Question 1 of 20Westward expansionEasy
US history quiz
From the end of the Revolution to the dawn of the space age, this US history quiz covers the moments that shaped the nation. Expect Civil War quiz questions alongside westward expansion, big industry, the world wars and the civil rights era, making it a great American history quiz for families and students.
A free quiz from Megan Moran, author of The Mighty History Quiz Book.
Question 2 of 20Westward expansionEasy
Which pair of explorers led the Corps of Discovery to the Pacific Coast and back between 1804 and 1806?
Question 3 of 20Revolution and early republicMedium
At which Virginia siege did British general Charles Cornwallis surrender in October 1781, effectively ending major fighting in the Revolutionary War?
Question 4 of 20Westward expansionEasy
James Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 set off a gold rush in which present-day state?
Question 5 of 20Revolution and early republicMedium
The 1848 women's rights convention organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott was held in which New York town?
Question 6 of 20Westward expansionHard
When the Erie Canal opened in 1825, it linked the Hudson River near Albany with which city on Lake Erie?
Question 7 of 20Civil WarEasy
In what year did the Civil War begin with the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter?
Question 8 of 20Civil WarMedium
In April 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at which Virginia village?
Question 9 of 20Civil WarHard
Which 1862 battle is remembered as the bloodiest single day in American history?
Question 10 of 20Civil WarEasy
Which three-day Civil War battle was fought around a Pennsylvania town in July 1863?
Question 11 of 20Westward expansionMedium
The first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 when the ceremonial golden spike was tapped into place where?
Question 12 of 20Westward expansionHard
Under the Homestead Act of 1862, how many acres of public land could a settler claim?
Question 13 of 20Westward expansionMedium
In 1867, the United States bought which territory from Russia for $7.2 million?
Question 14 of 20Industry and inventionMedium
Scottish-born Andrew Carnegie built his enormous fortune mainly in which industry?
Question 15 of 2020th centuryHard
The explosion of which US battleship in Havana Harbor in February 1898 helped spark the Spanish-American War?
Question 16 of 20Industry and inventionEasy
Henry Ford's moving assembly line, introduced in 1913, was used to mass-produce which car?
Question 17 of 2020th centuryMedium
In which year did the United States enter World War I by declaring war on Germany?
Question 18 of 2020th centuryMedium
The Soviet Union's 1957 launch of which satellite, the world's first, alarmed Americans and spurred the space race?
Question 19 of 2020th centuryHard
The tense Cuban Missile Crisis standoff of October 1962 lasted roughly how many days?
Question 20 of 2020th centuryMedium
Which landmark law, signed in July 1964, outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin in jobs and public places?
Answer all 20 to see your score.
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Show all the answers, with the facts behind them
- The United States bought the Louisiana Territory in 1803 from which country? FranceAt about $15 million, the deal nearly doubled the size of the country. Parts of 15 present-day states came from it.
- Which pair of explorers led the Corps of Discovery to the Pacific Coast and back between 1804 and 1806? Lewis and ClarkSeaman, a Newfoundland dog belonging to one of the leaders, was the only animal to complete the entire journey.
- At which Virginia siege did British general Charles Cornwallis surrender in October 1781, effectively ending major fighting in the Revolutionary War? YorktownCornwallis skipped the surrender ceremony, claiming illness, so his deputy, Charles O'Hara, led the British troops onto the field.
- James Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 set off a gold rush in which present-day state? CaliforniaSan Francisco grew from about 1,000 residents in 1848 to roughly 25,000 by 1850.
- The 1848 women's rights convention organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott was held in which New York town? Seneca FallsAbout 300 people attended, and 100 signed its Declaration of Sentiments, modeled on the Declaration of Independence: 68 women and 32 men.
- When the Erie Canal opened in 1825, it linked the Hudson River near Albany with which city on Lake Erie? BuffaloSkeptics mocked the project as "Clinton's Ditch," after DeWitt Clinton, the New York politician who championed it.
- In what year did the Civil War begin with the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter? 1861No soldier was killed by enemy fire during the bombardment of the fort in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
- In April 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at which Virginia village? Appomattox Court HouseThe surrender was signed in Wilmer McLean's parlor. McLean had moved there after the war's first major battle was fought partly on his farm near Manassas.
- Which 1862 battle is remembered as the bloodiest single day in American history? AntietamFought near Sharpsburg, Maryland, it left nearly 23,000 soldiers killed, wounded, captured or missing.
- Which three-day Civil War battle was fought around a Pennsylvania town in July 1863? GettysburgUnion general George Meade had taken command of his army only three days before the fighting began.
- The first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 when the ceremonial golden spike was tapped into place where? Promontory Summit, UtahThe Central Pacific built east from Sacramento while the Union Pacific built west from the Missouri River until the two lines met.
- Under the Homestead Act of 1862, how many acres of public land could a settler claim? 160Settlers had to live on and farm the land for five years. Homesteading eventually transferred about 10% of all US land to private hands.
- In 1867, the United States bought which territory from Russia for $7.2 million? AlaskaCritics mocked the deal as "Seward's Folly," after Secretary of State William Seward. The price worked out to about 2 cents an acre.
- Scottish-born Andrew Carnegie built his enormous fortune mainly in which industry? SteelHe sold his company to J.P. Morgan in 1901 and turned to philanthropy. His grants built about 2,500 public libraries around the world.
- The explosion of which US battleship in Havana Harbor in February 1898 helped spark the Spanish-American War? USS MaineIts cause is still debated. A 1976 study led by Admiral Hyman Rickover blamed a coal-bunker fire beside an ammunition magazine, not a mine.
- Henry Ford's moving assembly line, introduced in 1913, was used to mass-produce which car? Model TThe new line cut the time to assemble one car from about 12.5 hours to 93 minutes by 1914.
- In which year did the United States enter World War I by declaring war on Germany? 1917Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, was one of 50 House members who voted against the declaration.
- The Soviet Union's 1957 launch of which satellite, the world's first, alarmed Americans and spurred the space race? Sputnik 1Its batteries kept its radio beeping for 22 days, and it burned up on reentry in January 1958.
- The tense Cuban Missile Crisis standoff of October 1962 lasted roughly how many days? 13Photos taken by a U-2 spy plane on October 14, 1962, first revealed the Soviet missile sites in Cuba.
- Which landmark law, signed in July 1964, outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin in jobs and public places? Civil Rights ActIts Title VII section, which bans discrimination in employment, is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
