American Indian Movement (AIM) Civil rights organization founded in 1968, originally to help urban American Indians displaced by
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American Indian religions ► American Revolution I 59
government programs. It later broadened its efforts to include demands for economic independence, autonomy over tribal areas, restoration of illegally seized lands, and protection of Indian legal rights and traditional culture. Some of its protest activities involved violence and were highly publicized (see Wounded Knee). Internal strife and the imprisonment of some leaders led to the disbanding of its national leadership in 1978, though local groups have continued to function.
American Indian religions. North Religious beliefs and practices of the indigenous peoples of North America. They are characterized by a conviction that spirit moves through all things, animate and inanimate, and that the living are intimately connected with the souls of the dead. They discover recognizable beings in the natural world of animals, plants, and trees, as well as in natural features such as mountains, lakes, and clouds. Because North American religions were so highly localized, it is impossible to determine how many have existed, and their beliefs have varied widely. Whereas Iroquois elders speak of a perfectly wise and good Creator who planned the universe, the Koyukon envision the creator as Raven, a trickster god who is only one of many powerful spirits. Whereas nearly all Navajo ceremonies are performed on behalf of individuals in response to specific needs, most Pueblo ceremonies are performed com¬ munally and scheduled according to the cycles of nature. However, all native North American religions share certain features: ancestral lands and locally sacred spots are important; access to some knowledge is restricted, and initiation is required to acquire it; kinship obligations are central; the oral tradition includes narratives that record human interaction with non¬ human powers; and generosity is a religious act. Contact with Europeans led to development of new religious movements, including the Ghost Dance tradition and the Native American Church. See also Mesoamerican religions.
American Indian religions. South Religious beliefs and practices of the indigenous peoples of South America. The ancient Andean civiliza¬ tions of the Chimu and the Inca had highly developed religions. The Inca religion combined complex ceremonies, animistic beliefs, belief in objects having magical powers, nature worship, and sun worship. The Incas built monumental temples, occupied by priests and Chosen Women. Priests conducted divination, and sacrifices were offered on every important occa¬ sion. Human sacrifice was offered when the need was extreme. In present- day South America, as many as 1,500 distinct native cultures have been described, and religious beliefs vary greatly. Creation mythologies are of major importance, often describing the origin of the first world and its fate as well as the creation and destruction of subsequent worlds. Cer¬ emonial initiation into adulthood is widely practiced, both for males and females, with the initiation ceremony often acting out events from the dawn of creation. Initiations are also used to mark the ascent of individu¬ als into positions of religious authority, with priests, diviners, and spirit mediums playing special roles. The shaman specializes in inducing states of ecstasy, controlling the passage of the soul out of and back into the body. Ritual fires, musical instruments (especially the rattle), esoteric lan¬ guages, and sacred songs may be used in a theatrical performance designed to demonstrate the shaman’s command of invisible powers. Christianity has come to be a strong component of folk belief among many native peoples, but it continues to be interpreted in the light of local tra¬ dition, and elements of traditional religion continue to survive. See also Mesoamerican religions.
American Labor Party Minor political party organized in New York state in 1936. It was founded by the labour leaders Sidney Hillman and David Dubinsky and by liberal Democrats and old-line socialists. The party supported Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs and backed candi¬ dates who endorsed liberal social legislation. Though influential in New York City elections, after 1940 it was plagued by divisions between pro- and anti-communist factions. It was dissolved in 1956.
American League (AL) One of the two associations of professional baseball teams in the U.S. and Canada designated as major leagues; the other is the National League (NL). The AL was founded in 1900, and, beginning in 1903, the champions of the AL and NL have engaged in an annual World Series competition. There are now three divisions in the AL: Eastern (comprising the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays), Central (Chi¬ cago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins), and Western (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers).
American Legion Organization of U.S. war veterans. Founded in 1919, it works for the care of disabled and sick veterans and promotes compensation and pensions for the disabled, widows, and orphans. Non¬ political and nonsectarian, its membership requirement is honourable ser¬ vice and an honourable discharge. It was instrumental in establishing veterans’ hospitals, and it sponsored the creation of the U.S. Veterans Administration in 1930. In 1944 it played an important role in the pas¬ sage of the Gl Bill. The American Legion claims about three million mem¬ bers in some 15,000 local posts, or groups.
American Medical Association (AMA) Organization of U.S. phy¬ sicians. It was founded in 1847 “to promote the science and art of medi¬ cine and the betterment of public health.” It has about 250,000 members, about half of all practicing U.S. physicians. It disseminates information to its members and the public, operates as a lobbying group, and helps set medical education standards. Its publications include Journal of the American Medical Association, American Medical News, and journals on medical specialties.
American Motors Corp. (AMC) Former U.S. automobile manufac¬ turer. AMC was formed in 1954 from the merger of two pioneering auto manufacturers, Nash-Kelvinator Corp. (successor to Nash Motor Co., founded 1916) and Hudson Motor Car Co. (founded 1909). AMC pro¬ duced AMC compact cars, AM General trucks and buses, and, until 1968, Kelvinator appliances. Jeeps joined the product line after AMC purchased the Kaiser-Jeep Corp. (dating to 1903) in 1970. AMC became a subsid¬ iary of Chrysler Corp. in 1987, which in turn merged with Daimler-Benz in 1998 to form DaimlerChrysler AG.
American Museum of Natural History Major centre of research and education on the natural sciences, established in New York City in 1869. It pioneered in staging field expeditions and creating dioramas and other lifelike exhibits showing natural habitats and their plant and animal life. Its research collections contain tens of millions of specimens, and its fossil and insect collections are among the largest in the world. It con¬ ducts research in anthropology, astronomy, entomology, herpetology, ich¬ thyology, invertebrate biology, mammalogy, mineralogy, ornithology, and vertebrate paleontology, and it maintains permanent research stations in The Bahamas and the U.S. states of New York, Florida, and Arizona. It also contains one of the world’s largest planetariums.