15/16 and guessed some of those. Missed the Eisenhower one; who would have thought an American ex-general president would be warning against the "military-industrial complex"? What was he, some sort of pinko?!
There were many influential women and people of color throughout American history as well. This is the second American History Quotes quiz to feature zero quotes from women and almost none from people of color. It wasn't just a bunch of white dudes that have had something important to say throughout the entire history of the United States. Just sayin', broaden your horizons mate.
If the first thing you think about when you are authoring or taking a quiz on famous quotes is not the quotes but rather the color of the person saying them, or the shape of their genitalia, then you're doing it the wrong way. And, it's just a fact, throughout most of American history most people making most historically noteworthy contributions (and saying noteworthy things) were male, and they were also people whom racists would label as without color. Unless you specifically set out to produce a list of quotations from American history with a specific racist or sexist agenda, then you should expect a distribution similar to what appears on this quiz. This in no way implies that women, or people that racists would label as "of color," have not contributed to US history or have never had anything important to say; it's merely the product of making a quiz without bias about a traditionally patriarchal country colonized by Europeans.
For me personally, both sports quotes could be replaced with something said by a woman to make the list more inclusive and to remind us that women have said important things in history even if it is difficult for them to be heard. I have no problems with Ali or Gehrig, but I think something from Rosa Parks, "No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in," is memorable, as is Eleanor Roosevelt's, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Your comment might be true about earlier American history when women often weren't heard or considered equal, but many of the quotes on this one are from modern times. I'm not a militant feminist, but even I have a problem with the lack of female inclusion here.
Again, it's not that no woman has ever said something noteworthy in American history, it's just that the amount of representation above is reflective of the percentage of quotes out there attributable to them. I'm fine with removing quotes from sports figures, but there's no denying that they are famous and well-known quotes.
What if the first thing you think of is the answers to the question, and then you go back through the list and then note a lack of diversity. I just guessed the Carnegie quote based on his level of philanthropy. I did not know it. I think that there are several quotes from women that are more famous, such as "women's rights are human rights," "remember the ladies," "just say no," and "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
Oppenheimer's quote perfectly captures the feeling they must have had upon seeing the first ever nuclear fission explosion. It's hard to imagine being the first people ever to see such destruction.
someone2018: Eleanor Roosevelt's quote (No one can make you feel inferior without your consent) resonates with me. I don't consider it mediocre at all. It is far more edifying than one which, (thankfully), does not appear here: "We will win on Sunday, I guarantee it". - Joe Namath,
And to think, Gehrig didn’t plan to speak until he stepped up to the microphone and had no notes. He mainly lists how grateful he is to have the respect and love of not only of his family, the Yankees, and their fans, but of the entire sport as well. It’s a more fantastic speech in retrospect because we know he’d be dead less than 2-years later.
Also, Gehrig likely didn’t have ALS (which is now also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease). It’s more likely he suffered from CTE. The symptoms are nearly identical, the difference being that ALS is bad luck while CTE is caused by repeated brain trauma. Gehrig played in the era before batters wore helmets and was hit in the head by pitches repeatedly. He was knocked unconscious on the field of play several times (we know from newspaper reports on those games) and would always play the very next day instead of resting because of his legendary streak of consecutive games played.
Also, Gehrig likely didn’t have ALS (which is now also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease). It’s more likely he suffered from CTE. The symptoms are nearly identical, the difference being that ALS is bad luck while CTE is caused by repeated brain trauma. Gehrig played in the era before batters wore helmets and was hit in the head by pitches repeatedly. He was knocked unconscious on the field of play several times (we know from newspaper reports on those games) and would always play the very next day instead of resting because of his legendary streak of consecutive games played.