Chapter 27 - Allusions

Bob Taylor: Robert Love Taylor, late 19th Century orator and politician. See a picture of and read more about Robert Taylor.

Ad Astra Per Aspera: Latin for "To the stars through difficulties"

Cotton Tom Heflin: J. Thomas "Cotton Tom" Heflin was an orator and Republican politician. Heflin was Secretary of State in Alabama at the beginning of the century and served in the U.S. Congress (1905-1920) and the Senate (1921-1931). Heflin's political support was drawn chiefly from rural voters and members of the Ku Klux Klan.

dog Victrolas: a reference to the advertising symbol of RCA/Victor; a dog, known as "Nipper," looking into the horn of a gramophone or Victrola. Find out more about Nipper.

Ladies' Law: From the Criminal Code of Alabama, Vol. III, 1907: "Any person who enters into, or goes sufficiently near to the dwelling house of another, and, in the presence or hearing of the family of the occupant thereof, or any member of his family, or any person who, in the presence or hearing of any girl or woman, uses abusive, insulting or obscene language must, on conviction, be fined not more than two hundred dollars, and may also be imprisoned in the county jail, or sentenced to hard labour for the county for not more than six months."

National Recovery Act: better known as the National Recovery Administration or the NRA. The NRA was a series of programs set up to help the nation, especially the nation's businesses, recover from the effects of the Great Depression. It was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1935. See an NRA Poster.

nine old men: the members of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court declared the NRA unconstitutional in 1935.

NRA-WE DO OUR PART: the motto of the National Recovery Administration (NRA).

Syrians: People from Syria, a country at the northwest part of the Mediterranean region, south of Turkey. See a map of Syria.

WPA: During the Great Depression, when millions of Americans were out of work, the government instituted the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and employed over eight million people.

Chapter 28 - Allusions

three-corner hats, confederate caps, Spanish-American War hats, and World War helmets: all references to the headgear of various soldiers from different wars. See a picture of men in three-cornered hats, a picture of a confederate soldier, a photograph of a group of soldiers from the Spanish-American War, and a photo of World War I soldier.