Part 1: American Government

A: Principles of American Democracy

• 1. What is the supreme law of the land?
  The Constitution
• 2. What does the Constitution do?
  Sets up the government; Defines the government; Protects basic rights of Americans
• 3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
  We the People
• 4. What is an amendment?
  A change (to the Constitution); An addition (to the Constitution)
• 5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
  The Bill of Rights
• 6. *What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
  Speech; Religion; Assembly; Press; Petition the government
• 7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
  27
• 8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
  Announced our independence (from Great Britain)
• 9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
  Life; Liberty; Pursuit of happiness
• 10. What is freedom of religion?
  You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
• 11. *What is the economic system in the United States?
  Capitalist economy; Market economy
• 12. What is the “rule of law”?
  Everyone must follow the law; Leaders must obey the law; Government must obey the law; No one is above the law.

B: System of Government

• 13. *Name one branch or part of the government.
  Congress (Legislative); President (Executive); The Courts (Judicial)
• 14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
  Checks and balances; Separation of powers
• 15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
  The President
• 16. Who makes federal laws?
  Congress; Senate and House
• 17. *What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
  The Senate and House of Representatives
• 18. How many U.S. Senators are there?
  100
• 19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
  6
• 20. *Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?
  (Check Senate.gov)
• 21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
  435
• 22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
  2
• 23. Name your U.S. Representative.
  (Check House.gov)
• 24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
  All people of the state
• 25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
  Because of the state’s population
• 26. We elect a President for how many years?
  4
• 27. *In what month do we vote for President?
  November
• 28. *What is the name of the President of the United States now?
  (Visit USCIS.gov for updates)
• 29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
  (Visit USCIS.gov for updates)
• 30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
  The Vice President
• 31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
  The Speaker of the House
• 32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
  The President
• 33. Who signs bills to become laws?
  The President
• 34. Who vetoes bills?
  The President
• 35. What does the President’s Cabinet do?
  Advises the President
• 36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?
  Secretary of State; Secretary of Defense (and others)
• 37. What does the judicial branch do?
  Reviews laws; Explains laws; Resolves disputes
• 38. What is the highest court in the United States?
  The Supreme Court
• 39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
  (Visit USCIS.gov for updates)
• 40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
  (Visit USCIS.gov for updates)

C: Rights and Responsibilities

• 41. What is one power of the federal government?
  To print money; To declare war
• 42. What is one power of the states?
  Provide schooling; Give a driver’s license
• 43. Who is the Governor of your state now?
  (Check usa.gov)
• 44. *What is the capital of your state?
  (Answers vary)
• 45. *What are the two major political parties in the United States?
  Democratic and Republican
• 46. What is the political party of the President now?
  (Visit USCIS.gov)
• 47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
  (Visit USCIS.gov)
• 48. Describe one amendment about who can vote.
  Citizens 18 and older can vote; You don’t have to pay to vote.
• 49. *What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
  Vote in a federal election; Serve on a jury
• 50. Name one right only for United States citizens.
  Vote in a federal election; Run for federal office
• 51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
  Freedom of speech; Freedom of religion
• 52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
  The United States; The flag
• 53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
  Give up loyalty to other countries; Obey the laws of the United States
• 54. *How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
  18 and older
• 55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
  Vote; Join a political party; Help with a campaign
• 56. *When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
  April 15
• 57. When must all men register for the Selective Service?
  Between 18 and 26

Part 2: American History

A: Colonial Period and Independence

• 58. What is one reason colonists came to America?
  Freedom; Religious freedom; Economic opportunity
• 59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
  American Indians; Native Americans
• 60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
  Africans
• 61. Why did the colonists fight the British?
  Because of high taxes; Because they didn’t have self-government
• 62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
  Thomas Jefferson
• 63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
  July 4, 1776
• 64. There were 13 original states. Name three.
  New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
• 65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
  The Constitution was written.
• 66. When was the Constitution written?
  1787
• 67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one writer.
  James Madison; Alexander Hamilton; John Jay
• 68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
  U.S. diplomat; Oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
• 69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
  George Washington
• 70. *Who was the first President?
  George Washington

B: 1800s

• 71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
  Louisiana
• 72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
  War of 1812; Mexican-American War; Civil War; Spanish-American War
• 73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
  The Civil War
• 74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
  Slavery; States’ rights
• 75. *What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?
  Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation); Saved the Union
• 76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
  Freed the slaves
• 77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
  Fought for women’s rights

C: Recent American History

• 78. *Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
  World War I; World War II; Korean War; Vietnam War; Gulf War
• 79. Who was President during World War I?
  Woodrow Wilson
• 80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
  Franklin Roosevelt
• 81. Who did the United States fight in World War II?
  Japan, Germany, and Italy
• 82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
  World War II
• 83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
  Communism
• 84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
  Civil rights movement
• 85. *What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
  Fought for civil rights
• 86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001?
  Terrorists attacked the United States.
• 87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
  Cherokee; Navajo; Sioux; Chippewa (and others)

Part 3: Geography, Symbols & Holidays

• 88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
  Missouri River; Mississippi River
• 89. What ocean is on the West Coast?
  Pacific Ocean
• 90. What ocean is on the East Coast?
  Atlantic Ocean
• 91. Name one U.S. territory.
  Puerto Rico; Guam; U.S. Virgin Islands
• 92. Name one state that borders Canada.
  Maine; New York; Michigan; Washington (and others)
• 93. Name one state that borders Mexico.
  California; Arizona; New Mexico; Texas
• 94. *What is the capital of the United States?
  Washington, D.C.
• 95. *Where is the Statue of Liberty?
  New York (Harbor)
• 96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
  Because there were 13 original colonies
• 97. *Why does the flag have 50 stars?
  Because there is one star for each state
• 98. What is the name of the national anthem?
  The Star-Spangled Banner
• 99. *When do we celebrate Independence Day?
  July 4
• 100. Name two national U.S. holidays.
  New Year’s Day; Independence Day; Thanksgiving; Christmas (and others)

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