Majority of U.S. Citizens Get These American History Questions Wrong

By: Tyler Connaghan | Last updated: Mar 23, 2024

How much do you really know about the history that has shaped the United States of America?

You may be surprised to know that many U.S. citizens know very little about our country’s past and how it informs our current environment. Put your patriotic knowledge to the test with this history quiz.

1. Who was the first president to live in the White House?

A) George Washington
B) Abraham Lincoln
C) John Adams
D) John Quincy Adams

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Source: Facebook

Answer:

John Adams

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Source: Wikipedia

2. How many settlers came over on the Mayflower?

A) 102
B) 56
C) 134
D) 200

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Source: Wikipedia

Answer:

102 settlers

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Source: Wikipedia

3. Which European country colonized Florida?

A) England
B) Spain
C) France
D) Germany

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Source: Wikipedia

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Answer:

Spain

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Source: Wikipedia

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4. Which president is credited with ending slavery?

A) George Washington
B) John Adams
C) Abraham Lincoln
D) Woodrow Wilson

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Source: Wikimedia Commons

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Answer:

Abraham Lincoln

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Source: Wikipedia

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5. What was the bloodiest one-day battle in American History?

A) Battle of Verdun (WWII)
B) Pearl Harbor (WWII)
C) Battle of Antietam (Civil War)
D) None of the Above

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Source: Getty Images

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Answer:

Battle of Antietam (Civil War)

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Source: Wikimedia Commons

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6. Who was the first president to be impeached?

A) Donald Trump
B) Ronald Reagan
C) Andrew Johnson
D) Bill Clinton

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump announces he will run for president in 2024 at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach

Source: Getty Images

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Answer:

Andrew Johnson

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Source: Wikipedia

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7. What was the leading cause of death during the first winter of the Plymouth Colony?

A) Disease
B) Harsh Weather
C) Starvation
D) All of the Above

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Source: Wikipedia

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Answer:

All of the Above

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Source: Wikipedia

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8. How many amendments to the U.S. Constitution are there?

A) 27
B) 10
C)75
D) 0

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Source: Wikipedia

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Answer:

27 amendments

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9. The first African slaves were brought to which modern city/state?

A) Jacksonville, Florida
B) Jamestown, Virginia
C) Charlotte, North Carolina
D) Plymouth, Massachusetts

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Source: Wikipedia

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Answer:

Jamestown, Virginia

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10. What year did the U.S. join World War I?

A) 1914
B) 1915
C) 1916
D) 1917

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Source: Wikipedia

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Answer:

1917

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Source: Wikipedia

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11. What was New York’s original name?

A) New Holland

B) New Dutch-land

C) Philadelphia

D) New Amsterdam

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Aerial view of New York City, including Central Park

Source: Freepik

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Answer:

New Amsterdam

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Photograph of the New York Stock Exchange in 1903

Source: Library of Congress

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12. On what date was the Declaration of Independence signed?

A) July 4, 1776

B) August 2, 1776

C) May 17, 1779

C) July 4, 1779

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Declaration of Independence on an American flag

Source: Adobe Stock

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Answer:

August 2, 1776

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Declaration of Independence, oil on canvas by John Trumbull, 1818; in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Washington, D.C.

Source: Britannica

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13. What European country was the Statue of Liberty a gift from?

A) Germany

B) United Kingdom

C) France

D) Italy

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View of the Statue of Liberty against a blue sky

Source: Freepik

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Answer:

France

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Close-up photograph of the flag of France

Source: Freepik

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14. Which was the first US state admitted to the Union?

A) Pennsylvania

B) Delaware

C) New York

D) Virginia

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Map of the United States with a magnifying glass laying on top

Source: Freepik

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Answer:

Delaware

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Old map of the state of Delaware

Source: iStock

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15. How many US Presidents have been assassinated?

A) 4

B) 3

C) 6

D) 0

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Photograph of a memorial for JFK after he was assasinated

Source: JFK.org

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Answer:

4

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Official photograph of President Abraham Lincoln

Source: Wikipedia

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16. Who was the Confederate President during the Civil War?

A) Ulysses S. Grant

B) Abraham Lincoln

C) Jefferson Davis

D) Robert E. Lee

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Illustration of the US Civil War

Source: iStock

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Answer:

Jefferson Davis

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Photograph of Confederate President Jefferson Davis

Source: Wikipedia

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17. In 1903, the United States doubled in size after which event?

A) The Louisiana Purchase

B) The Civil War

C) The Indian Removal Act

D) The Monroe Doctrine

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Map of the United States with an American flag placed in the center

Source: StockSnap

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Answer:

The Louisiana Purchase

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Original Frank Bond - Government Printing Office of the Louisiana Purchase from 1912

Source: Wikipedia

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18. What of the following wars did the United States NOT fight in during the 1800s?

A) Mexican-American War
B) Civil War
C) War of 1812
D) Revolutionary War

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Black and white illustration of the Mexican-American War

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Answer:

Revolutionary War

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Illustration of a soldier in the Revolutionary War holding an American flag on the battlefield

Source: Adobe Stock

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19. What was the name of the network of secret routes that helped slaves escape from the South to the North?

A) Underground Tunnels

B) Underground Railroad

C) Freedom Movement

D) None of the Above

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Map of the Underground Railroad which helped slaves escape from the South to the North

Source: National Geographic

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Answer:

Underground Railroad

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Photograph of railroad tracks leading into an underground tunnel

Source: iStock

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20. Who was the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms?

A) George Washington

B) Theodore Roosevelt

C) William Henry Harrison

D) Grover Cleveland

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Exterior view of the White House in Washington, DC

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Answer:

Grover Cleveland

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Photograph of former US president Grover Cleveland

Source: Britannica

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21. The US National Anthem starts with the following words…

A) “Oh say, can you see”

B) “God bless America”

C) “In God we trust”

D) “We the people”

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Man in a suit playing a guitar with an American flag tied around the neck

Source: Freepik

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Answer:

“Oh say, can you see”

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Close-up photograph of an American flag

Source: Freepik

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22. When was the first United States $1 bill minted?

A) 1670

B) 1776

C) 1862

D) 1801

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An old US $1 bill

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Answer:

1862

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The first US $1 minted in 1862

Source: Wikipedia

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23. What was the first permanent settlement in what would eventually be the United States?

A) Annapolis

B) Chesapeake Bay

C) Massachusetts Bay Colony

D) Jamestown

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Illustration of the original colony of Jamestown in what is now Virginia

Source: Britannica

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Answer:

Jamestown

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Map of the East Coast of the USA including the original Jamestown settlement

Source: National Geographic Society

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24. How many people were executed during the Salem Witch Trials?

A) 120

B) 19

C) 63

D) 4

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Representation of the Salem witch trials from 1892

Source: Wikipedia

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Answer:

19

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Painting entitled"Examination of a witch" by Thomkins H. Matteson, 1853

Source: Wikipedia

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25. When was the first Great Awakening?

A) 1730s -1740s

B) 1600s-1630s

C) 1810s

D) 1890s-1910s

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Drawing of George Whitefield preaching to a crowd during the first Great Awakening

Source: Britannica

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Answer:

1730s-1740s

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Illustration of the first Great Awakening in the American colonies 1730s-1740s

Source: @AmericanHistoryVideos/YouTube

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26. About how many slaves were freed at the conclusion of the Civil War?

A) 1 Million

B) 4 Million

C) 6 Million

D) 500,000

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Photograph of formerly enslaved men, women, and children claimed freedom by entering Federal lines during the Civil War

Source: Library of Congress

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Answer:

4 Million

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Promotional poster for the Emancipation Proclamation depicting slavery and a picture of president Abraham Lincoln

Source: Library of Congress

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27. What tribe was Pocahontas from?

A) Powhatan

B) Cherokee 

C) Mohawk

D) Iroquois

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Pocahontas saves the life of John Smith in this chromolithograph, credited to the New England Chromo. Lith. Company around 1870

Source: Wikipedia

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Answer:

Powhatan

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Engraved portrait of Matoaks or Rebecka, the Native American woman better known as Pocahontas, made in 1616 during her trip in England

Source: Wikipedia

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28. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked which American harbor?

A) New York Harbor

B) Pearl Harbor

C) Miami Harbor

D) Sunset Harbor

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An Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter on the aircraft carrier Akagi on the way to Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941

Source: Wikipedia

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Answer:

Pearl Harbor

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Aerial view of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in 1986

Source: Wikipedia

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29. Where did Christopher Columbus land?

A) Virginia 

B) Maryland

C) Massachusettes

D) None of the Above

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Painting of explorer Christopher Columbus

Source: Alamy

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Answer:

None of the Above

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The routes of the four Voyages of Christopher Columbus from 1492-1504

Source: Wikipedia

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30. What was the last state to be admitted into the union?

A) California

B) Alaska

C) Hawaii

D) Texas

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Map of the United States with the names of each state

Source: Freepik

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Answer:

Hawaii

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Map of the many islands in the state of Hawaii

Source: iStock

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