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What was Benjamin Banneker's letter to Thomas Jefferson?

In his letter, Banneker argues against Jefferson's hypocrisy, as a framer of the Declaration of Independence, in supporting and continuing the institution of slavery while also claiming that "all men are created equal." Banneker's polemic calling for the abolition of slavery gained him the support of abolitionist societies in Maryland and Pennsylvania, which in turn helped him publish a series of almanacs.\nAlmost entirely self-educated, Banneker is most noted for his series of almanacs, published from 1791 to 1797, which contained his astronomical calculations, editorial pieces, lit..

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Why were African resistance movements usually unsuccessful?

When imperialistic nations reached Africa, it was a land of many tribes and kingdoms, which already had complex relationships with each other. The idea of dividing and conquering proved an effective theme for nations that wanted to stake a claim in Africa. For a resistance to be successful, the people had to first be united. However, unity was often defeated by internal disputes, different perceptions of the potential harm posed by outside forces, and the desire for wealth. Even if the tribes and kingdoms could have organized, they often faced large armies funded by nations with incredible wea..

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What were some achievements of the Songhai?

The Songhai empire lasted from about 1375 to 1591. It was the largest and the last of the three major pre-colonial empires from West Africa. It developed out of the kingdom of Gao, and ruler Sunni Ali Ber helped the Songhai empire take over Mali. Subsequent emperor Askia Muhammad Toure centralized the government by creating a large bureaucracy to oversee the extensive empire, appointing virtually all of the mayors and governors himself. He was the first West African ruler to allow the exchange of ambassadors with other Muslim states.\nThe empire's justice system was run by Muslim judges u..

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What foods did the ancient Greeks eat?

Agriculture was central to the ancient Greek diet and way of life. Farmers grew spelt, emmer and barley, and the most common kind of bread was made from barley. In fact, Romans sometimes referred to the Greeks as "barley eaters."Because Greece did not have a landscape suitable for raising cattle, meat was also uncommon, except for occasional wild game. Additionally, dairy was not typically consumed. In cities, milk and butter were considered barbaric. Fish, on the other hand, was plentiful as anchovies, catfish and sprats were cheap, and eel, tuna and sea bass were foods consumed by the richer..

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What did the woolly mammoth eat?

Woolly mammoths lived in the Arctic during the ice age. In 2014, those regions are covered by tundra, which consists mostly of grasses and woody plants that are low in nutrition. Paleontologists did not believe that these plants were enough to sustain large animals like the mammoth, so they studied the DNA of preserved stomach contents and droppings. Although many of these ancient plants are extinct, their DNA is close enough to existing plants to identify them as belonging to the same families.\nAccording to paleontologist Grant Zazula, the ancient Arctic was probably arid and cold, similar t..

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What is the Great Compromise of 1787?

Although it had declared independence eleven years prior, by 1787 the United States of America had yet to agree on a constitution that would satisfy the varying needs of all the states. One of the major debates was over whether the new legislature would give each state representatives based on that state's population or if each state would have equal representation. The larger states wanted to have more influence with proportional representation, but the smaller ones were afraid their views would be trampled if such a system were put into place.\nThe proposal came from Roger Sherman, a Su..

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What led to the rise of the Ottoman Empire?

The ancestors of the Ghazis were tribal nomads who fled from Genghis Khan's Mongols and settled in Anatolia in the 12th century. The word "Ottoman" comes from the name "Osman." After Osman I united the Ghazis, they attacked the Byzantines but bypassed the capital, Constantinople. After the death of Osman I, the Ottomans expanded into the Balkans and Eastern Europe. They captured Thessaloniki from the Venetians in 1387 and Kosovo from the Serbs in 1389. The European crusades of the Middle Ages failed to vanquish them. Finally, in 1453, the Ottomans overcame the heavily fortified city of Co..

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When did Christianity become the official religion of Rome?

Christianity first began to flourish under Roman rule during the time of Emperor Constantine, who converted to the religion in 312 A.D. Although he brought a strong Christian presence to the empire, Roman culture and institutions resisted the change for more than half a century. By the time Emperor Theodosis I ascended to power, the Roman Empire was beginning to crumble. Theodosis I was the last emperor to preside over a united Roman Empire.

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Who was in World War I?

These alliances developed around a tangle of treaties signed in the late 19th century. While the treaties were intended to stabilize Europe and prevent conflicts, in reality, they drew more countries into a war that probably should have simply been a regional conflict in the Balkans. Because so many of the main combatants were also imperial powers, colonies and protectorates from across the world were drawn into the war, expanding it into the first global conflict in history. Nevertheless, for the largest part of the war all combatants were in a stalemate, with battle lines shifting back and f..

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Who invented the laptop?

Other contenders include the Grid Compass, a somewhat sleeker computer invented in 1979 by William Moggridge and used on the space shuttle, and the Gavilian SC, a 1983 model invented by Manny Fernandez. Fernandez coined the term "laptop" to describe his computer, but the design was very similar to the Osborne 1.\nThe NEC Ultralite, featuring a clamshell design and MS-DOS operating system, was probably the first notebook-style laptop. This 5-pound business-friendly computer was released into the 1989 market with a price point between $4,000 and $5,000.

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