American History Quiz

American Revolution and Founding

• 1776: Declaration of Independence declared the 13 American colonies' independence from Great Britain
• 1781: Articles of Confederation, the first US constitution, was adopted
• 1787: The Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation, was written
• 1787: The Great Compromise established a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives
• 1787: The 3/5 Compromise counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation purposes

Bill of Rights and Amendments

• 1791: The Bill of Rights, comprising the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, was ratified
• Amendments to the Constitution have been made to expand individual rights and freedoms

Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion

• 1840s: Manifest Destiny, the belief that the US was destined to expand its territory, led to westward expansion
• Indian removal policies, including the Trail of Tears, forcibly relocated Native Americans from their lands
• The US government's Indian policy was often marked by violence and coercion

Slavery and Abolition

• Slavery was a central institution in the US, particularly in the South
• Abolitionist movements, including resistance to slavery, emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries

Causes of the Civil War

• The Civil War was fought between the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South) from 1861 to 1865
• The North had several advantages over the South, including industrial capacity, population, and transportation networks

Reconstruction and Civil Rights

• The Civil War Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th) abolished slavery and granted citizenship and voting rights to African Americans
• Jim Crow Laws, enacted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement
• The Civil Rights Movement, led by figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X, fought for racial equality and justice

Industrialization and Reform

• The Market Revolution and Industrial Revolution transformed the US economy in the 19th and early 20th centuries
• The Progressive Era, led by figures such as John Muir, focused on reform and conservation
• Muckrakers and journalists exposed social and economic ills, leading to reforms

World War I and the Roaring Twenties

• The US entered World War I in 1917 and played a significant role in the Allied victory
• The 1920s saw significant cultural and social changes, including the rise of flappers and jazz music
• Technological advances, such as the automobile and radio, transformed American life
• Prohibition, enacted in 1920, banned the sale and manufacture of alcohol

Great Depression and World War II

• The Market Crash of 1929 led to the Great Depression, a global economic downturn
• The Dust Bowl, a severe drought and dust storm, affected the Great Plains region
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, launched in 1933, implemented a series of reforms and programs to address the Depression
• The US entered World War II in 1941 and played a significant role in the Allied victory
• The Japanese Internment, during which Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated, was a controversial policy

Cold War and Civil Rights

• The GI Bill, enacted in 1944, provided benefits to veterans
• The Iron Curtain, a phrase coined by Winston Churchill, described the division of Europe during the Cold War
• The Marshall Plan, launched in 1948, provided economic aid to war-torn Europe
• NATO, a military alliance established in 1949, aimed to counter Soviet power
• McCarthyism, a period of anti-communist suspicion and paranoia, lasted from the late 1940s to the late 1950s
• The Korean War, fought from 1950 to 1953, was a key conflict of the Cold War
• The Civil Rights Movement, led by figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X, continued to fight for racial equality and justice
• Landmark Supreme Court cases, such as Brown v. Board of Education, struck down segregation and discrimination
• Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice, was appointed in 1967

American Revolution and Founding

• 1776: Declaration of Independence declared the 13 American colonies' independence from Great Britain
• 1781: Articles of Confederation, the first US constitution, was adopted
• 1787: The Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation, was written
• 1787: The Great Compromise established a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives
• 1787: The 3/5 Compromise counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation purposes

Bill of Rights and Amendments

• 1791: The Bill of Rights, comprising the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, was ratified
• Amendments to the Constitution have been made to expand individual rights and freedoms

Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion

• 1840s: Manifest Destiny, the belief that the US was destined to expand its territory, led to westward expansion
• Indian removal policies, including the Trail of Tears, forcibly relocated Native Americans from their lands
• The US government's Indian policy was often marked by violence and coercion

Slavery and Abolition

• Slavery was a central institution in the US, particularly in the South
• Abolitionist movements, including resistance to slavery, emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries

Causes of the Civil War

• The Civil War was fought between the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South) from 1861 to 1865
• The North had several advantages over the South, including industrial capacity, population, and transportation networks

Reconstruction and Civil Rights

• The Civil War Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th) abolished slavery and granted citizenship and voting rights to African Americans
• Jim Crow Laws, enacted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement
• The Civil Rights Movement, led by figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X, fought for racial equality and justice

Industrialization and Reform

• The Market Revolution and Industrial Revolution transformed the US economy in the 19th and early 20th centuries
• The Progressive Era, led by figures such as John Muir, focused on reform and conservation
• Muckrakers and journalists exposed social and economic ills, leading to reforms

World War I and the Roaring Twenties

• The US entered World War I in 1917 and played a significant role in the Allied victory
• The 1920s saw significant cultural and social changes, including the rise of flappers and jazz music
• Technological advances, such as the automobile and radio, transformed American life
• Prohibition, enacted in 1920, banned the sale and manufacture of alcohol

Great Depression and World War II

• The Market Crash of 1929 led to the Great Depression, a global economic downturn
• The Dust Bowl, a severe drought and dust storm, affected the Great Plains region
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, launched in 1933, implemented a series of reforms and programs to address the Depression
• The US entered World War II in 1941 and played a significant role in the Allied victory
• The Japanese Internment, during which Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated, was a controversial policy

Cold War and Civil Rights

• The GI Bill, enacted in 1944, provided benefits to veterans
• The Iron Curtain, a phrase coined by Winston Churchill, described the division of Europe during the Cold War
• The Marshall Plan, launched in 1948, provided economic aid to war-torn Europe
• NATO, a military alliance established in 1949, aimed to counter Soviet power
• McCarthyism, a period of anti-communist suspicion and paranoia, lasted from the late 1940s to the late 1950s
• The Korean War, fought from 1950 to 1953, was a key conflict of the Cold War
• The Civil Rights Movement, led by figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X, continued to fight for racial equality and justice
• Landmark Supreme Court cases, such as Brown v. Board of Education, struck down segregation and discrimination
• Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice, was appointed in 1967