APUSH Trivia Questions (Periods 1-9)

14th Amendment

Which amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1868, granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including former slaves?

Adam Smith

Who is known as the "father of modern economics" and authored the influential work "The Wealth of Nations"?

Alexander Hamilton

Which founding father and first Secretary of the Treasury championed the establishment of the First Bank of the United States in 1791?

American Colonization Society

What organization founded in 1816 aimed to promote the voluntary return of free African Americans to Africa?

Andrew Carnegie

Which industrialist and philanthropist penned the essay "The Gospel of Wealth," arguing that the wealthy have a responsibility to use their wealth to improve society?

Texas Annexation

What event in 1845 led to the admission of Texas as the 28th state of the United States in 1846?

Articles of Confederation

What document served as the first constitution of the United States from 1781 until 1789, when it was replaced by the current Constitution?

Middle Passage

What historical event refers to the transportation of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas?

Barry Goldwater

Who was the Republican nominee for president in the 1964 election, running on a conservative platform?

Bartolomé de las Casas

Which Spanish Dominican friar is known for his defense of the rights of indigenous peoples in the Americas during the Spanish conquest?

Booker T. Washington

Who was the prominent African American educator, author, and advisor to presidents, who founded the Tuskegee Institute in 1881?

Progressive Party

What political party, formed by former President Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, advocated for progressive reforms?

Camp David Accords

What historic agreement, signed in 1978, led to a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, mediated by U.S. President Jimmy Carter?

Chinese Exclusion Act

Which legislation, enacted in 1882, prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States?

Colin Powell

Who was the first African American to serve as the U.S. Secretary of State, appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001?

Columbian Exchange

What term describes the widespread exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World (Europe, Asia, and Africa) and the New World (the Americas) following Christopher Columbus' voyages?

Compromise of 1850

What legislative package, passed in 1850, attempted to address the issue of slavery in the territories acquired after the Mexican-American War?

Constitutional Convention

What gathering in 1787 led to the drafting of the United States Constitution, replacing the Articles of Confederation?

Dawes Act

What law, passed in 1887, aimed to assimilate Native Americans by allotting them land and citizenship in exchange for giving up tribal land and culture?

Emancipation Proclamation

What executive order, issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, declared freedom for all enslaved people in the Confederate states during the Civil War?

Equal Rights Amendment

What proposed amendment to the United States Constitution, first introduced in 1923 and subsequently reintroduced in various forms, sought to guarantee equal rights regardless of sex?

Berlin Wall

The fall of which historic barrier in 1989 marked the symbolic end of the Cold War and the reunification of East and West Germany?

Great Awakening

What religious revival movement, primarily occurring in the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, emphasized the need for personal religious experience and inspired social and political change?

William Penn

Which English Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania established the colony as a haven for religious freedom and tolerance in 1681?

Free Soil Party

What political party, active in the mid-19th century, advocated for the abolition of slavery and the expansion of free soil into the western territories of the United States?

Gettysburg Address

Which famous speech delivered by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Pennsylvania became a defining statement of the American Civil War?

Gilded Age

What period in American history, spanning from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, is characterized by rapid industrialization, urbanization, and significant economic inequality?

Glass-Steagall Act

Legislation, passed in 1933, aimed to prevent banks from engaging in risky investment activities and contributed to the separation of commercial and investment banking.

Hurricane Katrina

Catastrophic natural disaster, occurring in 2005, led to widespread flooding and devastation in New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf Coast.

Ida Tarbell

Muckraking journalist and author known for her investigative reporting on the Standard Oil Company and its monopolistic practices.

Indentured Servants

Individuals who bound themselves to serve a master for a set number of years in exchange for passage to the American colonies.

Iran-Contra Affair

Political scandal in the 1980s involved the covert sale of arms to Iran in exchange for the release of hostages and the diversion of proceeds to fund Nicaraguan Contra rebels.

Iran Hostage Crisis

Event, lasting from 1979 to 1981, saw 52 American diplomats and citizens held hostage for 444 days by Iranian militants at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

Iroquois Confederacy

Native American confederacy, formed in the 16th century, united several tribes in present-day New York state for mutual defense and diplomacy.

South Carolina Exposition and Protest

Document, written by John C. Calhoun in 1828, argued for states' rights and nullification of federal laws deemed unconstitutional.

John Cabot

Italian explorer, sailing under the English flag, reached the coast of North America in 1497, claiming land for England.

John Locke

English philosopher whose ideas about natural rights and the social contract greatly influenced the American Declaration of Independence.

John Winthrop

Puritan leader who delivered a sermon titled 'A Model of Christian Charity' aboard the Arbella in 1630, outlining the principles of a Christian community in the New World.

J.P. Morgan

Influential financier and banker who consolidated various railroad companies to form the powerful J.P. Morgan & Co.

Francisco de Vitoria

Spanish philosopher and theologian who debated Bartolomé de Las Casas on the treatment of indigenous peoples in the Spanish colonies during the 16th century.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

Resolutions, passed by the Kentucky and Virginia state legislatures in 1798 and 1799 respectively, asserted the states' rights to nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional.

King Philip's War

Conflict in 1675-1678, also known as Metacom's War, was a bloody conflict between Native American tribes in New England and English colonists.

Knights of Labor

Labor organization, founded in 1869, sought to unite all workers, regardless of skill level, and advocated for better wages, shorter hours, and improved working conditions.

Korematsu v. United States

Landmark Supreme Court case in 1944 upheld the constitutionality of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

Lend-Lease Act

Legislation, passed in 1941, allowed the United States to lend or lease military equipment to any country deemed vital to the defense of the United States.

Louisiana Purchase

Massive land acquisition from France in 1803 effectively doubled the size of the United States and paved the way for westward expansion.

Lowell System

System of textile manufacturing, developed in the early 19th century, employed young unmarried women to work in factories under strict supervision.

Malcolm X

Prominent African American civil rights activist and leader who advocated for black empowerment and self-defense during the 1950s and 1960s.

Manifest Destiny

Belief, prevalent in the 19th century, held that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent from coast to coast.

Mestizos

Term refers to people of mixed European and indigenous American ancestry, particularly prevalent in Latin America.

Monroe Doctrine

Policy, articulated by President James Monroe in 1823, warned European powers against interfering in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere.

Mary Harris Jones (aka Mother Jones)

Labor organizer and advocate known as 'the most dangerous woman in America' for her involvement in labor strikes and union organizing.

Hawkish foreign policy

A political ideology, prominent in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, that advocates for a hawkish foreign policy, free-market capitalism, and a strong national defense.

New Deal

A series of economic and social programs, implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the Great Depression, aimed to provide relief, recovery, and reform.

Oklahoma City bombing

A domestic terrorist attack in 1995, carried out by Timothy McVeigh, that killed 168 people and injured hundreds more at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

Palmer Raids

A series of raids conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice in 1919 and 1920 that targeted suspected radical leftists and anarchists, leading to the deportation of hundreds of foreign nationals.

Gulf War

A conflict in 1990-1991, triggered by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, in which a coalition of international forces led by the United States expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Juan Ponce de León

The Spanish explorer who landed on the coast of Florida in 1513 while searching for the Fountain of Youth.

Popular sovereignty

A principle, advocated by Stephen A. Douglas in the 1850s, proposing that the residents of a territory should determine whether slavery would be allowed through popular vote.

Populism

A political movement in the late 19th century that sought to represent the interests of farmers and working-class Americans against the perceived domination of big business and wealthy elites.

Progressive movement

A political and social reform movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries aimed to address issues such as urbanization, industrialization, and corruption in government.

Pueblo tribe

A Native American tribe known for their distinctive adobe architecture, which inhabited present-day New Mexico and Arizona.

Pueblo Revolt

An uprising in 1680, led by Native American leader Popé, that successfully expelled Spanish colonizers from present-day New Mexico for over a decade.

Puritans

The English Puritans who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 17th century, seeking religious freedom and a 'city upon a hill.'

Roe v. Wade

A landmark Supreme Court case in 1973 that established a woman's right to choose abortion under the Fourteenth Amendment's right to privacy.

Samuel Slater

Often credited as the 'Father of the American Industrial Revolution' for establishing the first successful textile mill in the United States in 1790.

Scopes Trial

A famous trial in 1925 that tested a Tennessee law prohibiting the teaching of evolution in public schools.

Seneca Falls Convention

A historic gathering in 1848, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, that marked the beginning of the women's suffrage movement in the United States.

Shays' Rebellion

An armed uprising in 1786-1787, led by Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays, that protested economic injustices and the lack of government action in Massachusetts.

Sherman's March to the Sea

A military campaign in 1864, led by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, that involved devastating marches through Georgia and the Carolinas, aimed at destroying Confederate infrastructure and morale.

Social Gospel movement

A movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that sought to apply Christian principles to social problems such as poverty, inequality, and labor exploitation.

Sons of Liberty

Colonial protestors who organized resistance against British taxation and acts of oppression in the years leading up to the American Revolution.

Spanish mission system

A system of Spanish colonial administration in the Americas that involved the establishment of missions to convert indigenous peoples to Christianity and integrate them into Spanish society.

Stamp Act

British legislation in 1765 that imposed direct taxes on the American colonies, leading to widespread protests and boycotts.

Cash crops

Agricultural products crucial to the economies of the southern colonies, which included rice, indigo, sugar, and tobacco.

Stokely Carmichael

A civil rights leader and prominent member of the Black Power movement who popularized the phrase 'Black Power.'

Strategic Defense Initiative

A proposed missile defense system, introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, aimed to protect the United States from nuclear attacks.

Supply-side economics

An economic theory, popularized in the 1980s, that advocates for reducing taxes on businesses and high-income individuals to stimulate economic growth.

Tet Offensive

A military campaign in 1968, launched by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army, that marked a turning point in the Vietnam War with coordinated attacks throughout South Vietnam.

Second Great Awakening

A religious revival movement in the early 19th century that emphasized personal conversion, emotional worship, and social reform.

Common Sense

An influential pamphlet, published in 1776, that argued for American independence from British rule and became a rallying cry for the American Revolution.

Treaty of Tordesillas

An agreement, signed in 1494, that divided newly discovered lands outside Europe between Portugal and Spain along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

A novel, published in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe, that depicted the harsh realities of slavery and played a significant role in shaping public opinion against the institution.

War on Poverty

An anti-poverty program, introduced by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s, aimed at eradicating poverty and inequality in the United States through a series of social welfare initiatives.

War on Drugs

A government initiative, launched in the 1970s, aimed at combating illegal drug use and trafficking through increased law enforcement and drug prevention efforts.

Washington's Farewell Address

A seminal address, delivered by President George Washington in 1796 upon his retirement, that warned against the dangers of political factionalism and foreign entanglements.

Watergate Scandal

A political scandal in the 1970s that involved the burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex, leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Webster-Ashburton Treaty

A treaty, signed in 1842, that resolved various border disputes between the United States and the British Empire, including the Maine-Canada border and the boundary of the Oregon Territory.

Wilson's 14 Points

A series of proposals, presented by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918, that outlined his vision for post-World War I peace, including principles such as self-determination and collective security.

Worcester v. Georgia

A landmark Supreme Court case in 1832 that affirmed tribal sovereignty and invalidated Georgia laws attempting to regulate Native American land rights.