askhistorians

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How badly was the US economy mauled when Jefferson stopped international shipping to punish Britain and France for dragooning US sailors?	4
"First, do no harm" - Doctor's swear this part of the Hippocratic oath regarding patients. But is there a trend of them taking it to heart in a broader sense? Did ancient or modern doctors try to avoid killing in wars or for self defense, or were they as open to it as those in other professions?	4
The Romans famously let people worship whatever gods they liked so long as they also sacrificed to the divine emperor. How big of a deal in terms of time and resource commitment would meeting one's obligations for emperor worship be? What did it look like in practice?	4
What factors lead to the replacement of the classic Roman rectangular shield with a rounded shield, and did the change affect a legion's ability to adopt a testsudo formation?	4
Teddy Roosevelt became president despite saying, “I wish very much that the wrong people could be prevented entirely from breeding.” Was this sentiment widely accepted at the time, or were such expressions swept under the rug and not repeated by the press when campaign season came around?	4
Were the previous Dali Lamas who actually ruled in Tibet more temporally focused, political, and "machiavellian," during their reigns, or similar to the pope-like figure concerned with spirituality and the human condition which we've come to associate with the post?	4
When late medieval readers rediscovered Greco-Roman arguments in favor of slavery, did it convince them that slavery was beneficial and just?	4
More than half the days of the year were holidays in poor, rural mining communities circa 1600, according to Lewis Mumford. Is this accurate?	4
Farmers' Almanacs were incredibly popular during the colonial period. Why did people want them? Were they full of legitimate and practical information? Superstition? Entertainment?	4
I've read that Plutarch's Lives and the Bible were the two most widely read books in America between 1750 and 1900. How did Plutarch influence the character of the Americans who read his moral histories and essays?	4

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