Europe could’ve been much different during the Middle Ages if they had lost the Battle of Tours to the Muslims
Because Trojan War story falls into the category of myth. Scholars who study the old stories divide them into three groups: myth, legend, and folktale. Myths generally involve the supernatural, in the form of Gods, monsters and superheroes. The mythology of people can help explain their past and define their values. For many groups in the past, and many today, their myths represent truth. Legends may also be considered true by those who tell them, though they do not involve supernatural elements. Commonly, we use the terms myth and legend in place of one another or both are part of old belief systems. Folktales may contain fantasy elements similar to some myths, yet no one believes that they are true. Rather, they are told as a form of entertainment, or as fables, which are stories that teach a moral lesson.
The "great act" referred to by Senator Sumner in this excerpt is "The addition of Hiram Rhodes Revels to the U.S. Senate."
What Senator Charles Sumter said in 1870 was the following: "All men are created equal, says the great Declaration and now a great act attests this verity. Today we make the Declaration a reality. ... The Declaration was only half established by Independence. The greatest duty remained behind. In assuring the equal rights of all we complete the work."
Hiram Revels became the first African American to enter the Senate of the United States Congress when the Republicans supported him on February 25, 1870.
