Citizenship Test

What is the supreme law of the land?

The Constitution

What does the Constitution do?

Sets up the government

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 to the Constitution

An addition to the Constitution

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

The Bill of Rights

What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of Religion

Freedom of Assembly

Freedom of Press

Freedom to petition the government

How many amendments does the Constitution have?

27

What did the Declaration of Independence do?

Declared our independence from Great Britain

Announced our independence from Great Britain

Said that the United States is free from Great Britain

What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

Life

Liberty

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 economy

Market economy

What is the ‘rule of law’?

Everyone must follow the law

No one is above the law

Leaders must obey the law

Government must obey the law

Name one branch or part of the government

Executive

Judicial

Legislative

President

Congress

The courts

What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

Checks and balances

Separation of powers

Who is in charge of the executive branch?

The 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?

The Senate and the House of Representatives

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?

Charles (Chuck) Schumer

Kirsten Gillibrand

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

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Ritchie Torres

Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

All people of the state

Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

(because of) the state’s population

(because) they have more people

(because) some states 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?

James David Vance

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

The Vice President

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

The Speaker of the House

Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

The President

Who signs bills to become laws

The President

Who vetoes bills

The President

What does the President’s Cabinet do?

Advises the President

What are two Cabinet-level positions

Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Education

Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Defense
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Secretary of Homeland Security
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of State
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Attorney General
Vice President.

What does the Judicial branch do?

Reviews laws

Explains laws

Resolves disputes

Decides of a law goes against the Constitution

What is the highest court in the United States?

The Supreme Court

How many justices are on the Supreme Court

9

Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

John Roberts

John G. Roberts, Jr.

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

To print money

To declare war

To create an army

To make treaties

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 drivers license

Approve zoning and land use

Who is the Governor of your state now?

Kathy Hochul

What is the capital of your state?

Albany

What are 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

James Michael Johnson

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

Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote)

You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote

Any citizen can vote. (Women and men 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

Freedom of speech

Freedom of assembly

Freedom of religion

Freedom to petition the government

The right to bear arms

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

The United States

The flag

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

Give up loyalty to other countries

Defend the Constitution and laws of the United States

Obey the laws of the United States

Serve in the U.S. military (if needed)

Serve the nation

Be loyal to the United States

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

18 and older

What are two ways Americans can participate in democracy?

Vote

Join a political party

Help with a campaign

Join a civic group

Join a community group

Give an elected official your opinion on an issue

Call Senators and Representatives

Publicly support or oppose an issue or policy

Run for office

Write to a newspaper

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

April 15

When must all men register for the Selective Service?

At age 18

Between 18 and 26

Who lived in America before Europeans arrived?

Americans Indians

Native Americans

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

Africans

People from Africa

What is one reason colonists came to America?

Freedom

Political liberty

Religious freedom

Economic opportunity

Practice their religion

Escape persecution

Why did colonist fight the British?

High taxes (taxation without representation)

The British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)

They 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.

New York

Connecticut

New Jersey

New Hampshire

Massachusetts

Rhode Island

Pennsylvania

Delaware

Maryland

Virginia

Georgia

North Carolina

South Carolina

What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

The Constitution was written

The founding fathers wrote the Constitution

When was the Constitution written?

1787

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

James Madison

Alexander Hamilton

John Jay

Publius

What is one thing Benjamin Franklyn is famous for?

U.S. diplomat
Oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
First Postmaster General of the US
Writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac"
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

The 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 US war between the North and the South

The Civil War

The War between the States

Name one problem that led to the Civil War

Slavery

Economic Reasons

States' rights

What was one important thing Abraham Lincoln did?

Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)

Saved (or preserved) the Union

Led the US during the Civil War

What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

Freed the slaves

Freed slaves in the Confederacy

Freed slaves in the Confederate states

Freed slaves in most Southern states

What did Susan B. Anthony do?

Fought for women’s rights

Fought for civil rights

Name one war fought by the US in the 1900s

World War I

World War II

Korean War

Vietnam War

Persian Gulf War

Who was the President during World War I?

Woodrow Wilson

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

Franklin Roosevelt

Who did the US 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 US?

Terrorists attacked the United States

Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

Cherokee

Navajo

Chippewa

Creek

Apache

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

Missouri River

Mississippi 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

US Virgin Islands

American Samoa

Northern Mariana Islands

Guam

Name one state that borders Canada.

Maine

New York

Washington

Alaska

Ohio

Name one state that borders Mexico.

California

Arizona

New Mexico

Texas

What is the capital of the United States?

Washington D.C.

Where is the Statue of Liberty?

New York Harbor

Liberty Island

Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

Because there were 13 original colonies

Because the stripes represent the original colonies

Why does the flag have 50 stars?

Because there is one star for each state

Because each star represents a state

Because there are 50 states

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.

Memorial Day

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Veterans Day

President’s Day