US History Quiz
Jamestown, the Mayflower, Seward's Folly, Prohibition: 15 questions spanning four centuries of America.
Which settlement, founded in Virginia in 1607, was the first permanent English colony in North America?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Jamestown
Jamestown was established by the Virginia Company in May 1607 on the James River and survived starvation, disease and conflict to become the first lasting English foothold in North America.
The earlier Roanoke colony of 1587 vanished without trace, leaving only the word CROATOAN carved into a post.
Which ship carried the Pilgrims across the Atlantic to Plymouth in 1620?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Mayflower
The Mayflower left Plymouth, England in September 1620 with about 102 passengers and reached Cape Cod in November, where the men signed the Mayflower Compact before going ashore.
A second ship, the Speedwell, was supposed to sail too but leaked so badly that it turned back twice and was abandoned.
Which amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1920, guaranteed women the right to vote nationwide?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The 19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment was ratified on 18 August 1920 when Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it, barring states from denying the vote on the basis of sex.
Tennessee's ratification passed by one vote after 24-year-old legislator Harry Burn switched sides, reportedly after a letter from his mother.
What name was given to the drought-stricken southern Plains of the 1930s, where dust storms drove thousands of farming families west?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Dust Bowl
Years of drought and the ploughing up of native prairie grass turned parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and neighbouring states into the Dust Bowl, with black blizzards of soil darkening skies as far as Washington, DC.
John Steinbeck's 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath follows an Oklahoma family forced off their land by the Dust Bowl.
Near which North Carolina town did the Wright brothers make the first powered, controlled airplane flight in December 1903?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Kitty Hawk
Orville Wright flew the Wright Flyer for 12 seconds over the dunes at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk on 17 December 1903, the first of four flights made that day.
The brothers chose the Outer Banks for its steady winds and soft sand, after asking the US Weather Bureau for a list of windy places.
In which year was the US Constitution signed by the delegates in Philadelphia?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
1787
The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia through the summer of 1787 and 39 delegates signed the finished document on 17 September, after which it went to the states for ratification.
Rhode Island refused to send any delegates to the convention and was the last of the 13 states to ratify, in 1790.
Which 1823 presidential doctrine warned European powers against any further colonization in the Americas?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Monroe Doctrine
President James Monroe used his annual message to Congress in December 1823 to declare the Western Hemisphere closed to new European colonization, a policy later known as the Monroe Doctrine.
The doctrine was largely drafted by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, who succeeded Monroe as president.
Which Secretary of State arranged the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, a deal critics mocked as his 'folly'?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
William Seward
William H. Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska for 7.2 million dollars, about two cents an acre, and newspapers ridiculed the frozen territory as Seward's Folly and Seward's Icebox.
The Klondike and Nome gold rushes of the 1890s helped turn public opinion, and Alaska became the 49th state in 1959.
At which spot in Utah was the golden spike driven in 1869 to complete the first transcontinental railroad?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Promontory Summit
On 10 May 1869 the Central Pacific and Union Pacific lines met at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory, where a ceremonial golden spike joined the rails and a telegraph message of 'Done' went out to the nation.
The famous golden spike is now kept at Stanford University, founded by Leland Stanford, the Central Pacific president who tapped it in.
The explosion of which US warship in Havana harbor in February 1898 helped push the United States into war with Spain?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
USS Maine
The battleship USS Maine blew up in Havana harbor on 15 February 1898, killing about 260 sailors, and the rallying cry 'Remember the Maine!' helped drive the United States into the Spanish-American War that April.
A 1976 US Navy study concluded the explosion was probably caused by a fire in a coal bunker rather than a Spanish mine.
Which 1848 treaty ended the war with Mexico and transferred California and much of the Southwest to the United States?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Signed on 2 February 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ceded roughly 525,000 square miles (1.36 million square kilometres), including California, Nevada and Utah, in exchange for 15 million dollars.
Gold had been discovered at Sutter's Mill in California nine days before the treaty was signed, but the news had not yet reached the negotiators.
In which year did nationwide Prohibition end with the ratification of the 21st Amendment?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
1933
The 21st Amendment, ratified on 5 December 1933, repealed the 18th Amendment and ended nearly 14 years of national Prohibition that had begun in January 1920.
It remains the only constitutional amendment ratified by state conventions rather than state legislatures, and the only one to repeal another amendment.
Which 1896 Supreme Court decision upheld racial segregation under the doctrine of 'separate but equal'?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Plessy v. Ferguson
In Plessy v. Ferguson the Court ruled 7 to 1 that a Louisiana law requiring separate railway cars for Black and white passengers was constitutional, giving legal cover to Jim Crow segregation for 58 years.
Justice John Marshall Harlan's lone dissent, declaring that 'our Constitution is color-blind', was later cited in overturning the ruling.
Which 1794 uprising by western Pennsylvania farmers against a federal excise tax was put down by militia that President Washington personally rode out to review?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Whiskey Rebellion
Farmers who distilled their grain into whiskey resisted the 1791 federal excise, and in 1794 Washington raised about 13,000 militia from four states, the first major test of federal authority under the Constitution.
Washington remains the only sitting US president to lead troops in the field, though he handed command to Henry 'Light-Horse Harry' Lee before the army arrived.
Which territory became the last of the 48 contiguous states when it joined the Union in February 1912?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Arizona
Arizona was admitted on 14 February 1912, five weeks after New Mexico, completing the contiguous United States. Alaska and Hawaii did not follow until 1959.
Arizona's admission on Valentine's Day earned it the nickname the Valentine State, alongside the better known Grand Canyon State.
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All History quizzes →About the US History Quiz
America's story runs from a muddy fort on the James River in 1607 to the Wright brothers lifting off a North Carolina dune in 1903, with a golden spike, a Whiskey Rebellion and a famously cheap purchase of Alaska along the way. There is a lot to remember, and most of us only half remember it.
These 15 questions sweep across the whole timeline: the first colonies, the Constitution, the Monroe Doctrine, the war that handed the United States the Southwest, the end of the frontier and the amendments that changed who could vote and what they could drink. It suits anyone who enjoyed American history at school and wants to find out how much actually stuck, with a few harder questions near the end for history buffs.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
What period does this US History Quiz cover?
It runs from the founding of Jamestown in 1607 to the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, covering the colonial era, the early republic, westward expansion and the Progressive Era.
How hard is the US History Quiz?
It is rated Medium. The first few questions are school level, the middle section needs solid general knowledge and the last three reward people who read history for fun.
Do the questions overlap with the American Revolution and Civil War quizzes?
No. Those wars have their own quizzes on trivia.net, so this one deliberately focuses on everything in between and around them.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which settlement, founded in Virginia in 1607, was the first permanent English colony in North America?
Jamestown Jamestown was established by the Virginia Company in May 1607 on the James River and survived starvation, disease and conflict to become the first lasting English foothold in North America. The earlier Roanoke colony of 1587 vanished without trace, leaving only the word CROATOAN carved into a post. - Which ship carried the Pilgrims across the Atlantic to Plymouth in 1620?
Mayflower The Mayflower left Plymouth, England in September 1620 with about 102 passengers and reached Cape Cod in November, where the men signed the Mayflower Compact before going ashore. A second ship, the Speedwell, was supposed to sail too but leaked so badly that it turned back twice and was abandoned. - Which amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1920, guaranteed women the right to vote nationwide?
The 19th Amendment The 19th Amendment was ratified on 18 August 1920 when Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it, barring states from denying the vote on the basis of sex. Tennessee's ratification passed by one vote after 24-year-old legislator Harry Burn switched sides, reportedly after a letter from his mother. - What name was given to the drought-stricken southern Plains of the 1930s, where dust storms drove thousands of farming families west?
The Dust Bowl Years of drought and the ploughing up of native prairie grass turned parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and neighbouring states into the Dust Bowl, with black blizzards of soil darkening skies as far as Washington, DC. John Steinbeck's 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath follows an Oklahoma family forced off their land by the Dust Bowl. - Near which North Carolina town did the Wright brothers make the first powered, controlled airplane flight in December 1903?
Kitty Hawk Orville Wright flew the Wright Flyer for 12 seconds over the dunes at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk on 17 December 1903, the first of four flights made that day. The brothers chose the Outer Banks for its steady winds and soft sand, after asking the US Weather Bureau for a list of windy places. - In which year was the US Constitution signed by the delegates in Philadelphia?
1787 The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia through the summer of 1787 and 39 delegates signed the finished document on 17 September, after which it went to the states for ratification. Rhode Island refused to send any delegates to the convention and was the last of the 13 states to ratify, in 1790. - Which 1823 presidential doctrine warned European powers against any further colonization in the Americas?
The Monroe Doctrine President James Monroe used his annual message to Congress in December 1823 to declare the Western Hemisphere closed to new European colonization, a policy later known as the Monroe Doctrine. The doctrine was largely drafted by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, who succeeded Monroe as president. - Which Secretary of State arranged the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, a deal critics mocked as his 'folly'?
William Seward William H. Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska for 7.2 million dollars, about two cents an acre, and newspapers ridiculed the frozen territory as Seward's Folly and Seward's Icebox. The Klondike and Nome gold rushes of the 1890s helped turn public opinion, and Alaska became the 49th state in 1959. - At which spot in Utah was the golden spike driven in 1869 to complete the first transcontinental railroad?
Promontory Summit On 10 May 1869 the Central Pacific and Union Pacific lines met at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory, where a ceremonial golden spike joined the rails and a telegraph message of 'Done' went out to the nation. The famous golden spike is now kept at Stanford University, founded by Leland Stanford, the Central Pacific president who tapped it in. - The explosion of which US warship in Havana harbor in February 1898 helped push the United States into war with Spain?
USS Maine The battleship USS Maine blew up in Havana harbor on 15 February 1898, killing about 260 sailors, and the rallying cry 'Remember the Maine!' helped drive the United States into the Spanish-American War that April. A 1976 US Navy study concluded the explosion was probably caused by a fire in a coal bunker rather than a Spanish mine. - Which 1848 treaty ended the war with Mexico and transferred California and much of the Southwest to the United States?
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Signed on 2 February 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ceded roughly 525,000 square miles (1.36 million square kilometres), including California, Nevada and Utah, in exchange for 15 million dollars. Gold had been discovered at Sutter's Mill in California nine days before the treaty was signed, but the news had not yet reached the negotiators. - In which year did nationwide Prohibition end with the ratification of the 21st Amendment?
1933 The 21st Amendment, ratified on 5 December 1933, repealed the 18th Amendment and ended nearly 14 years of national Prohibition that had begun in January 1920. It remains the only constitutional amendment ratified by state conventions rather than state legislatures, and the only one to repeal another amendment. - Which 1896 Supreme Court decision upheld racial segregation under the doctrine of 'separate but equal'?
Plessy v. Ferguson In Plessy v. Ferguson the Court ruled 7 to 1 that a Louisiana law requiring separate railway cars for Black and white passengers was constitutional, giving legal cover to Jim Crow segregation for 58 years. Justice John Marshall Harlan's lone dissent, declaring that 'our Constitution is color-blind', was later cited in overturning the ruling. - Which 1794 uprising by western Pennsylvania farmers against a federal excise tax was put down by militia that President Washington personally rode out to review?
The Whiskey Rebellion Farmers who distilled their grain into whiskey resisted the 1791 federal excise, and in 1794 Washington raised about 13,000 militia from four states, the first major test of federal authority under the Constitution. Washington remains the only sitting US president to lead troops in the field, though he handed command to Henry 'Light-Horse Harry' Lee before the army arrived. - Which territory became the last of the 48 contiguous states when it joined the Union in February 1912?
Arizona Arizona was admitted on 14 February 1912, five weeks after New Mexico, completing the contiguous United States. Alaska and Hawaii did not follow until 1959. Arizona's admission on Valentine's Day earned it the nickname the Valentine State, alongside the better known Grand Canyon State.
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