Early US History
This 1776 document, primarily written by Thomas Jefferson, declared the thirteen American colonies free from British rule.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
This is the common term used for the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which protect individual liberties.
What is the Bill of Rights?
The Second Amendment protects this controversial right, which allows citizens to own weapons for self-defense.
What is the right to bear arms?
Unlike the President or members of Congress, Supreme Court justices are appointed to serve for this length of time.
What is for life?
This conflict, fought in 1812, is sometimes called the "Second War for Independence" between the US and Great Britain.
What is the War of 1812?
Founded in 1607, this was the first permanent English settlement in North America (in present day Virginia).
What is Jamestown?
This is the highest court in the United States and the head of the Judicial Branch.
What is the Supreme Court?
The Fourth Amendment protects citizens from this, requiring police to have a warrant or probable cause before searching your property.
What are unreasonable searches and seizures?
These federal judges were appointed by President John Adams in the final hours of his presidency in 1801, a packing of the courts that directly led to the landmark Marbury v. Madison case.
What were the Midnight Judges?
In 1803, the United States bought a massive piece of land from France for $15 million, instantly doubling the size of the country in an event known by this name.
What is the Louisiana Purchase?
Angered by "taxation without representation," a group called the Sons of Liberty dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor during this 1773 protest.
What was the Boston Tea Party?
This title is given to the head of the Executive Branch, who is responsible for enforcing the nation's laws.
Who is the President?
To get a search warrant from a judge, police officers must show this—a strong reason to believe a crime has been committed and evidence will be found.
What is probable cause?
This 1967 case struck down all state laws banning interracial marriage, ruling that marriage is a fundamental civil right.
What is Loving v. Virginia?
This North American conflict between Britain and France left Britain with massive war debt, leading them to start heavily taxing the American colonists.
What was the French and Indian War?
This 1770 event, which resulted in the deaths of five colonists at the hands of British soldiers, was heavily used as propaganda by Paul Revere and other patriots.
What was the Boston Massacre?
To make a formal change or addition to the Constitution, Congress or the states must pass one of these.
What is an amendment?
The First Amendment guarantees five basic freedoms: speech, religion, press, assembly, and?
What is the right to petition?
In the infamous 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, the Court ruled that enslaved people were property, not citizens, a decision that helped trigger this major American war.
What is the American Civil War?
This was the name of America’s very first constitution, which failed because it made the national government too weak to tax or enforce laws.
What were the Articles of Confederation?
This 1763 British decree forbade colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, deeply angering colonists who fought for that land.
What was the Proclamation of 1763?
These three opening words of the Constitution establish the principle of popular sovereignty, meaning the government's power comes from the people.
What are "We the People"?
The Ninth Amendment is a safety net; it states that just because a specific right isn't listed in the Constitution, it doesn't mean that this group doesn't still have it.
Who are the people?
In Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation was completely legal as long as facilities were this—a doctrine later overturned by Brown v. Board.
What is "separate but equal"?
Napoleon only sold the Louisiana Territory to Thomas Jefferson because a massive revolt by enslaved people defeated the French army in this Caribbean colony.
What is Haiti (or Saint-Domingue)?