Can You Ace This American History Quiz?

The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. That's why we celebrate with fireworks on the 4th of July! It wasn't actually signed until August 2 of the same year.

President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. This is famously called the Louisiana Purchase.

Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were written. Today, the hall is a landmark of American history.

The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the Civil War. The Confederate troops never invaded the North again.

The Civil War began in 1861 and lasted to 1865. Abraham Lincoln was the president at the time.

The U.S. Constitution was written in 1787. That was 11 years after we declared independence.

A tariff is a tax on goods that are imported. There was a lot of controversy about British tariffs before the American Revolution.

An abolitionist was someone that wanted to end slavery in the U.S. The Civil War eventually led to abolition.

The opening shots of the American Revolution were fired in Massachusetts. That was at Lexington and Concord in 1775.

Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States should own all the land between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Manifest Destiny became a reality.

Fort Sumter is located in South Carolina. The first shots of the Civil War were fired there.

Our government is a representative government. That means that voters elect representatives to make laws for them.

Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. This officially ended the Civil War.

Mercantilism is an economic theory. It states that a country's strength comes from gold, selling more than it buys, and devoting the colonies to the benefit of the Mother Country.

In our country, we have 3 branches of government. These are the Legislative, Judicial and Executive branches.

The Temperance Movement was a campaign against the sale and drinking of alcohol. That didn't last for very long!

The Gettysburg Address was made by Abraham Lincoln. It was to dedicate the cemetery to soldiers that died at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. It was the official end of slavery in this country.

A Republic is a kind of nation. It's where voters choose representatives to govern them.

Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America. It was founded in 1607.

The Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms. It also protects the right to organize militias, or armies.

Benjamin Franklin wore many hats. He was a statesman, diplomat, signer of the Declaration of Independence and delegate to the Constitutional Convention.

"Common Sense" was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was meant to convince the colonists that it was time to become independent.

The Statue of Liberty is associated with NYC, but it’s actually in New Jersey! It’s in Jersey City, to be exact.

Sam Adams was a member of the Sons of Liberty. They started the Committee of Correspondence to gain public support for the revolution.

The Smithsonian is the most popular museum in the U.S. To be specific, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in D.C. is the most popular.

King George III was not a favorite among colonialists. He taxed the colonies and refused the Olive Branch Petition that led to the final break with the colonies.

The Battle of Saratoga is considered to be the turning point in the American Revolution. The defeat of the Brits at Yorktown was the end of the Revolution.

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. He would go on to be our third president.

The Magna Carta was the first document that limited the power of the ruler. It was signed in 1215 by King John of England.

The American Bill of Rights is based on the English Bill of Rights. Seems fitting that we should have one too.

The Great Compromise divided Congress into two houses. One house was based on population, while the other was based on equal representation to each state.

George Washington advised us in his Farewell Address to stay “neutral in its relations with other nations.” He also said that we should avoid "entangling alliances."

Loyalty to the state over the country is known as sectionalism. It was very much not what the Founding Fathers intended.

The First Amendment is a pretty remarkable thing. It protects freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.