Potent Quotables
American Idol(s)
Rights, Rights, Baby
Congress, President, or Courts
Give Me Liberty, or Give Me... Points?
Growing Pains
Succession Impossible
200
What important American document is this quote from:
"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."
3X BONUS: Who wrote these words?
The Declaration of Independence
3X BONUS: Thomas Jefferson
200
What former American President and military leader is on the $1 Bill:
2X BONUS: What state was he born in?
George Washington
2X BONUS: Virginia
200
Which Amendment in the Bill of Rights protects your Freedom of Speech?
1st Amendment
200
Which branch of government (Congress/President/Courts) has the power to command the US Military?
President/Executive Branch
200
What river did George Washington cross on Christmas Eve of 1776 to surprise attack the British and win a crucial victory for American Survival?
The Delaware River
200
What discovery lead to hundreds of thousands of Americans moving to California to get rich?
Gold
200
What was the name of the American rebel group that fought to break away from the United States and establish a slave owning nation in the South?
The Confederacy
400
What important American document did the quote below come from:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this ____________ for the United States of America."
3X BONUS: Who wrote this document, along with its compendium, "The Federalist Papers"
The Constitution
3X BONUS: James Madison
400
Who is this former US President: 
2X BONUS: What state was he born in?
Abraham Lincoln
2X BONUS: Kentucky (Then he moved to Illinois 1X Bonus)
400
What Amendment gives you the "right to remain silent"?
3X BONUS: The right to remain silent, along with the right to an attorney are commonly referred to by police as ___________ rights.
5th Amendment
3X BONUS: Miranda Rights
400
Which branch of government (Congress/President/Courts) has the power to create new laws?
Congress/Legislative Branch
400
Where did George Washington survive a harsh winter, holding out against the British, and buying enough time for the American armies to regroup.
5X BONUS: What Prussian noble ("The King of Prussia") trained American troops in European warfare during this winter?
Valley Forge, PA
5X BONUS: Baron von Steuben
400
The 1800's belief that America should stretch from "Sea to Shining Sea" bringing progress, technology, and "American values" across the continent was called:
Manifest Destiny
400
What President's election was the excuse for Southern states to start succeeding from the Union?
4X BONUS: Where were the first shots fired during the Civil War?
Abraham Lincoln
4X BONUS: Fort Sumpter, South Carolina
600
2X POINTS: What US President gave the following important speech:
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live..."
4X BONUS: Where is the "battle-field" mentioned in the speech located?
Abraham Lincoln
4X Bonus: Gettysburg, PA
600
Who is this Philadelphia native, American founder, inventor, and Mr. Hundy:
Benjamin Franklin
600
Which Amendment protects you against "Cruel and Unusual" punishments?
8th Amendment
600
Which branch of government (Congress/President/Courts) the "power of the purse" or the power to budget and pay for government?
Congress/Legislative Branch
600
What European power allied with the United States against the British during the American Revolution, providing naval support and supplies.
3X BONUS: What significant American founder was sent to Europe to negotiate this alliance?
France
3X BONUS: Benjamin Franklin
600
What state joined the Union in 1845 after winning independence from Mexico?
3X BONUS: According to the leaders of this state, what was the main reason they wanted independence from Mexico?
Texas
3X BONUS: Slavery was illegal in Mexico, and they wanted enslaved labor.
600
Which 1850 law forced Northerners to return escaped enslaved people, and allowed Southerners to sometimes kidnap free-black Americans in the North and put them into slavery?
The Fugitive Slave Act
800
3X POINTS: After the American Revolution, what future first lady wrote to her husband the following:
"I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous ... to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If ... care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice."
Abigail Adams
800
Who is this abolitionist, underground railroad conductor, and women's rights activist:
Harriet Tubman
800
Which Amendment states that you have other rights, even if they are not mentioned in the Bill of Rights.
9th Amendment
800
Which branch of government (Congress/President/Courts) has the power to determine whether new laws are constitutional or unconstitutional?
Courts/Judicial Branch
800
The image below depicts what important event that lead to the American Revolution?
The Boston Massacre
800
During which war did United States annex (acquire through victory) the future states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Nevada?
2X BONUS: The US President at the time wanted to annex territory all the way to what major city?
The Mexican-American War
2X BONUS: Mexico City
800
What battle of the Civil War still stands as the bloodiest three days in US Military history, with tens of thousands dead or wounded, as was the only major battle fought in the North?
5X BONUS: Who founded the American Red Cross after serving as a nurse in the Civil War?
Gettysburg
5X BONUS: Clara Barton
1000
5X POINTS: What important American author, speaker, and anti-slavery activist said the following:
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”
Frederick Douglass
1000
Who is this politician, founder of the national bank, and genuine hip-hop star:
2X BONUS: This person was killed in a duel by what other (now disgraced) American founder and Hip Hop Icon
Alexander Hamilton
2X BONUS: Aaron Burr
1000
What Amendment requires that the government give you "just compensation" for any personal property they take?
4X BONUS: What is it called when a government seizes your property for "the common good."
5th Amendment
4X BONUS: Eminent Domain
1000
What is it called when one branch of government blocks another branch of government from using too much power?
3X BONUS: Provide an example of the above.
Checks and Balances
3X BONUS: Veto, Impeachment, Judicial Review
1000
What two battles were known as "the shots heard around the world," officially starting the American Revolution?
Lexington & Concord
1000
The Indian Removal Act of 1930, which forced hundreds of thousands of Native Americans from eastern America to abandon their homes and walk hundreds of miles on foot to reservations in Oklahoma at gun point is also known as the...
5X BONUS: Who was the President that carried out Indian Removal?
Trail of Tears
5X BONUS: Andrew Jackson
1000
Who is this abolitionist and bona fide crazy dude?
5X BONUS: In what state did he behead enslavers with a broadsword, then shoot their corpses to make sure they were dead.
John Brown
5X BONUS: Kansas