USCIS 100 Civics Questions – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the main facts and concepts from the 100 USCIS Civics (History & Government) questions. Each term highlights a key idea or question, and each definition provides the correct answer or explanation.

Supreme law of the land

The Constitution

What the Constitution does

Sets up the government; defines the government; protects basic rights of Americans

First three words of the Constitution

“We the People”

Amendment

A change or addition to the Constitution

First ten amendments collective name

Bill of Rights

One right/freedom in the First Amendment

Speech; religion; assembly; press; petition the government

Total number of Constitutional amendments

Twenty-seven (27)

Purpose of the Declaration of Independence

Announced/declared our independence from Great Britain; said the United States is free

Two rights in the Declaration of Independence

Life; liberty; pursuit of happiness

Freedom of religion

You may practice any religion or none

U.S. economic system

Capitalist or market economy

Rule of law

Everyone, including leaders and government, must follow the law; no one is above the law

One branch/part of government

Congress (legislative); President (executive); the courts (judicial)

What stops one branch from becoming too powerful

Checks and balances; separation of powers

Head of the executive branch

The President

Who makes federal laws

Congress – the Senate and House of Representatives

Two parts of the U.S. Congress

Senate and House of Representatives

Number of U.S. Senators

One hundred (100)

Length of a U.S. Senator’s term

Six (6) years

Who a U.S. Senator represents

All people of the state

Number of voting members in the House

Four hundred thirty-five (435)

Length of a U.S. Representative’s term

Two (2) years

Why some states have more Representatives

Because of the state’s population—some states have more people

Length of a Presidential term

Four (4) years

Month we vote for President

November

If the President can’t serve, who becomes President

The Vice President

If both President and Vice President can’t serve

Speaker of the House becomes President

Commander in Chief of the military

The President

Who signs bills into law

The President

Who vetoes bills

The President

Role of the President’s Cabinet

Advises the President

Two Cabinet-level positions

Secretary of State; Secretary of Defense (others: Agriculture, Commerce, Education, etc.)

Role of the judicial branch

Reviews and explains laws; resolves disputes; decides if laws violate the Constitution

Highest court in the United States

The Supreme Court

One power of the federal government

To print money; declare war; create an army; make treaties

One power of the states

Provide schooling and education; police protection; fire safety; driver’s licenses; zoning and land use

Two major U.S. political parties

Democratic and Republican

One amendment about who can vote

Citizens 18 and older; no poll tax; any citizen (men and women); a male citizen of any race

One responsibility only for U.S. citizens

Serve on a jury; vote in a federal election

One right only for U.S. citizens

Vote in a federal election; run for federal office

Two rights of everyone in the U.S.

Freedom of expression; speech; assembly; petition; religion; right to bear arms

What we show loyalty to in the Pledge of Allegiance

The United States and the flag

One promise made by new citizens

Give up loyalty to other countries; defend the Constitution and laws; obey U.S. laws; serve in the military if needed; be loyal to the U.S.

Minimum voting age for President

Eighteen (18) and older

Two ways Americans can participate in democracy

Vote; join a political party; help with a campaign; run for office; write to a newspaper; call elected officials, etc.

Last day to send federal income tax forms

April 15

Selective Service registration

At age 18; between 18 and 26

One reason colonists came to America

Freedom; political liberty; religious freedom; economic opportunity; escape persecution

Who lived in America before Europeans

American Indians/Native Americans

Group taken to America and sold as slaves

Africans/people from Africa

Why colonists fought the British

High taxes; British army boarding homes; lack of self-government

Author of the Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson

Adoption date of the Declaration

July 4, 1776

Three of the 13 original states

New Hampshire; Massachusetts; Rhode Island; Connecticut; New York; New Jersey; Pennsylvania; Delaware; Maryland; Virginia; North Carolina; South Carolina; Georgia

What happened at the Constitutional Convention

The Constitution was written by the Founding Fathers

Year the Constitution was written

1787

One writer of the Federalist Papers

James Madison; Alexander Hamilton; John Jay; Publius

One accomplishment of Benjamin Franklin

U.S. diplomat; oldest Constitutional Convention member; first Postmaster General; author of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”; started first free libraries

“Father of Our Country”

George Washington

First President of the United States

George Washington

Territory bought from France in 1803

Louisiana Territory (Louisiana Purchase)

One war fought by the U.S. in the 1800s

War of 1812; Mexican-American War; Civil War; Spanish-American War

U.S. war between the North and South

The Civil War / War between the States

One problem that led to the Civil War

Slavery; economic reasons; states’ rights

One important thing Abraham Lincoln did

Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation); preserved the Union; led the U.S. during the Civil War

What the Emancipation Proclamation did

Freed slaves in the Confederacy/most Southern states

What Susan B. Anthony did

Fought for women’s rights and civil rights

One war fought by the U.S. in the 1900s

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

President during World War I

Woodrow Wilson

President during the Great Depression & World War II

Franklin Roosevelt

Countries the U.S. fought in World War II

Japan, Germany, and Italy

War in which Eisenhower was a general

World War II

Main U.S. concern during the Cold War

Communism

Movement that ended racial discrimination

Civil rights movement

What Martin Luther King, Jr. did

Fought for civil rights and equality for all Americans

Major event on September 11, 2001

Terrorists attacked the United States

One American Indian tribe

Cherokee; Navajo; Sioux; Chippewa; Choctaw; Apache; Pueblo; Iroquois; Creek; Blackfeet; Seminole; etc.

One of the two longest U.S. rivers

Missouri River; Mississippi River

Ocean on the West Coast

Pacific Ocean

Ocean on the East Coast

Atlantic Ocean

One U.S. territory

Puerto Rico; U.S. Virgin Islands; American Samoa; Northern Mariana Islands; Guam

One state that borders Canada

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

One state that borders Mexico

California; Arizona; New Mexico; Texas

Capital of the United States

Washington, D.C.

Location of the Statue of Liberty

New York Harbor / Liberty Island (also acceptable: New Jersey, near NYC, on the Hudson River)

Why the flag has 13 stripes

They represent the 13 original colonies

Why the flag has 50 stars

One star for each state — 50 states

Name of the national anthem

The Star-Spangled Banner

Date of Independence Day

July 4

Two national U.S. holidays

New Year’s Day; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; Presidents’ Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day; Veterans Day; Thanksgiving; Christmas