| 22nd Amendment |
an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that ensures that no person can be elected to more than two four-year terms as President of the United States. The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, was passed in reaction to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office. |
| abolition |
(cap.) the end of slavery in the United States. [1/2 definitions] |
| abolitionism |
advocacy of or legal movement toward abolition, esp. of slavery in the United States. |
| Abraham Lincoln |
the 16th President of the United States (1861-1865), who was Commander-in-Chief of the Union troops during the American Civil War and who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, thus bringing an end to slavery in the United States (b.1809--d.1865). |
| Abscam |
in the United States, an FBI investigation in 1978-80, as a result of which several members of Congress were indicted for taking bribes from FBI agents posing as Arab businessmen. |
| Abu Dhabi |
the capital of the United Arab Emirates. |
| ACLU |
abbreviation of "American Civil Liberties Union," an organization that works to defend and preserve the civil rights of citizens in the United States. |
| air command |
a major unit in a military air force, esp. in the United States. |
| all-American |
pertaining to an individual or group of players selected as the best in the United States in any particular sport. [1/5 definitions] |
| Allies |
in World War II, the nations that fought against the Axis, esp. Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States. [1/2 definitions] |
| alligator |
either of two large crocodilian reptiles found in China and the southeastern United States and distinguished by their short broad snouts. |
| amen corner |
in some Protestant churches in the southern United States, a seating section for those who lead the congregation's responses of "amen." |
| America |
the United States. [1/3 definitions] |
| American |
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the United States or its peoples, culture, language, government, or the like. [4/5 definitions] |
| American Civil Liberties Union |
an organization that works to defend and preserve the civil rights of citizens in the United States. |
| American eagle |
the bald eagle, esp. as shown on the great seal of the United States. |
| American English |
the English language as spoken and written in the United States. |
| Americanism |
in the United States, patriotism, or devotion to U.S. customs, institutions, or the like. [1/3 definitions] |
| Amish |
a Christian sect that separated from the Mennonites in the seventeenth century, the members of which advocate simple living and now live mostly in farming areas of the northeastern United States. [1/3 definitions] |
| Apache |
any member of a formerly nomadic North American Indian tribe chiefly inhabiting the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. [1/2 definitions] |
| Appalachia |
a region in the United States extending from southwestern Pennsylvania to northwestern Georgia and including the southern Appalachian Mountains. |