Riddle of Ages: Travelling Through History

[Milarqui]

Alrighty then. I was unsure about the 5's, but as I was looking up a couple things, I saw that Midway was fought on June 4, 5, 6, and 7, 1942. And the Yorktown's US naval classifiacation was CV-5. It all works out though.

Now let's see................

A man with a dream
could've helped set me free
but from where I sit
grey is all I see.
Across the Delaware my namesake rode,
them more advanced than my home's ancestry.
In their fight to take down a common foe,
where there was light for all to see.

This sounds like something from the American Civil War. The man with a dream sounds like Martin Luther King, so I guess the person is of black ancestry, probably a slave, since he could've helped set me free. The from where I sit/grey is all I see seems to indicate the person in question was born or lived in the land where the Confederate States of America stood. Across the Delaware my namesake rode is a reference to the crossing of the River Delaware by George Washington on Christmas Day of 1776. Them more advanced that my home's ancestry is about how the slave's ancestors were from Black Africa, in that time less advanced than America. In their fight to take down a common foe,/where there was light for all to see I think is about the American Revolutionary War.

Based on those clues, I say that the person in question is George Washington Carver.

 

[Buddhafish]

Good guess, but no.

I'll provide a hint here since I will be leaving after today:

The grey is literal, not symbolic.

 

[Optical]

Grey prison walls. No idea about the rest though.

 

[Milarqui]

Hmmm, grey = prison walls is a good idea.

These are some of the people that crossed the Delaware (the only crossing of the Delaware I can think about):
- George Washington, first President of the United States
- James Monroe, fifth President of the United States
- John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States (1801–1835)
- Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury
- Edward Hand
- Arthur St. Clair
- General William Whipple
- Prince Whipple, General William Whipple's slave.

 

[mayor]

my guess is on Prince Whipple

A man with a dream
could've helped set me free
I follow Milarqui on this one. 'The Man' is 'King' and the person who the riddle refers to is black
but from where I sit
grey is all I see.
I'm not sure how. But despite the extra clue Buddha gave that grey is literal I believe it's about the confederates.
Across the Delaware my namesake rode,
this is what sealed the deal for me. Prince Whipple crossed the river together with General William Whipple.
them more advanced than my home's ancestry.
Prince Whipple's ancestries came from Africa so the opponent (in the American Civil War) was more advanced than his ancestors (in weaponry ;p)
[i[In their fight to take down a common foe,
where there was light for all to see.[/I]
don't know about this

The issue I have with this guess is that Prince Whipple crossed the Delaware with Whipple and Washington during the Revolutionary war and not during the Civil War. In that case I can't explain the 'grey' he saw.



NB. If 'Whipple' is the answer I yield my "victory" since I wouldn't have guessed it if Milargui hadn't named Prince Whipple in the first place

 

[Buddhafish]

Sorry mayor, that's not it.

Olaf was right. Grey=Prison walls
The man the riddle refers to is black.

As I wil be gone til at least the 31st, I will provide a second verse.

A man with a dream
could've helped set me free
but from where I sit
grey is all I see.
Across the Delaware my namesake rode,
them more advanced than my home's ancestry.
In their fight to take down a common foe,
where there was light for all to see.

Our nations have had similar locks
Of which few see the key
Different views of the sea we have
But my hope never receeds
And as tides and times and people change,
so does my country
And now my view is premier
Because of equality

Feel free to guess while I am away, but don't expect a response for confirmation or denial.

 

[mayor]

Sorry mayor, that's not it.

Olaf was right. Grey=Prison walls
The man the riddle refers to is black.

As I wil be gone til at least the 31st, I will provide a second verse.

A man with a dream
could've helped set me free
but from where I sit
grey is all I see.
Across the Delaware my namesake rode,
them more advanced than my home's ancestry.
In their fight to take down a common foe,
where there was light for all to see.

Our nations have had similar locks
Of which few see the key
Different views of the sea we have
But my hope never receeds
And as tides and times and people change,
so does my country
And now my view is premier
Because of equality

Feel free to guess while I am away, but don't expect a response for confirmation or denial.

It's about Nelson Mandela

EDIT: first person that came to mind when reading the second verse in combination with the first

 

[Optical]

Sounds right to me.

 

[Buddhafish]

Nice job mayor.

Now for the explanation:

A man with a dream
could've helped set me free
Martin Luther King Jr. fought for racial equality
but from where I sit
grey is all I see.
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years
Across the Delaware my namesake rode,
George Washington's horse Nelson
them more advanced than my home's ancestry.
The American colonists were more advanced than the Zulu, South Africa's anestry
In their fight to take down a common foe,
where there was light for all to see.
The American colonists and the Zulu both fought the British

Our nations have had similar locks
Of which few see the key
Racism, of which only a few people escape it
Different views of the sea we have
Atlantic Ocean
But my hope never receeds
Cape of Good Hope
And as tides and times and people change,
so does my country
Sotuh Africa abolished aparthied
And now my view is premier
Because of equality
Mandela was elected President.


Your go mayor.

 

[mayor]

Nice job mayor.

Now for the explanation:

A man with a dream
could've helped set me free
Martin Luther King Jr. fought for racial equality
but from where I sit
grey is all I see.
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years
Across the Delaware my namesake rode,
George Washington's horse Nelson
them more advanced than my home's ancestry.
The American colonists were more advanced than the Zulu, South Africa's anestry
In their fight to take down a common foe,
where there was light for all to see.
The American colonists and the Zulu both fought the British

Our nations have had similar locks
Of which few see the key
Racism, of which only a few people escape it
Different views of the sea we have
Atlantic Ocean
But my hope never receeds
Cape of Good Hope
And as tides and times and people change,
so does my country
Sotuh Africa abolished aparthied
And now my view is premier
Because of equality
Mandela was elected President.


Your go mayor.

I honestly guest it on two things
the part about being imprisoned and the word 'equality' which I immediately linked to 'apartheid'

It is an excellent riddle, Son said I made good riddles in the 'impression of forum gamers' thread, but I think this is better than mine

I'ts 2:37 here and I had a bit of alcohol so I get a riddle up tomorrow.
Lets have a short break (not more than 24 hours)

 

[strijder20]

snip
The American colonists and the Zulu both fought the British
snip

I thought South-Africa was colonised by the Dutch?
EDIT: Never mind. Seems you have laid a link between Mandela and America just because they both are split-offs of the Commonwealth.

 

[Optical]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Zulu_War

 

[mayor]

I thought South-Africa was colonised by the Dutch?

It was but the British conquered it.


New Riddle

1st verse. shouldn't be that hard

The confederates were pinned
but a few made haste
Two walls rose
and the waiting began

 

[strijder20]

Julius Caesar at Alesia!

 

[mayor]

yup d'you know al the references?

 

[strijder20]

What? It was Julius Caesar at Alesia?
...
I wasn't completely serious, probably because 'confederates' reminded me of the American Civil War. The last two lines reminded me of how Julius Caesar built two palisades : one to keep Vercingetorix in Alesia and another one to keep his reinforcements out.
I suppose ' a few made haste ' was about how some arrived there earlier than others?
The Gallic tribes made a 'confederation' to kick Julius Caesar out of Gallia.


New riddle (sorry for being late, have been away for 2 days):

Buildings high, art so fine,
but no cars and cavemen's sticks.
From the east their prophecy came
and as animals they were kept.

 

[EQandcivfanatic]

Well, thanks to Milarqui, your riddle is now haunting my dreams. Unfortunately I can think of three possibilities, but can't budge them from there.

My first guess was something to do with Tibet, but I can't figure out the animals line.

Second guess is the institution of slavery in the Americas, but I can't figure out the first line with that.

Third guess is the Holocaust, but I can't figure out the "no cars" portion of it in that case.


If I fail to sleep tonight, I blame this thread.

 

[Optical]

Buildings high, art so fine,

Arabs (minarets and, well, Arabic art)

but no cars and cavemen's sticks.

Self-explanatory

From the east their prophecy came

The Mongols

and as animals they were kept.

This doesn't really fit, but I like the way everything else does.

So I say it's the Mongol invasion of the Arab lands.

 

[strijder20]

Nope, but one of you completely explained a line
Hint : it's about a people.
Double hint : Two, to be exact.

 

[mayor]

What? It was Julius Caesar at Alesia?
...
I wasn't completely serious, probably because 'confederates' reminded me of the American Civil War. The last two lines reminded me of how Julius Caesar built two palisades : one to keep Vercingetorix in Alesia and another one to keep his reinforcements out.
I suppose ' a few made haste ' was about how some arrived there earlier than others?
The Gallic tribes made a 'confederation' to kick Julius Caesar out of Gallia.

Yeah I was afraid the two wall line would be to easy.
'A few made haste' was about the Gallic cavalry detachment that broke through Roman lines to get reinforcements.
and the confederates refers indeed to the Gallic Tribes (And yes I was hoping that people would confuse this with the American Civil War )

Buildings high, art so fine,
but no cars and cavemen's sticks.
From the east their prophecy came
and as animals they were kept.

hmmm

'Buildings high, art so fine' can also refer to the churches and cathedrals in Europe and the Christian art
'but no cars and cavemen's sticks'
I think this is about a period between era or a period that can be defined as a transition? something like the Renaissance?
'From the east their prophecy came' This could be aligned with the first line.. Christian churches/art were based on (duuh) Christianity which came from the east (for Europe).
'and as animals they were kept' this has to be slavery in my mind.... this could be about the Christian slaves the Muslim Arabs used to keep..


soo... is it about the Muslim Arabs and Christian Europeans?