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Cambridge Platform

(Encyclopedia)Cambridge Platform, declaration of principles of church government and discipline, forming in fact a constitution of the Congregational churches. It was adopted (1648) by a church synod at Cambridge, ...

Bourinot, Sir John George

(Encyclopedia)Bourinot, Sir John George bo͝orˈĭnōˌ [key], 1837–1902, Canadian historian and political scientist, b. Sydney, N.S. He is remembered as an authority on the Canadian constitution and government. ...

Norris, George William

(Encyclopedia)Norris, George William, 1861–1944, American legislator, b. Sandusky co., Ohio. After admission to the bar in 1883, he moved (1885) to Furnas co., Nebr., where he practiced law and was prosecuting at...

Northern Cape

(Encyclopedia)Northern Cape, province (2011 pop. 1,145,861), 144,015 sq mi (372,889 sq km), NW South Africa. In 1994, under South Africa's post-apartheid constitution, Northern Cape was created from the northern po...

Lerdo de Tejada, Miguel

(Encyclopedia)Lerdo de Tejada, Miguel mēgĕlˈ lĕrˈᵺō dā tāhäˈᵺä [key], d. 1861, Mexican liberal statesman, a leader of the Revolution of Ayutla, cabinet member under Juan Álvarez. As minister under C...

national assembly

(Encyclopedia)national assembly, name of a number of past and present constituent or legislative bodies. In France, under the constitutions of the Fourth and Fifth republics, the lower house of parliament has been ...

martial law

(Encyclopedia)martial law, temporary government and control by military authorities of a territory or state, when war or overwhelming public disturbance makes the civil authorities of the region unable to enforce i...

Bar, Confederation of

(Encyclopedia)Bar, Confederation of, union formed in 1768 at Bar, in Podolia (now in W Ukraine), by a number of Polish nobles to oppose the interference of Catherine II of Russia in Polish affairs. Headed by the Pu...

Banda, Hastings Kamuzu

(Encyclopedia)Banda, Hastings Kamuzu kämo͞oˈzo͞o bänˈdə [key], 1902?–97, African political leader, president of Malawi (1966–94). A son of peasants, he received a medical degree in the United States and ...

Scalia, Antonin

(Encyclopedia)Scalia, Antonin, 1936–2016, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1986–2016), b. Trenton, N.J. He graduated from Harvard Law School (1960) and subsequently taught law at the Univ. of Virgin...