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Pierre Soulé
Pierre Soulé , 1801-70, American political leader and diplomat, b. Castillon, France. A lawyer, he was imprisoned for republican activities against the conservative Bourbons, but he escaped and fled (1825) to the United States. He ultimately became a citizen of New Orleans and a power in the ...
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James Ensor Ensor, Baron
James Ensor Ensor, Baron , 1860-1949, Belgian painter and etcher. Ensor's imagery reflected one of the most bizarre and powerful visions of his era. He left his native Ostend to study painting (1877-80) at the Académie de Bruxelles. In Brussels he became one of the original members of "Les ...
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Michel de Ghelderode
Michel de Ghelderode , 1898-1962, Belgian dramatist. He wrote in French and is noted for his colorful and avant-garde plays. He lived in obscurity until 1949, when he gained prominence with the production of Fastes d'enfer (1929). His vast output reveals his use of many sources; Barabbas (1928),...
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William Learned Marcy
William Learned Marcy 1786-1857, American politician, b. Southbridge, Mass. He settled in Troy, N.Y., where he practiced law and, after serving in the War of 1812, held local offices. A Democrat and a partisan of Martin Van Buren , Marcy entered the political group known as the Albany Regency , o...
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Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce 1804-69, 14th President of the United States (1853-57), b. Hillsboro, N.H., grad. Bowdoin College, 1824. Admitted to the bar in 1827, he entered politics as a Jacksonian Democrat, like his father, Benjamin Pierce, who was twice elected governor of New Hampshire (1827, 1829). He serv...
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James Buchanan
James Buchanan 1791-1868, 15th President of the United States (1857-61), b. near Mercersburg, Pa., grad. Dickinson College, 1809.
Early Career
Buchanan studied law at Lancaster, Pa., and in practice there gained a considerable reputation for his wide learning and brilliant oratory. Thus p...
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Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis 1808-89, American statesman, President of the Southern Confederacy, b. Fairview, near Elkton, Ky. His birthday was June 3.
Early Life
Davis's parents moved to Mississippi when he was a boy. He was given a classical education at Transylvania Univ. and was appointed to West ...
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World War I
World War I 1914-18, also known as the Great War, conflict, chiefly in Europe, among most of the great Western powers. It was the largest war the world had yet seen.
Causes
World War I was immediately precipitated by the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a ...
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Cuba
Cuba , officially Republic of Cuba, republic (2005 est. pop. 11,347,000), 42,804 sq mi (110,860 sq km), consisting of the island of Cuba and numerous adjacent islands, in the Caribbean Sea. Havana is the capital and largest city.
Land and People
Cuba is the largest and westernmost of the...
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slavery
slavery institution based on a relationship of dominance and submission, whereby one person owns another and can exact from that person labor or other services. Slavery has been found among many groups of low material culture, as in the Malay Peninsula and among some Native Americans; it also has o...
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