(Encyclopedia) Terence (Publius Terentius Afer)Terencetĕrˈəns [key], b. c.185 or c.195 b.c., d. c.159 b.c., Roman writer of comedies, b. Carthage. As a boy he was a slave of Terentius Lucanus, a…
(Encyclopedia) Cameron, Verney LovettCameron, Verney Lovettkămˈərən [key], 1844–94, English traveler in Africa. A naval officer, he served (1868) in the British expedition against Ethiopia and…
(Encyclopedia) Wheatley, Phillis, 1753?–1784, American poet, considered the first important black writer in the United States. Brought from Africa in 1761, she became a house slave for the Boston…
(Encyclopedia) Gorman, Arthur Pue, 1839–1906, American legislator, b. Woodstock, Md. After serving from 1869 to 1879 in the Maryland legislature, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1880. Gorman had…
(Encyclopedia) whistle-blowing, exposure of fraud and abuse by an employee. The federal law that legitimated the concept of the whistle-blower, the False Claims Act (1863, revised 1986), was created…
(Encyclopedia) national bank, in the United States, financial institution of a class authorized by Congress in acts of 1863 and 1864. The acts were intended to provide a way of marketing the large…
TURNER, Benjamin Sterling, a Representative from Alabama; born near Weldon, Halifax County, N.C., March 17, 1825; raised as a slave; received no early education; moved to Alabama in 1830 and…
VINTON, Samuel Finley, a Representative from Ohio; born in South Hadley, Mass., September 25, 1792; was graduated from Williams College, Williamstown, Mass., in 1814; studied law; was admitted…
SHEREDINE, Upton, a Representative from Maryland; born near Baltimore, Baltimore County, Md., in 1740; moved to a farm near Liberty, Frederick County, Md., in 1754; pursued academic studies;…
Members of Congress don't need postage stamps for their official mail—they just need a frank. No, not a hot dog! It's their signature on the outside of envelopes that hold letters mailed to…
