More "Lies Across America" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Big Bill Haywood

Loewen states that of the 125 plaques in the Hall of Fame only two are for labor leaders and that one of these was a conservative labor leader. Big Bill Haywood began working in the mines at the age of 15.

Answer: St. George and Cedar City, Utah

According to Loewen there were 126 tests of "atomic" devices at this site. Loewen states that "according to Tomas Clark of the 'Seattle Times,' the site released 148 times as much radiation as the Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union" (Loewen, p. 87). Cedar City and St. George are both located in Southwest Utah. Southwest Utah borders Nevada.

Answer: The poster-book "The Truth About Columbus"

Loewen actually created the poster-book "The Truth About Columbus" to try to conquer Columbus myths. Loewen also talks of a photo of a globe that was made prior to the journey of Columbus, the Catholic Church stating the world was round prior to his journey, and knowledge that in a lunar eclipse the earth created a round shadow on the moon.

Answer: Nobody knows

Loewen states that when people returned to the place where Lincoln was born they could not find the cabin. It was thought that it had either fallen apart or that other farmers had reused the logs in their buildings. This did not stop an entrepreneur, Alfred Dennett, from buying the farm Lincoln was born on in Hodgenville, Kentucky and having his agent James Bigham build a new cabin on it.

They then tried to pass the new cabin, as the original. Then, when people did not go to Hodgenville, Kentucky to see it, they took it around the country!

Answer: He never set foot in it.

Loewen describes this marker as an example of renaming. As the marker states according to Loewen's book "Calhoun CO. originally was Benton CO., named for Col. T.H. Benton, Creek War officer, later U.S. Senator for Missouri. Renamed in 1858 for John C. Calhoun, champion of South in U.S. Senate. Benton's views by then unpopular in the South" (Loewen p.239).

Answer: Montana did not allow women to live there at the time of the Civil War.

Loewen talks about how this was done "to demonstrate their own status" (Loewen, p.103). Loewen also talks about it being dedicated at a time when not only segregation, but many hate crimes such as lynchings were taking place. (Loewen, p.103)

Answer: It has transcended time.

Blacks were restricted to a section across the road and 21 blacks left in protest due to this (Loewen, p.334). Bacon actually enclosed Lincoln in a large space "to secure his separation from common people and their world" (Loewen, p. 337). Kennedy avoided the centennial celebration, because he did not want to take a strong stand on civil rights issues (Loewen, p.336).

Answer: Bess, a female horse, is sculpted as a male horse.

The same was also done with General Winfield Scott's female horse in Washington D.C. Loewen talks about how these monuments are examples of people not be willing to recognize the important roles of women. As Loewen states "How can women take their place, in history in due course, when monuments don't even let a lady be a horse?" (Loewen p. 165).

Answer: Richmond

Loewen in a number of entries talks about how today's monuments and tourist attractions minimize the horrors of slavery. This includes the absence of instruments of cruetly towards slaves and slave quarters made to look better than they actually were at the time they were lived in.

Answer: Haymarket Monument (Chicago)

The statue consists of the police captain with an upraised arm. Many workers were angered by the statue, as it was considered one-sided. Due to the one-sided nature of the statue between 1889 and 1900 it was frequently attacked. It was then moved to a "safer" place in Union Park. In 1927, it had its first real toppling when a street car ran into it. According to Loewen, and statements by the driver, it was unlikely this was an accident.

Following this, it was moved to another park, then moved again near its original location. In between this time, it was frequently vandalized. It was then attacked in 1968, and blown up in 1969. In 1970 it was rededicated and then a few months later blown up/toppled again. Following this it was moved into a police station and then into the Chicago Police Academy where the public cannot even see it.

Answer: European Americans often gave these names to sacred sites precisely when they learned they figured into Native religions.

As Loewen states "If non-Native Americans no longer believe that Native religions are the devil's work, it is time to remove that implication from names all across America." (Loewen. p. 134)

Answer: The Dutch payed the wrong tribe for the Island.

The Dutch paid the Canarsies for the land, who were the wrong tribe (Loewen, p. 387). Loewen also discusses the myth contained in many American textbooks that the Native Americans had a pre-modern understanding of land ownership (Loewen, p.386). Loewen discusses how the impact of this monument is to glorify white people and make Native Americans look inferior and less intelligent.

Answer: Boston, Massachusetts

Loewen states "The Shaw Memorial succeeds because, although the attack ended in defeat and death, the 54th Massachusetts is also a story of human possibility" (Loewen, p. 424). Frederick Douglas had recruited 100 of the soldiers in the unit, which was the first Eastern unit of African American troops in the civil war (Loewen, p. 419).

The unit was sent to fight in South Carolina and was under the command of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who was the officer depicted in front of the troops.

Answer: Moving it to an outdoor location in Boise, Idaho.

Loewen states that if any marker "deserves toppling rather than just revision", that this one would be first on the list (Loewen, p. 462). Loewen discusses how this is because it describes an event that never even happened. In Appendix C, of "Lies Across America" Loewen lists twenty candidates for toppling.

Answer: What state is the site located in?

As Loewen's book demonstrates, by listing sites in every state historical problems exist in sites in every state.