Civics Explained

American History

46 of the 128 questions on the 2025 civics test come from this section. The officer asks up to 20 questions in total and you need 12 correct to pass.

A: Colonial Period and Independence

  1. 73. The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.
  2. 74. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? 65/20
  3. 75. What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?
  4. 76. What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?
  5. 77. Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.
  6. 78. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? 65/20
  7. 79. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
  8. 80. The American Revolution had many important events. Name one.
  9. 81. There were 13 original states. Name five.
  10. 82. What founding document was written in 1787?
  11. 83. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
  12. 84. Why were the Federalist Papers important?
  13. 85. Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Name one.
  14. 86. George Washington is famous for many things. Name one. 65/20
  15. 87. Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one.
  16. 88. James Madison is famous for many things. Name one.
  17. 89. Alexander Hamilton is famous for many things. Name one.

B: 1800s

  1. 90. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
  2. 91. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
  3. 92. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
  4. 93. The Civil War had many important events. Name one.
  5. 94. Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things. Name one. 65/20
  6. 95. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
  7. 96. What U.S. war ended slavery?
  8. 97. What amendment says all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are U.S. citizens?
  9. 98. When did all men get the right to vote?
  10. 99. Name one leader of the women’s rights movement in the 1800s.

C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

  1. 100. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
  2. 101. Why did the United States enter World War I?
  3. 102. When did all women get the right to vote?
  4. 103. What was the Great Depression?
  5. 104. When did the Great Depression start?
  6. 105. Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?
  7. 106. Why did the United States enter World War II?
  8. 107. Dwight Eisenhower is famous for many things. Name one.
  9. 108. Who was the United States’ main rival during the Cold War?
  10. 109. During the Cold War, what was one main concern of the United States?
  11. 110. Why did the United States enter the Korean War?
  12. 111. Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War?
  13. 112. What did the civil rights movement do?
  14. 113. Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for many things. Name one. 65/20
  15. 114. Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War?
  16. 115. What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States? 65/20
  17. 116. Name one U.S. military conflict after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
  18. 117. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
  19. 118. Name one example of an American innovation.

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