American History Multiple Choice Questions
1. The first English attempt at settling in the New World was at
a. Jamestown
b. Roanoke Island
c. Plymouth
d. New Amsterdam
2. The English decided to settle in the New World
a. because they wanted to submit the Indians
b. in order to set up a military base against Spain
c. because the French had already colonized the North
d. because they needed to find India
3. The first permanent English settlement in the New World was at
a. Jamestown
b. Roanoke Island
c. Plymouth
d. New Amsterdam
4. The first subject of H.M. Queen Elizabeth I to be born in the New World was
a. Virginia Dare
b. John Smith
c. John White
d. Mary Rowlandson
5. The first Africans were introduced into the American colonies in
a. 1498
b. 1564
c. 1619
d. 1742
6. The Pilgrim Fathers drafted
a. The Mayflower Compact
b. The Constitution of the USA
c. The articles of Confederation
d. The Bill of Rights
7. The Pilgrim Fathers were
a. a group of southern secessionists
b. a group of adventurers and merchants
c. members of a sect that wanted to separate from the Church of England
d. Puritans who had been expelled from England
8. The Mayflower Compact
a. organized a form of society based on a social contract
b. banned all non-religious people from the new society
c. stated that the new colony should be independent
d. declared that men of all religions could come and settle there
9. The famous female dissenter who took part in the foundation of Rhode Island was
a. Anne Hutchinson
b. Mary Rowlandson
c. Martha Canary
d. Virginia Dare
10. The Indian allies of the English during the French and Indian War were
a. the Iroquois
b. the Hurons
c. the Abenakis
d. the Ottowas
11. What Indian tribe was almost completely destroyed in 1636-37 after several raids on its villages subsequent to the murder of an English captain?
a. the Pequots
b. the Wampanoags
c. the Narragansetts
d. the Mohicans
12. What country sold the first twenty Africans in Jamestown to be used as indentured servants?
a. France
b. Spain
c. England
d. Holland
13. In 1676 Chief Metacomet rebelled against the Puritan settlers. What is the name of that war?
a. The French and Indian war
b. The Seven Years’ war
c. King Philip’s war
d. King William’s war
14. Lord Baltimore established the colony of Maryland as a refuge for
a. Quakers
b. Catholics
c. Puritans
d. Mormons
15. Apart from New York which colony did the duke of York control?
a. Pennsylvania
b. Georgia
c. Delaware
d. Maryland
16. What is the original name of the line separating the North from the South?
a. the frontier line
b. the Dixie line
c. the Mason-Dixon line
d. the Blue Ridge
17. The 1803 Supreme Court decision known as Marbury v. Madison gave the Court a new power known as
a. Judiciary Act
b. Judicial Review
c. Judicial Power
d. Judicial Restraint
18. Louisiana was bought from France in
a. 1783
b. 1803
c. 1820
d. 1865
19. Florida was annexated from Spain in
a. 1814
b. 1819
c. 1823
d. 1845
20. The Oregon Compromise was signed in
a. 1820
b. 1835
c. 1846
d. 1890
21. The war known as the second war for independence was fought in
a. 1781-1783
b. 1801-1803
c. 1812-1814
d. 1846-1848
22. The famous woman who was made captive of Indians and wrote a book about her captivity was
a. Martha Canary
b. Mary Rowlandson
c. Virginia Dare
d. Anne Hutchinson
23. Primary elections start in
a. January
b. February
c. July
d. November
24. The famous captain who saved the Virginia colony from disaster was
a. William Penn
b. Walter Raleigh
c. Peter Stuyvesant
d. John Smith
25. The colony given to a Quaker in payment of a debt was
a. Maryland
b. Massachusetts
c. Pennsylvania
d. Virginia
26. The Declaration of Independence was signed on
a. June 4, 1744
b. November 11, 1781
c. January 1, 1777
d. July 4, 1776
27. The Declaration of Independence was written by
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. Thomas Paine
c. George Washington
d. Alexander Hamilton
28. The first President of the United States was
a. James Madison
b. John Adams
c. Alexander Hamilton
d. George Washington
29. The first Vice-President of the United States was
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. John Adams
c. Alexander Hamilton
d. George Washington
30. The first representative legislature that met in the colonies was
a. the New England town meeting
b. the Virginia House of Burgesses
c. the New England Confederation
d. the Legislature of Connecticut
31. The French and Indian war lasted until
a. 1692
b. 1763
c. 1776
d. 1789
32. The ideology revealed in Plessy v. Ferguson was
a. separate but equal
b. the existence of slavery
c. the existence of free states and slave states
d. the emancipation of all slaves
33. The Jamestown settlement was made possible thanks to
a. the Dutch West India Company
b. the London Company
c. Huguenots
d. the Plymouth Company
34. The lame duck is
a. the outgoing president
b. the president elect
c. the winning candidate
d. the vice-president
35. The Manifest Destiny refers to
a. exploration in the Oregon territory
b. the independence of Texas
c. an ideology of expansion
d. the war against Mexico
36. The Pilgrims came to America
a. to trade with the Indians
b. to find a new route to the Indies
c. to win freedom of religion for themselves
d. because they wanted to be near the French
37. The Plymouth Plantation is often regarded as
a. the first form of democracy in America
b. the first American theocracy
c. the first successful settlement
d. the most tolerant settlement toward Indians
38. The Pilgrims landed in New England in
a. 1607
b. 1620
c. 1619
d. 1776
39. Today the President elect enters the White House in
a. January
b. February
c. March
d. April
40. The President elect used to enter the White House in
a. November
b. December
c. January
d. March
21. c) 1812-1814
22. b) Mary Rowlandson
23. b) February
24. d) John Smith
25. c) Pennsylvania
26. d) July 4, 1776
27. a) Thomas Jefferson
28. d) George Washington
29. b) John Adams
30. b) the Virginia House of Burgesses
31. b) 1763
32. a) separate but equal
33. b) the London Company
34. a) the outgoing president
35. c) an ideology of expansion
36. c) to win freedom of religion for themselves
37. a) the first form of democracy in America
38. b) 1620
39. a) January
40. d) March
41. The President has to swear that he will defend
a. the Bible
b. the Constitution
c. the Bill of Rights
d. the Supreme Court
42. The Puritans settled in
a. Maryland
b. Massachusetts
c. New York
d. Virginia
43. The real power of the American judiciary is
a. the right to order the Executive power to obey
b. the right to favor state laws
c. the right to help states nullify federal laws
d. judicial review
44. The sectional debate refers to
a. the division of the country into square lots
b. the opposition between North and South
c. the organization of the southern territories
d. the Louisiana Purchase
45. The Society of Friends was a group of
a. Catholics
b. Quakers
c. Huguenots
d. Mormons
46. The Stamp Act was passed by
a. the Continental Congress
b. the Virginia House of Burgesses
c. the British Parliament
d. the Congress under the Articles of Confederation
47. The Supreme Court decision known as Plessy v. Ferguson refers to
a. slavery in the USA
b. segregation
c. black people’s right to vote
d. emancipation
48. The war for Independence lasted until
a. 1780
b. 1781
c. 1785
d. 1789
49. Thomas Paine wrote
a. The Declaration of Independence
b. Common Sense
c. The Bill of Rights
d. The Articles of Confederation
50. To become effective the Constitution had to be ratified by
a. 5 states
b. 7 states
c. 9 states
d. 13 states
51. Which State refused to participate in the drafting of the Constitution?
a. Massachusetts
b. Connecticut
c. Rhode Island
d. New Hampshire
52. Dred Scott v. Sandford
a. denied black people the right to citizenship
b. made it possible for the Missouri Compromise to be enacted
c. made it possible for Missouri to be a slave state
d. allowed homesteaders to settle in the west
53. The Homestead Act was
a. a law declaring that all slaves were free
b. a law permitting any American to obtain a piece of land
c. a law that forbade any foreign country to colonize the New World
d. an agreement with Spain concerning Florida
54. The Supremacy clause deals with
a. the necessity to include a Bill of Rights in the Constitution
b. the protection of private property
c. the Constitution as first law of the land
d. the possibility of impeaching the President
55. Impeachment is the legal possibility of
a. suing a President in court
b. preventing any person from being a US official
c. forcing a President to resign
d. breaking up Congress
56. The Bill of Rights is
a. the political organization of American society
b. a series of ten amendments enacted to protect the individual
c. laws enacted for the general good of the colonies
d. the organization of American society as a theocracy
57. The 1787 American Constitution
a. set up a society grounded on four independent powers
b. is subject to state law
c. is said to be the supreme law of the country
d. declared that America should break all ties with Europe
58. In 1787 the Constitution
a. just separated the legislative power from the executive power
b. gave the judicial power final control
c. enabled the three powers to check on one another
d. gave the President the supreme power
59. A National Convention decides of
a. the states where primary elections will take place
b. the places where caucuses will take place
c. the official nomination of the party’s candidates
d. the number of candidates
60. President Nixon is especially known for
a. his 1960 political debate against John F. Kennedy
b. his decisions to overthrow some South American régimes
c. the political crisis of the Watergate affair
d. his 1972 reelection
41. b) the Constitution
42. b) Massachusetts
43. d) judicial review
44. b) the opposition between North and South
45. b) Quakers
46. c) the British Parliament
47. b) segregation
48. b) 1781
49. b) Common Sense
50. c) 9 states
51. c) Rhode Island
52. a) denied black people the right to citizenship
53. b) a law permitting any American to obtain a piece of land
54. c) the Constitution as first law of the land
55. b) preventing any person from being a US official
56. b) a series of ten amendments enacted to protect the individual
57. c) is said to be the supreme law of the country
58. c) enabled the three powers to check on one another
59. c) the official nomination of the party’s candidates
60. c) the political crisis of the Watergate affair
61. The Connecticut Compromise
a. allowed slavery in the Southern States
b. gave birth to a bicameral congress
c. decided on the way the President would be chosen
d. was the agreement which gave birth to the Electoral college
62. The Missouri Compromise refers to
a. the organization of the northwest territories
b. the right to organize parts of the western territories as slave territories
c. the expansion of the railroad westward
d. abolition of slavery
63. The Monroe Doctrine refers to
a. westward expansion
b. a form of isolationism from Europe
c. an agreement between Russia and the USA regarding Alaska
d. the recognition of the presence of colonial Spain in America
64. Besides Jamestown, where else did the English try to settle in 1607?
a. Roanoke Island
b. Pistolet Bay
c. Sagadahoc
d. Manhattan
65. Who was the first explorer who supposedly entered the bay of Manhattan?
a. Henry Hudson
b. Giovanni da Verrazano
c. John Cabot
d. Walter Raleigh
66. Who rebelled against the Governor of Jamestown and burned down the place?
a. Nathaniel Bacon
b. William Berkeley
c. Indian Chief Powhatan
d. John Smith
67. Who married Pocahontas?
a. John Rolfe
b. John Smith
c. William Berkeley
d. Nathaniel Bacon
68. What saved the Jamestown colony from economic ruin?
a. the cultivation of tobacco
b. the cultivation of cotton
c. the cultivation of corn
d. the discovery of gold
69. When did the Gold Rush take place?
a. 1820
b. 1849
c. 1884
d. 1912
70. The political decision known as Great Compromise is
a. the Connecticut Compromise
b. The Missouri Compromise
c. the Manifest Destiny
d. the Kansas-Nebraska Act
71. Where can you find the following phrase: “Men … are endowed with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”?
a. The Declaration of Independence
b. The articles of Confederation
c. The Bill of Rights
d. The Declaration of Emancipation
72. Where can you find the concept of a Civil Body Politic that will enact “just and equal laws… for the general good”?
a. The Mayflower Compact
b. The Declaration of Independence
c. The articles of Confederation
d. The Constitution
73. The Pilgrim Fathers’ colony was called
a. Jamestown Plantation
b. Plymouth Plantation
c. Massachusetts Bay Plantation
d. Virginia Plantation
74. Who was the owner of Maryland?
a. Cecil Calvert
b. William Penn
c. John Winthrop
d. John Smith
75. One dissenter that fled from Massachusetts and finally took part in the foundation of Rhode Island was
a. John Mason
b. Roger Williams
c. John Winthrop
d. Thomas Hooker
76. What tribes composed the Iroquois confederation?
a. the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onogondas, Cayugas and Senecas
b. the Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, Cherokees and Seminoles
c. the Delewares, Ottowas, Potawatomis and Miamis
d. the Abenakis, Micmacs, Montagnais and Crees
77. What Indian confederation did the Iroquois almost completely eliminated?
a. the Hurons
b. the Abenakis
c. the Wahunsonacoks
d. the Micmacs
78. What British decision about the Indians was taken in 1763 and brought anger among the American settlers?
a. the Fall Line
b. the Mason-Dixon Line
c. the Proclamation Line
d. the Timber line
79. How is the removal of the south-eastern Indian tribes known?
a. the Longest Walk
b. the Trail of Tears
c. the Long March
d. the Last Trail
80. What first great battle between the Americans and an Indian confederation took place in 1794?
a. Little Big Horn
b. Fallen Timbers
c. Wounded Knee
d. Thames
61. b) gave birth to a bicameral congress
62. b) the right to organize parts of the western territories as slave territories
63. b) a form of isolationism from Europe
64. c) Sagadahoc
65. b) Giovanni da Verrazano
66. a) Nathaniel Bacon
67. a) John Rolfe
68. a) the cultivation of tobacco
69. b) 1849
70. a) the Connecticut Compromise
71. a) The Declaration of Independence
72. a) The Mayflower Compact
73. b) Plymouth Plantation
74. a) Cecil Calvert
75. b) Roger Williams
76. a) the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onogondas, Cayugas and Senecas
77. a) the Hurons
78. c) the Proclamation Line
79. b) the Trail of Tears
80. b) Fallen Timbers
81. Tha American National Anthem was composed by
a. Francis Scott Key
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. Patrick Henry
d. Eli Whitney
82. Who invented the cotton gin?
a. Eli Whitney
b. Samuel Colt
c. Samuel Slater
d. Elias Howe
83. Who invented the reaper?
a. John Deere
b. Cyrus H. McCormick
c. Eli Whitney
d. Samuel Slater
84. Who presided over and was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence?
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. John Hancock
c. Benjamin Franklin
d. Gouverneur Morris
85. Where did George Washington swear to defend the United States as free and sovereign States?
a. Trenton
b. Valley Forge
c. Saratoga
d. Germantown
86. When did the Duke of York capture New Amsterdam?
a. 1620
b. 1645
c. 1664
d. 1681
87. When did William Penn obtain an American piece of land from the King?
a. 1680
b. 1681
c. 1685
d. 1687
88. What religious obedience did William Penn belong to?
a. he was a Baptist
b. he was an Anglican
c. he was a Quaker
d. he was a Catholic
89. Who obtained a huge piece of land in the New World in reimbursement of a royal debt?
a. Cecil Calvert
b. the duke of York
c. Sir Walter Raleigh
d. William Penn
90. What was the name of the Indian chief who rebelled against the British after the French and Indian war?
a. Metacom
b. Pontiac
c. Squanto
d. Powhatan
91. Apart from Thomas Jefferson which one of the following characters participated in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence?
a. Thomas Paine
b. Patrick Henry
c. Alexander Hamilton
d. Benjamin Franklin
92. Where did the North Carolina convention for the ratification of the Constitution take place?
a. Hillsborough
b. Williamsburg
c. Raleigh
d. Chapel Hill
93. Which one of the Founding Fathers was also known as an inventor?
a. Benjamin Franklin
b. Thomas Paine
c. Alexander Hamilton
d. Patrick Henry
94. Which State refused to ratify the Constitution until a bill of rights had been guaranteed?
a. Virginia
b. Connecticut
c. Rhode Island
d. North Carolina
95. The Constitution was written in
a. 1776
b. 1781
c. 1787
d. 1789
96. The Constitution was ratified in
a. 1776
b. 1788
c. 1791
d. 1800
97. The Constitution was written to replace
a. the Bill of Rights
b. the Declaration of Independence
c. the articles of Confederation
d. the Mayflower Compact
98. The original Constitution of the USA is made up of
a. 7 articles
b. 10 articles
c. 17 articles
d. 27 articles
99. The American Constitution was implemented in
a. September 1788
b. January 1789
c. March 1789
d. July 1789
100. The American presidential election takes place in
a. September
b. October
c. November
d. December
81. a) Francis Scott Key
82. a) Eli Whitney
83. b) Cyrus H) McCormick
84. b) John Hancock
85. b) Valley Forge
86. c) 1664
87. b) 1681
88. c) he was a Quaker
89. d) William Penn
90. b) Pontiac
91. d) Benjamin Franklin
92. a) Hillsborough
93. a) Benjamin Franklin
94. d) North Carolina
95. c) 1787
96. b) 1788
97. c) the articles of Confederation
98. a) 7 articles
99. c) March 1789
100. c) November
101. The Bill of Rights is made of
a. 5 articles
b. 7 articles
c. 10 articles
d. 15 articles
102. One clear aspect of amendment 1 deals with
a. the right of the people to bear arms
b. state law v. federal law
c. the freedom of the press
d. the protection of private property
103. The candidate for Presidency must be at least
a. 20
b. 25
c. 30
d. 35
104. The candidate for Presidency must be
a. a US citizen whatever his place of living
b. any person
c. an American citizen residing in the USA
d. an elector
105. Among other aspects amendment 1 deals with
a. the freedom of worship
b. the protection of private property
c. the necessity of a warrant before arresting an individual
d. the rights of the States
106. How many times can a candidate be elected president today?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. an indefinite number of times
107. According to the Constitution, how many years can a man remain President of the USA today?
a. 4
b. 8
c. 10
d. 12
108. Is it possible to become President of the United States if you have not been elected by the people?
a. Yes
b. No
109. How many Senators are there in the United States?
a. 50
b. 100
c. 435
d. 538
110. How many Representatives are there in the United States?
a. 50
b. 100
c. 435
d. 538
111. How many Electors are there in the United States?
a. 50
b. 100
c. 435
d. 538
112. The “splendid little war” refers to
a. the war for Independence
b. the Civil War
c. The Cuban-American war
d. the annexation of Florida
113. The American troops set foot in Cuba in
a. 1898
b. 1492
c. 1812
d. 1912
114. Roosevelt’s soldiers during the Cuban war for Independence were called
a. Rough Riders
b. Patriots
c. Liberty Boys
d. Forty-Niners
115. The amendment giving women the right to vote was passed in
a. 1911
b. 1920
c. 1924
d. 1945
116. The 1950’s witch-hunt was a collective hysteria against
a. witches
b. communists
c. democrats
d. soldiers
117. Kennedy’s political platform was known as
a. the New Freedom
b. the New Frontier
c. the Great Society
d. the New Deal
118. Richard Nixon left the White House after his
a. impeachment
b. resignation
c. trial
d. pardon
119. Who was Richard Nixon’s first vice-president?
a. Edward Kennedy
b. Gerald Ford
c. Spiro Agnew
d. Lyndon Johnson
120. In Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court ruled that a woman had
a. the right to vote
b. the right to privacy
c. the right to abort
d. the right to worship
101. c) 10 articles
102. c) the freedom of the press
103. d) 35
104. c) an American citizen residing in the USA
105. a) the freedom of worship
106. b) 2
107. c) 10
108. a) Yes
109. b) 100
110. c) 435
111. d) 538
112. c) The Cuban-American war
113. a) 1898
114. a) Rough Riders
115. b) 1920
116. b) communists
117. b) the New Frontier
118. b) resignation
119. c) Spiro Agnew
120. c) the right to abort