Can You Correctly Answer These Easy, Medium and Hard U.S History Questions?

By: Gavin Thagard
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Can You Correctly Answer These Easy, Medium and Hard U.S History Questions?
Image: Alexander Hay Ritchie

About This Quiz

For a country that's only been around for less than 250 years, the United States sure has left an impact on the world thus far, as it's gone from 13 colonies to a world power. Do you know everything about the history of this unique and powerful country? Could you pass a quiz with easy, medium and hard U.S. history questions? Here's your chance to find out! 

As with many countries, the United States has been shaped by politics, conflict and cultural movements, as it's become one of the most important countries in the world today. That in itself is unique, because the U.S. was founded on policies of isolationism. Of course, no country can stay to itself forever, and the desire to influence the Western Hemisphere along with two global wars proved as much. 

Today, the United States is as much a brand as it is a country, but what brought it to that point? How has the country developed while also influencing others? 

If you know all of the ins and outs of U.S. history, take this quiz and put your knowledge to the test. That's if you're up for the challenge. After all, not everyone can answer these U.S. history questions. 

Who was the first president of the United States?
Jimmy Carter
George Washington
John Adams
Woodrow Wilson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

George Washington also served as general of the Revolutionary Army. Many scholars believe he could have taken full control of the country when the war was over, but he decided to give the power back to the people.

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Which is NOT a branch of government?
Judicial
Executive
Military
Legislative
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The branches of government are supposed to provide balances of power between one another. However, as the country has changed, so have some of the responsibilities of each branch.

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The Supreme Court is part of which branch?
Judicial
Executive
Legislative
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Nine justices sit on the Supreme Court. They are in charge of deciding on laws that make it through the lower courts.

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Which document governs the United States?
Articles of Confederation
Law of Independence
Declaration of Independence
Constitution
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Constitution was drafted and signed in 1787. The original model for the Constitution was written by James Madison.

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Which European country was on the selling end of the Louisiana Purchase?
France
Britain
Spain
Portugal
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As a war waged in Europe, France was in dire need of money to finance its military. With no way to oversee their land in America, they sold the Louisiana territory to the United States.

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Who did the U.S. fight in the War of 1812?
Mexico
France
Britain
Spain
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The United States managed to repel a British invasion during the War of 1812. When it was over, the war proved the United States could defend itself from a foreign power.

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Which president oversaw Indian removal?
Thomas Jefferson
Andrew Jackson
Abraham Lincoln
John Quincy Adams
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Andrew Jackson grew up in the South, where he was constantly reminded of the cultural differences between whites and Native Americans. As he pushed to become president, eventually winning, one of his goals was to separate the two groups of people.

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Thomas Jefferson supported which party that opposed a strong U.S. government?
Federalist Party
Anti-Federalist Party
Whig Party
Republican Party
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Anti-Federalist Party was supported by farmers and planters in the South. They believed that states and local governments should have most of the political power in the country.

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Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Benjamin Frankin
Al Gore
Abraham Lincoln
Thomas Jefferson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Declaration of Independence stated that citizens of the 13 colonies were no longer subjects of the British crown. Their biggest issue with Britain was the lack of representation in British Parliament.

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Which piece of legislation divided the West into slave and free states based on geographic location?
Missouri Compromise
3/5ths Amendment
Anti-Injunction Act
Slave Trade Prohibition Act
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The goal of the Missouri Compromise was to preserve the balance of power in Congress between slave and free states. With the compromise, Missouri was admitted as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

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Which Act repealed the Missouri Compromise?
Slave Trade Prohibition Act
Emancipation Proclamation
Land Act of 1820
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Kansas-Nebraska Act resulted in an era known as Bleeding Kansas. During this time, pro-slavery and anti-slavery supporters flooded into Kansas to vote on whether the state would be admitted as a slave state or a free state.

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Who founded The Liberator?
Frederick Douglass
John Brown
William Lloyd Garrison
Harriet Tubman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Abolitionists supported the immediate end to slavery. They differed from others anti-slavery supporters who wanted to gradually end slavery.

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Which slave state did NOT fight for the Confederacy during the Civil War?
Alabama
Georgia
Kentucky
South Carolina​
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

At the start of the war, several states refused to secede from the Union. However, there was still internal conflict inside the states about which side to join, and families were often pitted against one another.

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What was Robert E. Lee's home state?
Tennessee
Virginia
Mississippi
New York
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Robert E. Lee was asked to serve in the Northern Army before his home state seceded from the Union. Lee decided he didn't want to fight against those from his own state and joined the Confederacy.

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What battle took place on the bloodiest day of the Civil War?
Battle of Gettysburg
First Battle of Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run
Battle of Antietam
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Battle of Antietam forced the Confederate army back into the South. However, the Union army refused to pursue Robert E. Lee and his soldiers, allowing them to regroup and continue the war.

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Which president issued the Emancipation Proclamation?
Abraham Lincoln
Franklin Pierce
James Garfield
Grover Cleveland
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Going into the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln's goal was to first protect the Union before abolishing slavery. Therefore, the Emancipation Proclamation was as much a strategic move as it was a moral one, though the country was certainly headed in that direction anyway.

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Who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin?
Mark Twain
Ernest Hemingway
Harriet Beecher Stowe
William Lloyd Garrison
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Published in 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin detailed the cruelty of slavery. As the book washed across the North, the impartial view of slavery was altered for many.

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Which Civil War general became president of the United States?
Robert E. Lee
Ulysses​ S. Grant
George McClellan
Joseph Hooker
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

During the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant was known for his willingness to fight and pursue the enemy. He accepted the surrender of Robert E. Lee's army in 1865, for the most part ending the war.

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Who wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin?
Ernest Hemingway
Anton Chekhov
Mark Twain
William Faulkner
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mark Twain was known for his time traveling the Mississippi River. It's only natural that he wrote a character who does the same.

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Who led a slave rebellion in 1831?
Frederick Douglass
Henry Brown
Booker T. Washington
Nat Turner
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Nat Turner's rebellion caused the South to enact stricter precautions to prevent such an act from happening again. It also suppressed many anti-slavery ideas among whites in the South.

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Which treaty gave the U.S. control of California?
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Greenville
Treaty of Versailles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War. The war started with the annexation of Texas, which became the 28th state in 1845.

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Which war did Theodore Roosevelt serve in?
World War I
World War II
Civil War
Spanish-American War
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Theodore Roosevelt served as the 26th president of the United States. A leader in the Progressive Era, he is one of the four presidents featured on Mount Rushmore.

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Which president oversaw peace negotiations after World War I?
Herbert Hoover
Woodrow Wilson
John F. Kennedy
Harry Truman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Woodrow Wilson was a pioneer in that he wanted the United States to join the League of Nations, which would help keep peace around the world. However, the rest of the country wasn't buying it and decided not to join.

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What year did the Stock Market crash?
1925
1929
1933
1940
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Stock Market Crash of 1929 resulted in the Great Depression. For years, the country suffered from the economic collapse.

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The United States entered World War II after Japan attacked where?
Los Angeles
New York City
Washington D.C.
Pearl Harbor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When the United States entered World War II, they faced a war in Europe and a war in the Pacific. After careful planning, military officials decided it was better to quickly end the war in Europe, then focus on the Pacific Front.

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Who warned about the military-industrial complex?
Dwight Eisenhower
Franklin Roosevelt
Gerald Ford
Ronald Reagan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

During his farewell speech, Eisenhower discussed the dangers of the military-industrial complex in American politics. The words from the former general were important because the country had not moved away from its reliance on the arms industry after World War II.

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Which amendment gave women the right to vote?
1st
13th
19th
21st
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's crazy to think that women didn't get the right to vote until 1920. Thankfully, plenty of women were there to fight for their cause.

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Which president oversaw the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Ronald Reagan
John F. Kennedy
Richard Nixon
Jimmy Carter
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This was probably the most intense moment in American history. Millions waited to see what Russia would do about the blockade that Kennedy imposed.

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Who was a prominent figure in the counterculture movement of the 1960s?
Bob Dylan
Ernest Hemingway
Joseph McCarthy
Barry Goldwater
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The counterculture movement opposed the Vietnam War, along with other government policies and stances. Bob Dylan's music reflected these beliefs and sentiments.

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Who was the first president to visit China?
Lyndon B. Johnson
Gerald Ford
Richard Nixon
Bill Clinton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When Nixon visited China, he did little in terms of deals and compromises. However, the visit did open up relations that were extremely important for the future of the United States.

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What year was Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated?
1964
1968
1972
1975
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech on August 28, 1963, expressing his hope for the future. The speech was delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

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What scandal forced Richard Nixon to resign?
Watergate
The Whiskey Ring
The Petticoat Affair
Iran-Contra
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Richard Nixon resigned from office in 1974. He's the only president to ever resign from office.

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What year did the Cold War end?
1980
1985
1987
1991
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Cold War ended as the USSR dissolved in 1991. However, the ramifications, particularly in Western Europe, can still be felt today.

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Who was president during the 9/11 terrorist attack?
George W. Bush
Bill Clinton
Ronald Reagan
Jimmy Carter
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 9/11 attacks changed the United States forever, as fear of terrorism grew substantially. It also launched the country into another war.

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Who was the first African American president of the United States?
Herman Cain
Ben Carson
Barack Obama
Al Sharpton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009. He took over in the face of one of the largest economic crises in American history.

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