American History Trivia Questions
Total Questions: 70
Who was the American businessman whose fur company post in the Oregon Country was taken over by the British during the War of 1812?
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john jacob astor
In 1848, a shipping canal completed through an old Indian portage linked Chicago with which mighty river system?
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mississippi river
Who was the dentist that served as one of Virgil Earp's deputies in Tombstone, Arizona?
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doc holliday
Which Shawnee chief, along with his brother known as the Prophet, was defeated in battles by William Henry Harrison?
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tecumseh
Who was the first elected black governor in the United States?
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douglas wilder
What Tennessean famously said, 'You can go to hell. I'm going to Texas' after being defeated for reelection to Congress?
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davy crockett
Who founded the first Baptist church in America in 1639?
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roger williams
What was the name of the 1853 purchase that made the contiguous United States complete?
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gadsden purchase
Which Socialist, released from prison by Woodrow Wilson's successor, is associated with 'THIS IS YOUR LIFE, WOODROW WILSON'?
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eugene v. debs
In 1775, 30 axmen led by Daniel Boone created this route through the Cumberland Gap. What is its name?
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wilderness road
What is estimated to have lost 300 million tons on May 11, 1934 in the Great Plains?
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topsoil
In 1783, what role did Princeton's Nassau Hall serve for the nation?
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capital
Which California governor was named Chief Justice of the U.S. by President Eisenhower on September 30, 1953?
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earl warren
How many stars were on the American flag when Flag Day was established as a national holiday?
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48
In which state did about 200 supporters of the American Indian Movement seize the hamlet of Wounded Knee in the 1970s?
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south dakota
Which Puritan, a contemporary of John Bunyan, was responsible for defending Providence?
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roger williams
What did the abbreviation CSMC stand for during the Civil War, with fewer than 600 men and officers at its greatest enrollment?
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confederate states marine corps
In which city, other than Richmond, is the first White House of the Confederacy located?
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montgomery, alabama
What major Nevada strike was located near Virginia City, which boomed in the 1860s?
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comstock lode
What type of American tree, which has been devastated by disease in recent years, is the wood used for the yoke of the Liberty Bell made from?
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elm
Who crowned Lee Meriwether as Miss America in 1954?
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bert parks
Whose charge at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863 resulted in fewer than 25% of his men returning?
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george pickett
Which general, wearing a mud-splattered private's coat, accepted Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox during the Civil War?
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ulysses s. grant
From which state did brothers Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee sign the Declaration of Independence?
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virginia
What nickname did the Confederate Congress officially give to General Jackson's troops on May 30, 1863?
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stonewall brigade
In which state was the first oil well in the United States located at Titusville?
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pennsylvania
What position did Wild Bill Hickok hold in Abilene, Kansas in 1871?
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marshal
What name did the Colonists give to the series of laws passed by the British in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party?
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intolerable acts
Who was inspired to write 'The Star-Spangled Banner' by the flag that is now in the National Museum of American History?
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francis scott key
What nickname did sea captain William Driver from Salem, Massachusetts give to his U.S. flag?
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old glory
What territory did the U.S. purchase in 1917 that is its only acquisition from a Scandinavian country?
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virgin islands
Who founded Georgia and lived to see it become a state?
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james oglethorpe
Which U.S. state has one of its oldest universities named for Robert Baylor, who contributed to the crafting of its state constitution?
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texas
Which U.S. state was known as the Bear State in pioneer days and later became the 'Land of Opportunity'?
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arkansas
What frontiersman's home in Taos, New Mexico is now a museum and once served as a guide for John C. Fremont?
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kit carson
Who is known for killing Billy The Kid but whose own killer remains unknown?
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pat garrett
What significant silver vein was discovered in 1859 on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson in Nevada?
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comstock lode
During which Indian conflict in 1832 was Abraham Lincoln elected captain of his volunteer company?
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black hawk war
Which fort surrendered to the South after being bombarded with approximately 4,000 shells during a 34-hour period on April 14, 1861?
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fort sumter
Which First Lady sat in on cabinet sessions and participated in the Camp David meetings between Sadat and Begin?
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rosalynn carter
Who was the 'conductor' on the Underground Railroad who often carried a gun for protection?
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harriet tubman
In 1968, the capture of which Navy intelligence ship by North Korea resulted in the death of one American?
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pueblo
Which practice were the founders of Lawrence, Kansas opposed to?
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slavery
What New York immigration station, known as 'The Gateway to the New World,' closed in 1954 after operating for 62 years?
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ellis island
Which First Lady was previously married to Daniel Parke Custis, a wealthy planter who was twice her age?
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martha washington
Which artist painted the portrait of George Washington that is the oldest possession in the White House?
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gilbert stuart
Who was the first woman to serve as Secretary of Transportation after being appointed by President Reagan in 1983?
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elizabeth dole
Who was the frontiersman who achieved victories at Kaskaskia, Cahokia & Vincennes in the Northwest Territory during the American Revolution?
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george rogers clark
What seaport city in Georgia was the goal of General Sherman's famous "march to the sea" during the Civil War?
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savannah, georgia
In which southwest state are the Superstition Mountains located, where many men died searching for the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine?
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arizona
Which future First Lady moved to Springfield, Illinois in 1839 to live with her sister Elizabeth?
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mary todd lincoln
Who served as aide-de-camp and secretary to General Washington during the Revolutionary War and was later appointed as a cabinet secretary?
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alexander hamilton
What delegation met at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia in 1774?
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continental congress
In which U.S. city was Germantown, the site of the first Mennonite and Lutheran churches in the United States?
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philadelphia
Which U.S. president signed both the U.N. Charter and the NATO Pact?
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harry s. truman
Which lieutenant colonel took sole command of the Texan forces after Jim Bowie fell ill at the Alamo?
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william b. travis
Which Chief Justice's death was being commemorated when the Liberty Bell cracked on July 8, 1835?
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john marshall
Who is the famous historical figure whose Arlington house is now a memorial and was inherited by his wife, Mary Randolph Custis?
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robert e. lee
In 1900, the Taft Commission oversaw the transition from military to civilian government in which Pacific islands?
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philippines
In 1794, Lewis went to Pennsylvania as a member of the militia to suppress which rebellion?
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whiskey rebellion
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