Part 2 — Answer key

Compare your answers after you have finished Part 1.

1. Before political parties even existed in the U.S., who became the first President under the Constitution?
   George Washington
2. The Bill of Rights refers to the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
   True
3. Which constitutional amendment abolished slavery in the United States?
   13th Amendment
4. The first shots of the Civil War were fired at which location?
   Fort Sumter
5. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public schools.
   False
6. If you picture U.S. ships being stopped at sea and the slogan "Free Trade and Sailors' Rights," which major opponent fits the War of 1812?
   Britain
7. The Louisiana Purchase transferred a huge swath of land to the United States from which country?
   France
8. The French and Indian War was fought mainly between Britain and France for control in North America.
   True
9. Which pamphlet’s plain-spoken arguments helped push many colonists toward independence?
   Common Sense
10. Which document begins with the words "We the People"?
    The U.S. Constitution
11. The Emancipation Proclamation immediately freed all enslaved people in every U.S. state.
    False
12. The 54th Massachusetts Infantry is especially remembered for its assault on which Confederate-held fort?
    Fort Wagner
13. When people talk about the Underground Railroad, what are they describing?
    A network of secret routes and safe houses
14. The Seneca Falls Convention is closely associated with the early women’s rights movement in the United States.
    True
15. The Monroe Doctrine warned European powers against what action in the Western Hemisphere?
    Further colonization or interference in the Americas
16. Which agreement ended the Mexican-American War and resulted in major U.S. territorial gains in the Southwest?
    Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
17. The Boston Tea Party was a protest against British taxation, including the tax on tea.
    True
18. Which economic crisis pushed President Franklin D. Roosevelt to launch the New Deal?
    The Great Depression
19. You see a political cartoon with Uncle Sam holding up a “Do Not Enter” sign to European monarchs near the Caribbean. Which idea is it most directly pointing to?
    The Monroe Doctrine
20. You read a speech defending "separate but equal" as a workable compromise. Which Supreme Court case is most directly tied to that idea?
    Plessy v. Ferguson
21. Reconstruction ended within a year or two of Lincoln’s assassination.
    False
22. A state passes a law denying citizenship to people born in the United States to immigrant parents. Which amendment is most directly violated?
    14th Amendment
23. A museum label mentions the Zimmermann Telegram as a turning point that helped bring the U.S. into a global conflict. Which war is it talking about?
    World War I
24. The Korean War ended with a signed peace treaty between North Korea and South Korea.
    False
25. A family letter says an ancestor fought as part of the "Harlem Hellfighters" and spent long stretches under French command. Which war does that point to?
    World War I
26. A veteran tells you a single law helped pay tuition and made home loans more accessible after serving overseas. Which program are they describing?
    The GI Bill
27. The Indian Removal Act led to the forced relocation of several Southeastern tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River.
    True
28. A student says, "The Supreme Court can strike down laws, but I forget what established that power." Which case is the classic starting point for judicial review?
    Marbury v. Madison
29. A flyer promises you 160 acres if you live on and improve the land for several years. Which law is being echoed?
    Homestead Act
30. The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement centered on Black art, literature, and music.
    True
31. The Palmer Raids are associated with the First Red Scare that followed World War I.
    True
32. A Southern state creates laws right after the Civil War that restrict where freedpeople can work and travel. What were these laws commonly called?
    Black Codes
33. Buffalo Soldiers were African American regiments formed in the post Civil War U.S. Army and served on the western frontier.
    True
34. Someone claims the 15th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationwide. Which amendment actually did that?
    19th Amendment
35. A documentary mentions maritime rights, British impressment, and the burning of Washington, D.C. Which war is being described?
    War of 1812
36. The 54th Massachusetts was among the first officially raised Black regiments in the Union Army.
    True
37. A historian says, "This single presidential order flipped the official policy on segregation in the armed forces after World War II." Which action is being described?
    Executive Order 9981
38. At the Constitutional Convention, which proposal called for representation in the legislature based on population?
    Virginia Plan
39. Korematsu v. United States upheld the federal government’s wartime internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
    True
40. A textbook chapter on the Trail of Tears is most closely linked to the presidency of which leader?
    Andrew Jackson
41. You are trying to remember what event effectively marked the end of Reconstruction by changing federal enforcement in the South. Which choice best fits?
    The Compromise of 1877
42. The Articles of Confederation created a strong national executive branch with power to veto state laws.
    False
43. Before the U.S. officially entered World War II, which policy let it supply weapons and goods to Allied nations?
    Lend-Lease Act
44. During the Civil War, which federal office was created to manage the Union’s recruitment and organization of Black regiments?
    Bureau for Colored Troops
45. A historian describes the first wave of the Great Migration as Black Southerners moving to Northern cities for industrial jobs and safety. Which broader period best matches that first wave?
    World War I era
46. Your grandparent’s service record shows they reenlisted after hearing a new presidential order would end racial segregation in the armed forces. Which order did that?
    Executive Order 9981
47. A WWII exhibit describes a massive explosion at a California naval munitions base, followed by a controversial trial of Black sailors who refused to resume unsafe loading. What event is it referencing?
    The Port Chicago disaster
48. The 761st Tank Battalion was a predominantly Black U.S. Army unit that fought in Europe during World War II and operated under General Patton’s command.
    True
49. A lawyer argues that a protection in the Bill of Rights applies to state governments because it has been "incorporated" through the Fourteenth Amendment. Which Fourteenth Amendment clause is usually invoked for that argument?
    Due Process Clause