American History Flashcards
What is one reason colonists came to America?
- freedom
- political liberty
- religious freedom
- economic opportunity
- practice their religion
- escape persecution
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
- American Indians
- Native Americans
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
- Africans
- people from Africa
Why did the colonists fight the British?
- because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
- because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
- because they didn’t have self-government)
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
(Thomas) Jefferson
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
July 4, 1776
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
What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
- The Constitution was written.
- The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
When was the Constitution written?
1787
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
- (James) Madison
- (Alexander) Hamilton
- (John) Jay
- Publius
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
- U.S. diplomat
- oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
- first Postmaster General of the United States
- writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
- started the first free libraries
Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
(George) Washington
Who was the first President?*
(George) Washington
What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
- the Louisiana Territory
- Louisiana
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
- War of 1812
- Mexican-American War
- Civil War
- Spanish-American War
Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
- the Civil War
- the War between the States
Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
- slavery
- economic reasons
- states’ rights
What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?*
- freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
- saved (or preserved) the Union
- led the United States during the Civil War
What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
- freed the slaves
- freed slaves in the Confederacy
- freed slaves in the Confederate states
- freed slaves in most Southern states
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
- fought for women’s rights
- fought for civil rights
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.*
- World War I
- World War II
- Korean War
- Vietnam War
- (Persian) Gulf War
Who was President during World War I?
(Woodrow) Wilson
Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
(Franklin) Roosevelt
Who did the United States fight in World War II?
Japan, Germany, and Italy
