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Why did Europeans want a new route to Asia?

A land route from Europe to Asia was possible but fraught with peril. Young Marco Polo and his brother first made the journey along the Silk Road through Armenia, Persia, Afghanistan and into China in the late 1200s. In the early part of their initial travels, the brothers encountered a war zone, and the two friars traveling with them immediately turned back.\nTen years later, the brothers attempted to reach Asia again but found the trip difficult along a more northerly route. Boats in African ports were not seaworthy. Polo traversed deserts, mountains and disease-plagued human settlements bef..

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What are some bad things about Julius Caesar?

Very few leaders have had the unanimous support of their people, and Julius Caesar was no exception. Though he was an extremely successful military leader and politician — consolidating power, defeating Roman enemies and gaining territory abroad — he had his detractors. Of course, the bad things about Caesar are a matter of perception. He was extremely unpopular among aristocrats due to some of his policies, which favored the poor and therefore angered wealthy Romans. Caesar's success at gaining and consolidating power also led some to suspect he was trying to become a king in Rome: t..

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Who were Andrew Jackson's enemies?

Jackson swore that he would never forgive the supporters of John Quincy Adams, his opponent in the 1824 presidential election, who resorted to allegations of bigamy and adultery regarding the relationship between Jackson and his wife Rachel prior to her divorce from her first husband.Jackson lost the 1824 election, but won the 1828 election. Jackson's wife Rachel, however, never lived to see his inauguration, having died suddenly on December 22, 1828. Jackson blamed her death on the campaign slanderers and referred to them as murderers.

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How did James Cook die?

Upon discovering that the cutter boat from the Discovery was stolen, Cook and his men went ashore to try to take a hostage — Terreeoboo, the king of Hawaii — to make the Hawaiians return the cutter. During this attempt, a high-ranking chief was shot, and the mob on the shore overran Cook and his men and attacked them. Cook's party attempted to escape to the Resolution, but Cook was killed after he shot a Hawaiian warrior. According to the diary of James Burney, the first lieutenant on the Discovery, "the whole affair, from Capt’n Cook leaving the Resolution to the return of the boat..

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What are some fun facts about Henry Hudson?

Hudson's ultimate goal as an explorer, finding a route to Asia through the mythical Northeast Passage, never came to fruition. However, his failures led to discoveries of major waterways in North America. His first voyage in 1607 ended near Greenland; however, his second attempt in 1608 saw him get all the way to Novaya Zemlya, which lies just north of Russia, before the ice forced his expedition to turn around.\nHis third attempt, this time on behalf of the Dutch, once again ended prematurely. However, instead of going back home, Hudson looked for a passage through North America to the P..

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How old is the United States of America?

The US was founded following a secret vote for independence by the congress on the 2nd day of July, and a public declaration of independence from the British Empire on the fourth day of July. Leading up to the declaration, the Northern colonies had been embroiled in a seven year Civil War against British forces in agitation of freedom. Independence day is celebrated every year, with festivities including sporting events, cultural shows and family fun fairs.

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What are some Pomo Indian facts for kids?

The Valley of the Russian River was the heart of the Pomo land. The Pomo Indians lived in round small houses they built above a hole in the ground. Their main food resources were fish, deer, elk, rabbits and acorns. Pomo men wore short aprons made from shredded bark and blankets made from rabbit skins, whereas women wore long skirts as well as capes on their shoulders. The Pomo were mainly a peaceful people and lived in small family groups.

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What are the eight roles of the president?

Unlike other nations, the U.S. President does not have complete control over the country because of limitations in the Constitution. Article II of the Constitution outlines the president's formal powers and responsibilities. The president might also have other responsibilities during his term, if any spontaneous events happen in the country or abroad.

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What were some of the accomplishments of Niccolo Machiavelli?

One of Machiavelli's accomplishments is that he is sometimes viewed as a prototype of the modern empirical investigator or scientist. He built his generalizations from his first-hand experiences within the realm of Renaissance politics and from historical facts. Machiavelli emphasized the uselessness of imaginative theorizing and instead noted, in a realistic manner, how political power could be effectively maintained. He simply described what rulers really did to maintain their states, and he did so in a "scientific spirit" while ignoring any questions regarding whether those actions wer..

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What is the name of Martin Luther King's famous speech?

King's iconic speech was delivered in front of 250,000 people during the March on Washington in 1963. He had been using "dream" language as a recurrent theme in his speeches since 1960. "I Have a Dream" was written with the assistance of his advisers and friends, Stanley Levison and Clarence B. Jones.\nJones has commented that they were so busy with the march that the speech was prepared less than 12 hours before King was to speak. The full text of the speech is available at Nobelprize.org.

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