Although a relatively young country, the United States has a lot of history behind it. Test your U.S. knowledge with these fun American history trivia questions and answers.
U.S. History Trivia Questions
1. The arrival of which explorer in 1492 began the European colonization of the Americas?
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Christopher Columbus.
2. In 1789, who became the first president of the U.S.A.?
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George Washington.
3. Which protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773 led to the American Revolutionary War against Great Britain?
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The Boston Tea Party.
4. Which U.S. president enacted the New Deal series of reforms and projects following the Great Depression?
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Franklin D. Roosevelt.
5. Which attack by the Japanese navy on December 7, 1941 caused the U.S. to declare war on Japan and enter World War 2?
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The attack on Pearl Harbor.
6. Which treaty signed on September 3, 1783, officially ended the American Revolutionary War?
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The Treaty of Paris.
7. Which amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished slavery?
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The Thirteenth Amendment.
8. Which NASA mission was the first manned mission to land on the moon?
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Apollo 11, on July 20, 1969.
9. Which American activist was arrested for her refusal to surrender her seat to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955?
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Rosa Parks.
10. Which amendment to the American Constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms?
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The Second Amendment.
11. Which American president was assassinated in Buffalo, New York on Friday, September 6, 1901?
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William McKinley.
12. Which American poet wrote the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” to commemorate the actions of American patriot Paul Revere during the American Revolution?
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
13. Which war film won the first ever Academy Award for Best Picture in 1929, the only silent movie ever to do so?
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Wings.
14. Which civil rights activist was assassinated on February 21, 1965?
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Malcolm X.
15. Poor Little Fool was the first ever number one song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Who was the singer?
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Ricky Nelson.
16. Which American policy that began in 1823 stated that the U.S. would not interfere in European affairs while it also wouldn’t tolerate further European colonization of the Americas?
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The Monroe Doctrine.
17. Which battle of the U.S. Civil War that took place on July 1-3, 1863 had the largest number of casualties of the war and is often considered to be the war’s turning point?
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The Battle of Gettysburg.
18. Which future American president was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force during World War 2?
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Dwight D. Eisenhower.
19. In 1917, the U.S. purchased the Danish West Indies from Denmark for $25 million. How are the islands now known?
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The U.S. Virgin Islands.
20. Who took over as president following the resignation of Richard Nixon on August 9, 1974?
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Gerald Ford.
21. Which was the last of the 50 U.S. states to join the union?
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Hawaii, on August 21, 1959.
22. Which American crime couple were shot dead in Louisiana on May 23, 1934?
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Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.
23. For what crime was American gangster Al Capone sent to prison in 1931?
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Tax evasion.
24. How did Hattie Wyatt Caraway make history in 1932?
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She became the first woman elected to serve a full term as a United States Senator.
25. What name was given to the American initiative to provide financial aid to European countries for their rebuilding plans and economic recoveries following the end of World War 2?
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The Marshall Plan.
26. The Camp David Accords signed by Israel and Egypt were brokered and witnessed by which U.S. president?
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Jimmy Carter.
27. Operation Desert Storm was the name given to the operation to expel from Kuwait the occupying forces from which country?
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Iraq.
28. Who was president of the United States during World War 1?
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Woodrow Wilson.
29. On January 28, 1986 which space shuttle broke apart 73 seconds after lift off, killing all seven astronauts on board?
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Challenger.
30. In what year was the first Super Bowl played?
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1967.
More Trivia Questions
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