Last Updated on 21/08/2025
American history is filled with legendary figures, dramatic turning points, and quirky little stories that most textbooks barely touch. From the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the moon landing, every era has its own fascinating details.
And what better way to explore them than with a trivia challenge?
This collection of 100 U.S. history trivia questions and answers is designed to do more than just test your memory. It’s meant to spark curiosity, refresh what you might have learned in school, and maybe even teach you a few surprising facts along the way.
Whether you’re a teacher looking for a classroom activity, a trivia night host in need of questions, or just someone who loves a good challenge, this list has you covered.
The questions are organized by time period and difficulty, so you can jump into your favorite era or test yourself across the entire sweep of American history.
So grab a friend, keep score if you’d like, and get ready to discover just how much you know about the people, events, and milestones that shaped the United States.
Who knows?
By the end, you might walk away with a few bragging rights and a deeper appreciation for America’s story.
Colonial America & the Revolutionary Era (1607-1783)
The United States began long before it officially became a nation. From the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown to the fiery debates of independence, this era is marked by milestones that have shaped America’s foundation.
It’s the story of explorers, colonists, revolutionaries and the birth of a country determined to govern itself.
Here are some trivia questions from America’s earliest days:
Easy
- What year did the Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock?
Answer: 1620 - Which colony was the first to be established in America?
Answer: Virginia (Jamestown, 1607) - Who is famously credited with saying, “Give me liberty, or give me death”?
Answer: Patrick Henry
Medium
- Which European nation was the main rival of Britain during the French and Indian War?
Answer: France - Who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence?
Answer: Thomas Jefferson - What battle is often called the turning point of the American Revolution?
Answer: The Battle of Saratoga
Hard
- What pamphlet, written in 1776, powerfully argued for independence from Britain?
Answer: Common Sense by Thomas Paine - Which treaty officially ended the Revolutionary War in 1783?
Answer: The Treaty of Paris - Which foreign military leader became a close ally of George Washington and helped secure victory at Yorktown?
Answer: Marquis de Lafayette
The Early Republic & Westward Expansion (1783-1860)
After independence was won, the young United States faced the challenge of building a stable government while also expanding westward.
From the drafting of the Constitution to the Louisiana Purchase and the California Gold Rush, this period was defined by growth, experimentation, and tension that would eventually lead to the Civil War.
Here are some trivia questions from America’s early years as a nation:
Easy
- Who was the first President of the United States?
Answer: George Washington - What year was the U.S. Constitution ratified?
Answer: 1788 - Which U.S. city served as the nation’s capital before Washington, D.C.?
Answer: Philadelphia
Medium
- Who was the President during the Louisiana Purchase in 1803?
Answer: Thomas Jefferson - What was the name of the expedition that explored the newly acquired Louisiana Territory?
Answer: The Lewis and Clark Expedition - Which U.S. state was known as the “Lone Star Republic” before joining the Union?
Answer: Texas
Hard
- Which landmark Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review?
Answer: Marbury v. Madison (1803) - What year did the California Gold Rush begin, drawing thousands westward?
Answer: 1849 - Which U.S. president is remembered for his “Trail of Tears” policy, leading to the forced relocation of Native Americans?
Answer: Andrew Jackson
The Civil War & Reconstruction (1861-1877)
The Civil War remains one of the most defining and tragic chapters in U.S. history. Brother fought against brother, the question of slavery tore the nation apart, and the years that followed brought both hope and hardship during Reconstruction. This era is marked by powerful leaders, pivotal battles, and amendments that have reshaped America forever.
Easy
- Who was the President of the United States during the Civil War?
Answer: Abraham Lincoln - Which U.S. state was the first to secede from the Union?
Answer: South Carolina - What was the name of the speech Abraham Lincoln delivered in 1863 to dedicate a battlefield cemetery?
Answer: The Gettysburg Address
Medium
- Which battle is often considered the bloodiest single day in American history?
Answer: The Battle of Antietam - What year did the Emancipation Proclamation take effect?
Answer: 1863 - Which Constitutional amendment officially abolished slavery in the United States?
Answer: The 13th Amendment
Hard
- Which Union general led the famous “March to the Sea” through Georgia?
Answer: William Tecumseh Sherman - Who became President after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865?
Answer: Andrew Johnson - What legislation, passed in 1867, divided the South into military districts during Reconstruction?
Answer: The Reconstruction Acts
Industrialization, World Wars & the Roaring ’20s (1878-1945)
Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the U.S. transformed into an industrial powerhouse and a global leader. Factories, railroads, and skyscrapers reshaped the nation, while world wars and social revolutions tested its resilience.
This era includes everything from Teddy Roosevelt’s reforms to the stock market crash of 1929 and America’s entry into World War II.
Easy
- Who was the president of the United States during World War I?
Answer: Woodrow Wilson - What year did women gain the right to vote in the U.S.?
Answer: 1920 (19th Amendment) - What event is known as the start of the Great Depression?
Answer: The stock market crash of 1929
Medium
- What U.S. ship’s sinking in 1915 helped push America closer to World War I?
Answer: The Lusitania - Which amendment established Prohibition, banning the sale of alcohol?
Answer: The 18th Amendment (1919) - Who was the famous aviator who completed the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927?
Answer: Charles Lindbergh
Hard
- What was the name of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s program to combat the Great Depression?
Answer: The New Deal - What year did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, bringing the U.S. into World War II?
Answer: 1941 (December 7th) - Which battle is considered the turning point of the Pacific theater in World War II?
Answer: The Battle of Midway (1942)
The Cold War, Civil Rights & Modern America (1946-2000)
The second half of the 20th century was an era of tension, transformation, and technological leaps. The Cold War pitted the U.S. against the Soviet Union in a global struggle for influence, while the Civil Rights Movement reshaped the meaning of equality within the United States. From the moon landing to the fall of the Berlin Wall, this period defined the America we know today.
Easy
- Who was the first U.S. president to resign from office?
Answer: Richard Nixon (1974) - What year did the U.S. land astronauts on the moon?
Answer: 1969 - Which African American leader delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963?
Answer: Martin Luther King Jr.
Medium
- Which U.S. president signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law?
Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson - What was the name of the American foreign policy strategy aimed at stopping the spread of communism?
Answer: Containment - Which U.S. president famously challenged the Soviets by saying, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”?
Answer: Ronald Reagan (1987)
Hard
- What conflict from 1950-1953 is often called “The Forgotten War”?
Answer: The Korean War - Which landmark Supreme Court case in 1954 declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional?
Answer: Brown v. Board of Education - What U.S. operation involved supplying food and goods to West Berlin after the Soviet blockade in 1948-1949?
Answer: The Berlin Airlift
The 21st Century & Contemporary History (2001-Present)
The new millennium brought fresh challenges and milestones for the United States. From the tragedy of September 11 to the election of the first African American president, and from global wars to groundbreaking social movements, this era continues to unfold before our eyes. These questions test how well you remember the defining events of modern America.
Easy
- Who was the U.S. president during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks?
Answer: George W. Bush - Who became the first African American president of the United States in 2009?
Answer: Barack Obama - Which year did the COVID-19 pandemic begin to significantly affect the U.S.?
Answer: 2020
Medium
- What year was the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) signed into law?
Answer: 2010 - Who was the first woman to be nominated as a major party’s candidate for president?
Answer: Hillary Clinton (Democratic nominee, 2016) - Which U.S. president ordered the military operation that killed Osama bin Laden?
Answer: Barack Obama (2011)
Hard
- What was the name of the U.S. military operation that overthrew Saddam Hussein in Iraq in 2003?
Answer: Operation Iraqi Freedom - Who was the first female Vice President of the United States?
Answer: Kamala Harris (elected in 2020, inaugurated in 2021) - Which Supreme Court case legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015?
Answer: Obergefell v. Hodges
Presidential Firsts & Fun Facts
Beyond wars and amendments, U.S. history is full of quirky “firsts” and surprising tidbits. These questions are perfect for breaking the tension of serious trivia and adding a little lighthearted fun to the mix.
Easy
- Who was the first U.S. president to live in the White House?
Answer: John Adams - Which president is featured on the U.S. $5 bill?
Answer: Abraham Lincoln - Who was the youngest elected president of the United States?
Answer: John F. Kennedy
Medium
- Which president was the first to appear on television?
Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt (1939 World’s Fair broadcast) - Who was the first president to fly in an airplane while in office?
Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt (1943) - Which president was the first to be impeached?
Answer: Andrew Johnson (1868)
Hard
- Which president was the first to ride in a car while in office?
Answer: William McKinley (1901) - Who was the first president to win the Nobel Peace Prize?
Answer: Theodore Roosevelt (1906) - Which president delivered the first televised color broadcast from the White House?
Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower (1958)
Extra Questions to Complete the 100
Colonial & Revolutionary Era
- Which Founding Father is known for his famous kite experiment with electricity?
Answer: Benjamin Franklin - What year did the Declaration of Independence officially get adopted?
Answer: 1776 (July 4th) - Who was the main author of the Federalist Papers along with Hamilton and Madison?
Answer: John Jay
Early Republic & Expansion
- What U.S. document begins with the words “We the People”?
Answer: The Constitution - Which U.S. president purchased Florida from Spain in 1819?
Answer: James Monroe (Adams-Onís Treaty) - What was the first state admitted to the Union after the original 13?
Answer: Vermont (1791) - Which Native American woman assisted Lewis and Clark on their expedition?
Answer: Sacagawea
Civil War & Reconstruction
- What year did the Civil War begin?
Answer: 1861 - Who was the Confederate president during the Civil War?
Answer: Jefferson Davis - What was the capital of the Confederacy?
Answer: Richmond, Virginia - Which amendment granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.?
Answer: The 14th Amendment
Industrialization, Roaring ’20s & WWII
- Which U.S. president was known as the “Trust Buster”?
Answer: Theodore Roosevelt - What year did the Titanic sink, shocking the world?
Answer: 1912 - Who was the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms?
Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt (4 terms) - Which American pilot was known as the “Ace of Aces” during WWI?
Answer: Eddie Rickenbacker - Which program built national parks, trails, and forests during the Great Depression?
Answer: The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) - Which international organization was founded after World War II in 1945, with the U.S. as a founding member?
Answer: The United Nations
Cold War & Civil Rights Era
- Who was the U.S. president during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Answer: John F. Kennedy - What year was John F. Kennedy assassinated?
Answer: 1963 - Which spaceflight program landed the first humans on the moon?
Answer: Apollo Program - Which U.S. president signed Medicare into law in 1965?
Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson - Which American boxer refused to be drafted into the Vietnam War, citing religious beliefs?
Answer: Muhammad Ali - Which U.S. president visited China in 1972, opening diplomatic relations?
Answer: Richard Nixon
21st Century & Contemporary
- Who won the U.S. presidential election in the year 2000?
Answer: George W. Bush - What year did Hurricane Katrina devastate New Orleans?
Answer: 2005 - Which social media platform, founded in 2004, has become a major influence in politics and culture?
Answer: Facebook - Who was the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, appointed in 2009?
Answer: Sonia Sotomayor - What year did the U.S. officially end combat operations in Iraq?
Answer: 2011 - Which landmark health crisis saw the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022?
Answer: Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
Bonus Fun Facts & Oddities
- Which U.S. president kept a pet alligator in the White House?
Answer: John Quincy Adams - What’s the only U.S. state that was once an independent kingdom?
Answer: Hawaii - Which state is known as the “Last Frontier”?
Answer: Alaska - Which amendment lowered the voting age to 18?
Answer: The 26th Amendment (1971) - What’s the only U.S. state that has a one-house legislature?
Answer: Nebraska - Which president was once a Hollywood actor before entering politics?
Answer: Ronald Reagan - Which U.S. city hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics?
Answer: Los Angeles - Which U.S. state was the last to join the Union?
Answer: Hawaii (1959)
Lastly,
And there you have it, 100 U.S. history trivia questions and answers that cover over four centuries of America’s story. From the earliest colonial settlements to the bold steps of the 21st century, these questions show just how much history has shaped the country we live in today.
Maybe you breezed through the easy ones, maybe a few of the harder ones caught you off guard but that’s the fun of trivia. Every question is an opportunity to revisit the past, spark conversation, and perhaps even learn something new.
Whether you use these for a classroom review, a family game night, or a friendly quiz competition, they’re a great way to keep American history alive in a fun and engaging way.
