Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers.
Shortly after the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), public debt grew to more than $75 million and continued to swell considerably over the next four decades to nearly $120 million. However, President Andrew Jackson shrank that debt to zero in 1835. It was the only time in U.S. history when the country was free of debt.
DEBTS, REVOLUTIONARY WAR. DEBTS, REVOLUTIONARY WAR. The arcane details of the assumption and funding programs engineered by Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in 1790 do not detract from their paramount importance in establishing the supremacy of national power over states' rights.