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Indian Removal Act

(Encyclopedia)Indian Removal Act, in U.S. history, law signed by President Andrew Jackson in 1830 providing for the general resettlement of Native Americans to lands W of the Mississippi River. From 1830 to 1840 ap...

Tabor

(Encyclopedia)Tabor, in the Bible. 1 Mt. Tabor. 2 Levitical city. 3 Oak (AV mistranslates “plain”), near Bethel, on Saul's way home after his anointing. ...

Beth-aven

(Encyclopedia)Beth-aven bĕth-āˈvĕn [key], in the Bible, town of ancient Palestine, between Bethel and Michmash. It is probably used as an abusive name for Bethel in the Book of Hosea. The prophet seems to use A...

Brush, George de Forest

(Encyclopedia)Brush, George de Forest, 1855–1941, American painter, b. Shelbyville, Tenn., studied in New York City at the National Academy of Design and with Gérôme in Paris. His early, scrupulously realistic ...

star cluster

(Encyclopedia)star cluster, a group of stars near each other in space and resembling each other in certain characteristics that suggest a common origin for the group. Stars in the same cluster move at the same rate...

Paine, Albert Bigelow

(Encyclopedia)Paine, Albert Bigelow, 1861–1937, American author, b. New Bedford, Mass. He is best remembered as the author of the authorized biography of Mark Twain (3 vol., 1912) and as the editor of Twain's let...

Colter, John

(Encyclopedia)Colter, John kōlˈtər [key], c.1775–1813, American trapper and guide, b. Virginia. In 1803 he enlisted in the Lewis and Clark expedition and in 1806, on the return trip, was granted a discharge to...

operetta

(Encyclopedia)operetta ŏpərĕtˈə [key], type of light opera with a frivolous, sentimental story, often employing parody and satire and containing both spoken dialogue and much light, pleasant music. In the earl...

Magenta, town, Italy

(Encyclopedia)Magenta mäjānˈtä [key], town (1991 pop. 23,667), Lombardy, N Italy, near Milan. Manufactures include matches, textiles, and machinery. At the Ticino River nearby, the French and the Sardinians won...

self-fulfilling prophecy

(Encyclopedia)self-fulfilling prophecy, a concept developed by Robert K. Merton to explain how a belief or expectation, whether correct or not, affects the outcome of a situation or the way a person (or group) will...