james Fester
eNotes Educator
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Answers Posted
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About
I've taught History in California for grades 5-12. I currently teach middle school in Marin County.
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in History
The U.S. was drawn into World War I for a multitude of reasons. Three of the most important are as follows; 1) The Invasion of Belgium: At the beginning of the war, German decided that... -
Answered a Question in History
The Roosevelt Corollary refers to a foreign policy stance taken by Theodore Roosevelt that was an offshoot of the earlier Monroe Doctrine. During his State of the Union Address in 1904, Roosevelt... -
Answered a Question in History
The Pueblo Lands Act, which was passed by congress in 1924, had mixed results for the Native Americans of the southwest and therefore cannot be called simply “pro-Indian” or “anti-Indian” The... -
Answered a Question in Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin is easily one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century because of his contributions to the science of biology. Darwin lived in England into a fairly affluent family.... -
Answered a Question in History
Immigrants who wanted to come to the U.S. through the city of New York passed through the gates of Ellis Island from 1892 to 1954. This was the busiest immigration station in the U.S. when it was... -
Answered a Question in History
Although there had only been a single Cuban Revolution, there have been several revolutions and revolts in Mexico. So for this question I’ll be comparing the Cuban Revolution to the 1821 Mexican... -
Answered a Question in History
Great Britain became the first nation to enter the industrial age somewhere between 1770 and 1820 depending on what historian you read. There were many reasons for this. Britain had a history of... -
Answered a Question in History
The conclusion of the American Revolution in 1783 had many different effects on both North America and the world. The most immediate effect of the end of the revolution was the independence of the... -
Answered a Question in Asian History
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan Bahadur wrote “The Loyal Muhammadans of India” to achieve greater Muslim autonomy and greater status for Muslims with the British. Bahadur was an educator who wanted to improve... -
Answered a Question in History
The Cold War was the result of post-World War II distrust between the Soviet Union and the west. The roots of this distrust go back to the Russian Revolution. During the fight between communist and... -
Answered a Question in History
The encomienda system was employed by the Spanish to regulate Native American labor and in theory protect them from abuse. The system functioned by granting a person a specific number of laborers.... -
Answered a Question in History
Napoleon Bonaparte’s legacy is as vast as the career of the man. He made huge contributions to both military and political theory that still affects western society today. Militarily, he... -
Answered a Question in The Spanish-American War
The Spanish American War was the result of American expansionist goals and policies colliding with territories under Spanish control. American sugar planters had established plantations on Cuba and... -
Answered a Question in The US and the Philippines
President McKinley personally debated the question of what to do with the Philippines for a long time. McKinley was a very religious man, and his religious beliefs played a big role in his decision... -
Answered a Question in History
The U.S. made major contributions to the war for a major effect despite coming in only one year before the Armistice was signed. The weary allied soldiers enthusiastically welcomed American troops... -
Answered a Question in The Cold War
Decades old scholarship has since been updated by recently revealed documents about the Soviet Union. One such study by the BDM Corporation asserts that the actual Soviet Threat was vastly over... -
Answered a Question in The League of Nations
The League of Nations was created with the express purpose of preventing another World War. Ultimately, it proved incapable of succeeding in its charter goal for a number of reasons. The League was... -
Answered a Question in The Revolutionary War
The British and American armies had different strengths and weaknesses going into the Revolutionary War. The British had a superior army. Numbers, training and supplies were all on the British... -
Answered a Question in World War II
The name World War II seems to indicate that ever country around the globe was involved in some way. However, there were a few countries who were able to keep out of the war, or at least remain... -
Answered a Question in Herbert Hoover's Presidency
I thought the two examples above were well stated, but perhaps you just wanted a little more information to further illustrate the frustrations of Americans with Hoover’s policies. The first... -
Answered a Question in History
Napoleon Bonaparte was truly a “Son of the Revolution” because his career and fame were a direct result of his performance in the French Army during the revolution. Napoleon was stationed in... -
Answered a Question in History
The ordinary citizens of Rome called for Julius Caesar to become their king, or dictator, for many different reasons. One of Caesar’s first public offices was to be appointed Adele, which put him... -
Answered a Question in History
That famous metaphor was used by Winston Churchill to describe the Soviet Union forming its infamous Eastern Block at the start of the Cold War. Metaphorically, the Iron Curtain symbolized the... -
Answered a Question in The Great Depression
The Great Depression affected ordinary people in America in many different ways. The most profound affect was widespread unemployment, which hit nearly 25% in the U.S. This resulted in the... -
Answered a Question in History
The T and O map, which is short for the Orbis Terrarum map, was an early world map created in the medieval period. This map is also sometimes called the Beatus map because one of the earliest known... -
Answered a Question in History
Washing and wringing machines as they were widely called back in the early 17th century, probably appeared before the 1600’s in some form, but the first patent issues for such a device was awarded... -
Answered a Question in History
If Hobbes had no influence on the Declaration of Independence, then I must ask why in Leviathan Hobbes clearly discusses natural rights and freedoms and how men and women establish governments in... -
Answered a Question in History
Nationalism was an important factor in the history of 19th century Europe. During this time period, a wave of what was known as “romantic nationalism” swept over the continent, transforming the map... -
Answered a Question in Western Expansion, Manifest Destiny, and the Mexican-American War
Manifest Destiny affected the lives of many different groups within the U.S. Lower and middle class farmers were affected by the large tracts of land opened by territorial acquisitions and... -
Answered a Question in History
The U.S. began expanding oversees for many different reasons. One of the earliest factors was lucrative overseas trade opportunities. By the mid 1800’s, American merchants carried on a profitable... -
Answered a Question in History
Reconstruction could only be generously described as a marginal success because of the efforts of Radical Republicans and the Grant administration. At the end of the Civil War, southern society... -
Answered a Question in European History
The Reconquista refers to the successful removal of the Muslims’s from the south of Spain by an alliance of Christian monarchs. Historians argue when exactly this period of time began, but the... -
Answered a Question in History
English Physician William Harvey was one of the key figures of the Medical Renaissance, which coincided with the classical Renaissance. The Medical Renaissance was a period of revitalized interest... -
Answered a Question in History
Francis Newlands was a U.S. Senator from Nevada and had several accomplishments while he served in office. He is most well known for the Newlands Resolutions which annexed the Republic of Hawaii... -
Answered a Question in History
Although the exact number of revisions is unknow, we know the process the original version that Jefferson wrote went through. Jefferson wrote the vast majority of the Declaration himself, although... -
Answered a Question in History
After the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, the empire was caught up in a succession crisis. With one notable succession, none of the remaining emperors could hold onto power for more than a... -
Answered a Question in World War I
There were several reasons that the U.S. abandoned "splendid isolation" and entered the first World War. One reason was moralistic. The U.S. saw itself as a beacon of freedom and democracy, two... -
Answered a Question in World War I
Wilson, along with the American public, felt that going to war was both necessary and wise for a number of different reasons. The overwhelming reason was that the war was crucial in order to make... -
Answered a Question in History
George Washington’s presidency set many important precedents, meaning things that he did would be copied by future presidents. First, there was a huge debate over what we should call the... -
Answered a Question in History
Abbe Sieyes was the more common name for Emmanuel Joseph Sieyes, a prominent Roman Catholic clergyman who was a chief supporter of the French Revolution. His 1789 pamphlet What is the Third Estate... -
Answered a Question in History
The U.S. response to war in Europe had evolved greatly over time. Since our foreign policy changes as the strength of our own nation grew, our response has never been uniform. During the presidency... -
Answered a Question in History
European Imperialism during the 1800 had much to do with the economic benefits that came with creating colonies and plundering them. Many European nations wanted to maintain some sort of edge over... -
Answered a Question in History
The Opium Wars were the climax events caused by friction between the British Empire and the Qing Dynasty. After British forces from Indian ravaged the Chinese coast and forced Qing rulers to come... -
Answered a Question in History
Between 1628 and 1640 there was a great wave of English Immigration in and around New England. Towns such as Hartford, Springfield and Northampton were founded on and near Indian land, encroaching... -
Answered a Question in European History
Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to fund Columbus’ expedition when no other monarch did. Why did they do this? The Spanish monarchs had just retaken Spain from the Muslims, and refused to trade with... -
Answered a Question in The Holocaust
The effects of the Nazi’s “Final Solution” to the Jewish question were far-reaching and deplorable. When World War II ended in 1945, there were only about 200,000 Jews liberated form the... -
Answered a Question in World War I
U.S. intervention in the war became deeply unpopular following the signing of the armistice. This became very obvious with the Senate’s rejection of the Versailles Treaty and Wilson’s League of... -
Answered a Question in Ancient Greece
The two rival city-states of Athens and Sparta were both different in many ways. One of the main differences was their form of government. Although both city-states had elected assemblies, Sparta... -
Answered a Question in Theodore Roosevelt's Presidency
Theodore Roosevelt helped lead American to it eventually place as a world power with a foreign policy based in three fundamental principals; 1) Broadly conceived U.S. interest:... -
Answered a Question in Voltaire
Voltaire did not believe in any single religion, and did not believe that one was needed to believe in God. Instead, he was very much interested in the natural laws that were underlying in all...
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