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What is a biography of Maya Angelou?

Starting with 1969's "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings," Angelou's first six autobiographies covered her life from her 1927 birth through 1968. These books describe Angelou's difficult early life, marked by abuse, poverty and living with racial discrimination. In the 1950s, Angelou became a successful dancer and singer while continuing to develop her writing. Throughout the 1960s, Angelou grew increasingly dedicated to activism in favor of racial equality and social justice.\nWhen "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" was released in 1969, it was an immediate bestseller and received ..

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When did Missouri become a state?

There was ongoing conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the U.S. Congress at the time of Missouri's admission. Missouri was a slave state and was allowed statehood only through the terms of the Missouri Compromise. This compromise prohibited slavery in the portion of the state north of 36 degrees 30 minutes north latitude. The Missouri Compromise was repealed in 1854 by the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

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What effect did the steam engine have on skilled workers?

In the late 18th century, British manufacturers began to move to steam-engine powered factories that ran large mills, especially for the production of cloth goods. They circumvented the ancient apprenticeship program, putting unskilled labor, women and children to work on the factory looms for low wages. Thousands of skilled laborers who had produced stockings, woolen cloth, cotton cloth and thread in Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire were suddenly out of work. They protested, taking their grievance to Parliament and claiming several old laws on the books regarding the enforcement of a..

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What type of clothing did the Huron Indians wear?

The Huron tribe commonly painted different colorful designs on their clothing and would fringe parts of their leggings, skirts and shirts. Some of their earliest forms of clothing were created from birch bark. To add extra flair, the Huron Indians added strips of fur made from deerskin or beaver to their attire. These strips were normally dyed red.\nMen wore breechclouts, leggings, shirts, long cloaks, and shoulder- to waist-length mantles. Women wore dresses, cloaks and wraparound skirts. Aside from clothing, they would decorate their skin, focusing mainly on the face. To make the paint, they..

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How did Muslims build the successful Arab Empire?

The Prophet Mohammed helped to unite all of the Arab tribes in the area. The Arab Empire lasted from 632 to 1258 and spanned Africa, Europe and Asia. When Mohammed died in 632, the Arabian people wanted to find new people that could be converted to Islam. Therefore, they went throughout the land and conquered new countries. These included North Africa, Syria, Persia, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, Armenia, India, Spain and Afghanistan.The Arab Empire was then ruled by the successors of the Prophet Mohammed. These new leaders and successors were called caliphs. The people and land that were under the ..

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How did Islam spread?

When Islam arrived on the scene in the first millennium A.D., many people in the Arab world and North Africa still practiced pagan faiths, ones that often produced complicated ritualistic and spiritual practices along with social inequality. Islam, on the other hand, provided clear and simple tenets, placed heavy emphasis on social and legal equality, and offered conversion through a profession of faith that was both straightforward and easy to perform. Thus Islam attracted vast numbers of converts from the very beginning. Additionally, originating with the Prophet, Islam embraced the notion o..

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What did Bill Clinton do as Commander-in-Chief?

In 1993, Clinton was also successful in the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA eliminates duties and quarantine restrictions on trade between the United States, Canada, Chile and Mexico. It unites over 450 million people who create over $17 trillion in goods and services.\nFrom an economic standpoint, the United States enjoyed a time of prosperity during both of Clinton's terms. The stock market increased rapidly, making the president more popular.\nWhile both Bill and Hillary Clinton worked to implement national health care during his terms in office, they fai..

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What is the former name of Cambodia?

When the Communist party, the Khmer Rouge, took over in the mid 1970s, officials began insisting the world use the name Kampuchea; however, the U.S. State Department and much of the rest of the Western world, continued to call the country Cambodia. After the influence of the Khmer Rouge began to wane in the late 1980s, the nation was officially renamed Cambodia, a change that reflected the peoples' desire to distance themselves from the murderous Khmer Rouge.

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What criticisms of the New Deal did conservatives and liberals have?

Conservatives condemned many New Deal concepts as socialist policies that undermined the country?s principles of self-reliance and private enterprise. For example, in 1933, President Roosevelt spearheaded the National Industrial Recovery Act, which proposed a national economic planning system to replace the existing capitalist structure. By 1935, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned this legislation on the grounds that Congress violated the authority of individual states by incorrectly granting the president power to interfere in intra-state commerce.\nMany liberals viewed an econ..

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What are some World War 2 memorabilia items?

Memorabilia items tend to be popular among those with a great interest in history and, because World War II was such a world-changing, massive event, there are countless memorabilia items that originate from the war. Some particularly significant examples of memorabilia items from World War II include helmets and other equipment taken from the D-Day landings, an event that featured a combined assault primarily by the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia on the beaches of Normandy, France. Memorabilia items tend to have a unique historical significance.\nInstead of a nondescr..

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