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Preston, John Smith

(Encyclopedia)Preston, John Smith, 1809–81, Confederate general in the American Civil War, b. near Abingdon, Va. He practiced law at Abingdon and Columbia, S.C., but made his fortune operating a Louisiana sugar p...

Irish Land Question

(Encyclopedia)Irish Land Question, name given in the 19th cent. to the problem of land ownership and agrarian distress in Ireland under British rule. The long-term result of conquest, confiscation, and colonization...

Douglas, Archibald, 3d earl of Douglas

(Encyclopedia)Douglas, Archibald, 3d earl of Douglas, 1328?–1400?, Scottish nobleman; illegitimate son of Sir James de Douglas, lord of Douglas. In 1361 he became constable of Edinburgh and in 1364 and 1368 he wa...

Government Publishing Office, United States

(Encyclopedia)Government Publishing Office, United States (GPO), federal bureau originally authorized in 1860 that performs printing and binding for Congress and federal departments and agencies, distributes govern...

gun control

(Encyclopedia)gun control, government limitation of the purchase and ownership of firearms. The availability of guns is controlled by nations and localities throughout the world. In the United States the “right o...

Brackenridge, Henry Marie

(Encyclopedia)Brackenridge, Henry Marie, 1786–1871, American writer, b. Pittsburgh; son of Hugh Henry Brackenridge. Admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1806, he moved to St. Louis, where he was a lawyer and journ...

Bogalusa

(Encyclopedia)Bogalusa bōgəlo͞oˈsə [key], city (2020 pop. 10,659), Washington parish, SE La.; inc. 1914. It ...

Holland Land Company

(Encyclopedia)Holland Land Company, Dutch enterprise active in the settlement of much of W New York and some of NW Pennsylvania. Organized by Dutch bankers in 1796, it secured lands in New York (known as the Hollan...

Snow, John William

(Encyclopedia)Snow, John William, 1939–, U.S. government official and business executive, b. Toledo, Ohio. An economist and lawyer, he held Dept. of Transportation posts in the Nixon and Ford administrations incl...

puts and calls

(Encyclopedia)puts and calls, in securities trading. A call is a contract that gives the holder the right to purchase a given stock at a specific price within a designated period of time. It is the opposite of a pu...