What?
Who?
When?
Where?
Why is it historically significant?
100

A framework of checks and balances between three branches of government: the legislative, executive, and judiciary.

What framework does the U.S. Constitution provide that protects people from the rule of a king with absolute power over their lives by ensuring that no one branch of the federal government becomes too powerful?

100

The Founding Fathers, especially James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin.

Who designed the framework for checks and balances in the U.S. Constitution?

100

1775-1783

When was the American Revolutionary War fought?
100

New Orleans

Where did U.S. troops win a decisive victory against the British during the War of 1812?

100

Coercive Acts

What did the British Empire do to inspire unified colonial rebellion against British authority, convene the First Continental Congress, boycott British goods, and present grievances to the King?

200

Battle of New Orleans

In what battle did the U.S. achieve victory over British troops, who were trying to control the Mississippi River during the War of 1812?  

200

Federalists 

What group of people supported the U.S. Constitution because it would create a strong federal government that would structure society and provide security?  

200

1840s

When did Manifest Destiny emerge?

200

Texas, Oregon Territory, California and the Southwest.

In what regions of the country did the U.S. expansion occur during the 1840s?

200

Shay's Rebellion

A rebellion that occurred between 1786 and 1878, when Massachusetts tried to collect taxes from individuals and businesses.  It led to the recognition of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

300

Colonial troops were highly motivated to fight in their homeland for freedom from British rule, whereas British troops fought in hostile territory in a war that was seen as costly and unnecessary by many in Britain.  British troops had funding, military training, and a navy that allowed them to blockade colonial ports, whereas Colonial troops depended on alliances with France, Spain, and the Netherlands for funding, were poorly trained, and often did not have the food, clothing, and weapons needed to fight.    

What military advantages and disadvantages did British and Colonial troops have during the American Revolutionary War?

300

John Locke

Who was the English philosopher who believed that people were born as "blank slates" and the rights to life, liberty, and property are natural rights.  His belief that the government of people should be based on their consent inspired American colonists to overthrow British rule.

300

1819

When did the U.S. acquire Florida?

300

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Where was the Constitutional Convention held?

300

The Articles of Confederation

What was the first document written and ratified by the Continental Congress 1781 to form a government for the 13 original colonies?  

400

Coercive Acts

What series of laws did the British Parliament pass to control colonial rebellion?

400

White men

A significant contradiction embodied in the Constitution regarding the principles of liberty and equality for all restricted freedom and equality to whom? 

400

1845

When did the U.S. annex Texas?

400

Florida

What territory did the U.S. acquire from Spain in 1819?

400

It ended Britain's military threat in the U.S. and control of trade and transportation along the Mississippi River and resulted in a stronger sense of national identity, westward expansion, and economic independence for the U.S.

Why was the War of 1812 historically significant?  

500

Manifest Destiny

What term is used to describe westward expansion?

500

Andrew Jackson

Who led American troops to victory in the Battle of New Orleans?

500

1789

When was the U.S. Constitution ratified?  

500

Texas

What territory did the U.S. annex following a declaration of independence from Mexico?

500

A U.S. Constitution that provides the framework for a strong central government, the Bill of Rights that ensures protections for individual liberties, and the idea that the Constitution can be amended to adapt to changing needs and concerns.  

What was the outcome of the Federalist/Antifederalist debate?