Civics Test

Flashcards covering all 100 USCIS civics (history and government) questions required for the naturalization test.

What is the supreme law of the land?

Constitution

What does the Constitution do?

Sets up and defines the government, protects basic rights of Americans

The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?

We the People

What is an amendment?

A change or an addition to the Constitution

What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

Bill of Rights

What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

Speech

(Religion, Assembly, Press, Petition the government)

How many amendments does the Constitution have?

27

What did the Declaration of Independence do?

Declared our independence from Great Britain and stated the United States is free

What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of happiness

What is freedom of religion?

You can practice any religion or not practice a religion

What is the economic system in the United States?

Capitalist or market economy

What is the “rule of law”?

Everyone must follow the law (Including leaders and government), no one is above the law

Name one branch or part of the government.

Congress

(Legislative, President, Executive, The courts, Judicial)

What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

Checks and balances, separation of powers

Who is in charge of the executive branch?

President

Who makes federal laws?

Congress, Senate and House (of Representatives), (U.S. or national) legislature

What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

Senate and House

How many U.S. Senators are there?

100

We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

6

Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock

The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

435

We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?

2

Name your U.S. Representative.

Andrew Clyde

Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

All people of the state

Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

The state’s population (they have more people)

We elect a President for how many years?

4

In what month do we vote for President?

November

What is the name of the President of the United States now?

Donald Trump

What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?

JD Vance (James David Vance)

If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

Vice President

If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

Speaker of the House

Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

President

Who signs bills to become laws?

President

Who vetoes bills?

President

What does the President’s Cabinet do?

Advises the President

What are two Cabinet-level positions?

Vice President and Attorney General

(Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of State)

What does the judicial branch do?

Reviews and explains laws, resolves disputes, and decides if a law goes against the Constitution

What is the highest court in the United States?

Supreme Court

How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

9

Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

John Roberts

Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?

Print money and declare war

Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?

Provide schooling and education

(provide protection (police); provide safety (fire departments); give a driver’s license; approve zoning and land use)

Who is the Governor of your state now?

Brian Kemp

What is the capital of your state?

Atlanta

What are the two major political parties in the United States?

Democratic and Republican

What is the political party of the President now?

Republican

What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?

Mike Johnson

There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

Citizens 18 and older can vote

The 26th Amendment of 1971 lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 largely in response to the Vietnam War (18-year-olds could be drafted to fight and vote)

(You don’t have to pay a poll tax; any citizen can vote; a male citizen of any race can vote)

What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

Serve on a jury

(vote in a federal election)

Name one right only for United States citizens.

Vote in a federal election

(run for federal office)

What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

Freedom of expression and speech

(freedom of assembly; freedom to petition the government; freedom of religion; the right to bear arms)

What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

The United States (flag)

What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

Give up loyalty to other countries

(defend the Constitution and laws; obey the laws; serve in the U.S. military and the nation if needed; be loyal to the United States)

How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?

18 and older

What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

Vote and join a political party

(help with a campaign; join a civic group or a community group; give an elected official your opinion; call Senators and Representatives; publicly support or oppose an issue; run for office; write to a newspaper)

When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

April 15

When must all men register for the Selective Service?

At age 18 and between 18 and 26

What is one reason colonists came to America?

Freedom

(political liberty; religious freedom; economic opportunity; escape persecution)

Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

Native Americans

What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

Africans

Why did the colonists fight the British?

Because of high taxes (taxation without representation)

(British army stayed in their houses; didn’t have self-government)

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson

When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

July 4, 1776

There were 13 original states. Name three.

Georgia; North Carolina; South Carolina

(New Hampshire; Massachusetts; Rhode Island Connecticut; New York; New Jersey; Pennsylvania; Delaware; Maryland; Virginia)

What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution

When was the Constitution written?

1787

The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

James Madison

(Alexander Hamilton; John Jay; Publius)

What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?

Oldest member of the Constitutional Convention

(U.S. diplomat; first Postmaster General of the United States; started the first free libraries)

Who is the “Father of Our Country”?

George Washington

Who was the first President?

George Washington

What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

Louisiana Territory

Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.

War of 1812

(Mexican-American War; Civil War; Spanish-American War)

Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

Civil War

(War between the States)

Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

Slavery

(economic reasons; states’ rights)

What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?

Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)

(saved or preserved the Union; led the United States during the Civil War)

What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

Freed the slaves

(freed slaves in the Confederacy)

What did Susan B. Anthony do?

Fought for women’s rights

(fought for civil rights)

Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.

World War I

(World War II; Korean War; Vietnam War; (Persian) Gulf War)

Who was President during World War I?

Woodrow Wilson

Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

Franklin Roosevelt

Who did the United States fight in World War II?

Japan, Germany, and Italy

Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?

World War II

During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?

Communism

What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

Civil rights movement

What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

Fought for civil rights

(worked for equality for all Americans)

What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?

Terrorists attacked the United States

Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

Cherokee

(Navajo; Sioux; Chippewa; Pueblo; Creek; Seminole; Shawnee; Crow; Inuit)

Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.

Mississippi River

(Missouri River)

What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?

Pacific Ocean

What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

Atlantic Ocean

Name one U.S. territory.

Puerto Rico

(U.S. Virgin Islands; American Samoa; Northern Mariana Islands; Guam)

Name one state that borders Canada.

Maine

(New Hampshire; Vermont; New York; Pennsylvania; Ohio; Michigan; Minnesota; North Dakota; Montana; Idaho; Washington; Alaska)

Name one state that borders Mexico.

Texas

(California; Arizona; New Mexico)

What is the capital of the United States?

Washington, D.C.

Where is the Statue of Liberty?

New York Harbor

(Liberty Island; New Jersey; near New York City; on the Hudson River)

Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

There were 13 original colonies

(stripes represent the original colonies)

Why does the flag have 50 stars?

There is one star for each state

What is the name of the national anthem?

The Star-Spangled Banner

When do we celebrate Independence Day?

July 4

Name two national U.S. holidays.

Christmas and New Year’s Day

(Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; Presidents’ Day; Memorial Day; Juneteenth; Labor Day; Thanksgiving)