AskHistorians

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Prior to being elected President, Vladimir Putin spent more than a decade in the KGB, and then, following the collapse of the USSR, worked his way up in politics. At what point would he have popped up on the United States government's radar, and what did they think of him as his power increased?	2346
I read that Lord of the Rings was ignored by academics and was rarely subjected to literary criticism until the 1980s. What was the justification given for this?	389
Did president Lincoln want to unequivocally grant slaves the same rights as whites, or would he have supported something like "separate but equal?"	367
I have seen Thích Quảng Đức portrayed as sitting peacefully and quietly as he committed self-immolation. Is this historically accurate?	281
How controversial was Hurbert Hoover's choice of Charles Curtis, a man who was 50% Native American, as his running mate?	85
Do historians generally accept Ted Kennedy's explanation of the Chappaquiddick incident as being credible?	82
Is the official explanation for the JFK assassination generally accepted as accurate by historians?	78
Are there any Presidents who were considered successful when they left office but are now not held in high regard by historians?	77
Democrats controlled the south until the southern strategy. When they changed parties, presumably their fiscal views changed as well. Was this largely simultaneous with the party change or was there a period following the switch where they still supported Democratic social programs?	53
In 1878 Henrietta Wood was awarded $2500 after suing her former slave owner. Why did this not spark a larger movement of former slaves seeking restitution?	51

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