Colonial Settlement
Founded in 1607, this was the first permanent English settlement in North America.
What is Jamestown
The famous slogan used by American colonists to protest paying British taxes without having a voice in Parliament
What is "No taxation without representation"
Fought in April 1775, these two Massachusetts towns were the sites of the very first military engagements of the Revolutionary War.
What are Lexington and Concord
Ratified in 1781, this was America’s first national government, famous for creating a weak central power that could not collect taxes.
What are the Articles of Confederation
During the War of 1812, British troops invaded Washington, D.C. and burned down these two landmark government buildings.
What are the White House and the Capitol
Signed in 1620 by Pilgrims aboard their ship, this document established a basic framework for self-government in Plymouth Colony.
What is the Mayflower Compact
The French and Indian War 1763. Which king deploy troops to the US land
Who is King George III
Adopted on July 4, 1776, this document drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson declared the colonies free from British rule
What is the Declaration of Independence
Known as the "Father of the Constitution," this Virginian took detailed notes at the Constitutional Convention and drafted much of the final document
Who is James Madison
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson bought this massive territory from France for $15 million, doubling the size of the United States.
What is the Louisiana Purchase
The French come to trade with the Native India mainly for one product
Beever fur
This 1765 British law placed a direct tax on newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards in the American colonies.
What is the Stamp Act
Written by Thomas Paine in early 1776, this wildly popular pamphlet urged everyday colonists to support independence from Great Britain.
What is "Common Sense"
An 1786 armed revolt of debt-ridden farmers in Massachusetts that exposed the extreme weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
What is Shays' Rebellion
This landmark 1803 Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review—the Supreme Court's power to declare laws unconstitutional
What is Marbury v. Madison
Written by Thomas Paine in early 1776, this wildly popular pamphlet urged American colonists to break away from the British monarchy
What is "Common Sense"
This March 1770 conflict between angry Boston citizens and British soldiers left five colonists dead, including Crispus Attucks.
What is the Boston Massacre
on which day of 1776, George Washington led a surprise attack across the frozen Delaware River to defeat Hessian mercenaries in this New Jersey town
What is Christmas even
Inspired by philosopher Montesquieu, this constitutional principle divides government authority into three distinct branches to prevent any single group from gaining total control.
What is Separation of Powers
The British practice of forcing captured American sailors into service in the Royal Navy, which served as a primary cause of the War of 1812
What is impressment
A major 1730s–1740s religious revival across the colonies that emphasized personal faith, emotional preaching, and challenged traditional church authority.
What is the First Great Awakening
In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed these strict 1774 laws that closed Boston Harbor and suspended Massachusetts' self-government.
What are the Intolerable Acts
This 1777 battle in upstate New York is considered the turning point of the war because it convinced France to sign an official military alliance with the U.S.
What is the Battle of Saratoga
The group during the ratification debates that opposed the new Constitution, fearing the central government would become too powerful without a Bill of Rights
Who are the Anti-Federalists
Commissioned by Thomas Jefferson in 1803, these two explorers led the "Corps of Discovery" to map the new Louisiana Territory all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
Who are Lewis and Clark
This 1676 Virginia uprising saw armed frontiersmen burn Jamestown in protest against Governor William Berkeley’s Native American policy and elite rule
What is Bacon's Rebellion
Fought two weeks after the War of 1812 had technically ended by treaty, this crushing January 1815 American victory made Andrew Jackson a national hero
What is the Battle of New Orleans
Meeting in Philadelphia throughout the war, this assembly acted as America’s national government, created the Continental Army, and appointed George Washington as Commander-in-Chief
What is the Second Continental Congress
Added in 1791 to satisfy Anti-Federalist concerns, these first ten amendments to the Constitution explicitly protect individual liberties such as freedom of speech and trial by jury.
What is the Bill of Rights
Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson's fierce debate over creating this national financial institution led directly to the birth of America’s first two political parties
What is the Bank of the United States
Benjamin Franklin proposed this 1754 plan to unite the 13 colonies under one central defense during the French and Indian War, though the colonies rejected it.
What is the Albany Plan of Union
Sent by the Second Continental Congress to King George III in 1775 as a final attempt to avoid full-scale war, which the King refused to read.
What is the Olive Branch Petition
French naval ships blocked the escape of General Cornwallis's army, leading to the final major British surrender of the war at this 1781 Virginia siege
What is the Siege of Yorktown
Rather than asking state legislatures, Article VII of the Constitution required approval from special elected conventions in this minimum number of states to become law.
What is 9 states or 2/3
Fought two weeks after a peace treaty had already been signed in Europe, this January 1815 battle made Andrew Jackson an immediate national hero
What is the Battle of New Orleans