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civil service
civil service entire body of those employed in the civil administration as distinct from the military and excluding elected officials. The term was used in designating the British administration of India, and its first application elsewhere was in 1854 in England. Modern civil service personnel are...
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selective service
selective service in U.S. history, term for conscription .
Conscription was established (1863) in the U.S. Civil War, but proved unpopular (see draft riots ). The law authorized release from service to anyone who furnished a substitute and, at first, to those who paid $300. General conscript...
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Postal Service, U.S.
Postal Service, U.S. For most of its history, the postal service was the nation's largest civilian institution and the federal government's most visible manifestation in Americans’ everyday lives. Empowered by the Constitution to “establish Post Offices and post Roads,” Congress...
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United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture federal executive department established in 1862, whose head was made a cabinet member in 1889. The department administers federal programs related to food production and rural life. The department's principal duty is to aid farmers, but it also serves consum...
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North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), accord establishing a free-trade zone in North America; it was signed in 1992 by Canada, Mexico, and the United States and took effect on Jan. 1, 1994. NAFTA immediately lifted tariffs on the majority of goods produced by the signatory nations. It also c...
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gross domestic product
gross domestic product (GDP) Total amount of goods and services produced by a country annually. It does not include income from investments or overseas possessions. GDP gives an indication of the strength of national industry. See also gross national product (GNP)...
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Medicaid
Medicaid national health insurance program in the United States for low-income persons; established in 1965 with passage of the Social Security Amendments and now run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The federal role in Medicaid is limited to setting standards, issuing regulations...
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AARP
AARP a nonprofit, nonpartisan national organization dedicated to "enriching the experience of aging" ; membership is open to people age 50 or older. Founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus as American Association of Retired Persons, AARP now has over 30 million members, enabling it to act as a pow...
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American Automobile Association
American Automobile Association (AAA), federation of American automobile clubs, est. 1902. AAA provides a number of benefits to its members, including emergency road service; national and international travel assistance, e.g., state maps, guidebooks, and trip routing; financial and credit services;...
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conscription
conscription compulsory enrollment of personnel for service in the armed forces. Obligatory service in the armed forces has existed since ancient times in many cultures, including the samurai in Japan, warriors in the Aztec Empire, citizen militiamen in ancient Greece and Rome, and aristocrats an...
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