelties. When blacks were subjected under segregation in the New South, how did whites at the time talk about the legacy of slavery - as a sin, or as a blessing taken away?	14
What was the Japanese legal system like before the Meiji Restoration, and after? Was it a wholesale move to a European-style legal system, or did it develop more along the existing system? How long did such a transformation take?	14
Some have reacted to criticism of the recent space flights of Bezos and Branson by comparing it to criticism of the Wright Brothers as out-of-touch rich people who were squandering money that could be better spent on the poor...did this criticism actually exist?	14
On the 75th anniversary of the launch of Operation Barbarossa, how accurate is this article on the operation that busts 9 "popular myths"	13
Pres. Trump made the comment that Canada burned down the WH, when CAN was not even a nation. Did Anglo-Canadians have a separate identity from the British at the time? Was anyone in CAN involved in the occupation of DC?	13

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