1001 People Who Made America - Alan Axelrod [3]
Alcott, Amos Bronson (1799–1888) Innovative educator, vegetarian, abolitionist, and advocate of women’s rights, Alcott developed with Ralph Waldo Emerson the Transcendentalist school of philosophy, which sought to penetrate to higher spiritual truths by the close study of the natural world. This philosophy profoundly influenced American literature and art throughout most of the 19th century.
Alcott, Louisa May (1832–1888) Second daughter of the Transcendentalist philosopher Amos Bronson Alcott, Louisa May Alcott realized that her highly spiritual but totally impractical father was bringing the family to financial ruin; she therefore embarked on a career as an author of books for young people, producing a string of hits, including Little Women (1868–1869), about the coming of age of four daughters during the era of the Civil War. Frail and overworked, Alcott died just two days after her father.
Alger, Horatio (1832–1899) The son of a Unitarian minister, Alger graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors from Harvard University in 1852 and enrolled in Harvard Divinity School. He preached until 1866, when he was forced out of his Brewster (Massachusetts) pulpit by charges of sexual misconduct with local boys. Alger fled to New York City and began writing books about desperately poor lads who, by virtue of hard work and courage—“pluck and luck”—rise to great wealth. During three decades, he wrote more than 100 enormously successful rags-to-riches novels purveying the profoundly influential mythology of anything-is-possible in America.
Ali, Muhammad (1942– ) One of the greatest athletes in history, Ali was a three-time world heavyweight boxing champion. He was also a compelling champion of civil rights, a protester against the Vietnam War, and a dedicated member of the Black Muslims (Nation of Islam). Born Cassius Clay, he was raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and encouraged by a local white police officer, Joe Martin, to train at a neighborhood gym. Clay went on to win an Olympic gold medal at age 18 (which he later renounced in protest over racism in the United States) and went on to a spectacular professional career. Influenced by Malcolm X, he converted to Islam (as a “Black Muslim”) and stirred controversy by adopting a Muslim name, Muhammad Ali. In 1966, during the Vietnam War, he refused to accept conscription in the U.S. Army and was stripped of his heavyweight title. His many supporters saw this as a bold act of civil disobedience.
Allen, Ethan (1738–1789) This rambunctious Vermonter fought in the French and Indian War, then raised a local militia called the Green Mountain Boys (1770), which he led in the capture of British Fort Ticonderoga, New York (May 10, 1775) during the revolution. A subsequent attempt to take Montreal (September 1775) failed miserably.
Altgeld, John Peter (1847–1902) As Democratic governor of Illinois (1893–1897), Altgeld reformed the state’s penal system and promoted strict child labor laws, but when he courageously pardoned (June 26, 1893) German-American anarchists unjustly condemned to death for involvement in Chicago’s Haymarket Riot of May 4, 1886 (in which seven Chicago policemen were killed), he destroyed his political career. Out of office, he returned to the private practice of law with his partner, Clarence Darrow.
Ames, Oakes (1804–1873) At 16, Ames took over his family’s modest shovel-manufacturing business and transformed it into a multimillion-dollar business triumph, for which he became nationally known as the “Ace of Spades.” Anxious to complete the floundering transcontinental railroad, Abraham Lincoln asked Ames to oversee financing the massive project. The result was the founding of Crédit Mobilier, whose investors essentially paid themselves to build the railroad at inflated prices. The Union Pacific-Central Pacific got built, but the Crédit Mobilier scandal destroyed Ames’ reputation.
Anastasia, Alberto (1902–1957) Emigrating from Italy in 1919, Anastasia became the chief executioner of the Giuseppe