High School U.S. History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leif Erikson

Christopher Columbus is commonly accredited for this, but Leif Erikson found North America first, about 500 years earlier! Hernando Cortes brought down the Aztecs in present-day Mexico, and Amerigo Vespucci is credited with making the judgment that America was a new continent entirely. America is named in his honor.

Answer: To expand the Portuguese Empire.

He hoped to gain honor and fame, gain the title of "High Admiral of the Ocean Sea and ... Governor of the islands and continent which I should discover," as he wrote later. He also worked for Spanish Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand who wanted to gain a political and economic advantage over their rival, Portugal. Also, Columbus was Italian-born, not Portuguese.

Answer: All men are given unalienable rights.

This is stated in the statement, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776.

Answer: The Articles of Confederation.

By this time, the Mayflower Compact was kind of void; there was no earlier Constitution that we know of; and nothing can ever replace the Declaration of Independence!

Answer: Taxation without representation

There were MANY compromises between north and south, but most of them ended up contradicting each other, and causing utter mayhem, leading to war. The Fugitive Slave Law was a strict law demanding that ALL citizens of the United States help catch slaves, and those helping them would be prosecuted. Taxation without representation in Parliament was an issue causing the American Revolution.

Answer: Fort Sumter

Why, you may ask? Because the other three, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Shiloh, were the top three bloodiest battles of the Civil War. In contrast, Fort Sumter was a battle in which no one was killed. Ironic, yes. Antietam was the single bloodiest day, and Gettysburg was the single bloodiest series of battles. Shiloh was also a bloody day. Casualties ran in the thousands. If you look at it this way, the losses in the Civil War were equivalent to the losses in all the battles previously. Very sad ...

Answer: Robert E. Lee

U.S. Grant, George McClellan, and Winfield Scott were all Union Generals. Robert E. Lee was the head General of the Confederate troops.

Answer: The passing of 15th Amendment

VP Andrew Johnson was forced to take over the Presidency when Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. He clashed with Radical Republicans because he wanted to be relatively merciful to Southerners, whereas Radicals wanted punishment and retribution. Johnson was impeached, but acquitted. Racial conflicts such as those fostered by the Ku Klux Klan didn't help, either.

The passing of the 15th Amendment was one of the period's achievements.

Answer: All of these

Thanks to Samuel B. Morse and Alexander Graham Bell for their innovations in the arena of communications. Thanks to Mr. Edison for his advancements on the lightbulb, and to Nikola Tesla as well. Where would we be without these men?

Answer: 18th

The 18th, Prohibition of Alcoholic drinks, was eventually repealed. Can you imagine a life today without alcoholic beverages? How many fewer car accidents there would be! Unfortunately, this didn't last long, and we may never have the 18th in effect again. 15th was the prohibition of race barring suffrage.

The 1st was the Bill of Rights, freedom of speech, assembly, etc. 26th set the voting age at 18. Very important. Hope you all enjoyed this pop quiz!