Think You Know America? Answer These American History Questions To Find Out

The United States may not be that old as a country, but it has been through a lot—created, at least in part, by the will of men to be free from tyranny. We've devised a quiz covering the bulk of American history before the Revolutionary War—see how you do and whether you remember as many of your American History classes as you think.

What Is The Oldest Known Painted Object In North America?

This object was located near Fort Supply, Oklahoma, and was first discovered along the banks of the Beaver River. But what is the object?

Harper’s Weekly, Wikimedia Commons

The Cooper Bison Skull

The Cooper Bison Skull was located alongside spear points and is the oldest known painted object in North America, as it had a red zigzag pattern painted on it. It has been carbon-dated to around 10,200 BCE.

CRPeters, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

One Of The Oldest-Known Settlements In The United States Is Oraibi, But To Which Indigenous Tribe Does It Belong? 

Founded in 1128 CE, this Indigenous homeland sits in present-day Arizona and is home to which Indigenous tribe?

Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons

The Navajo Peoples

Located in Arizona, Oraibi is one of the oldest-known settlements in the pre-United States. It was founded in 1128 CE and settled by the Navajo People.

Ansel Adams, Wikimedia Commons

How Large Was The Indigenous Population Of North America Pre-Contact?

Estimates of the number of dead from the genocide of Native Americans is roughly 100 million people. But what was the Indigenous population before European contact?

William Armitage, Wikimedia Commons

112 Million

It is estimated that the Indigenous population of North America was 112 million people before contact with Europeans.

Benedicte Wrensted, Wikimedia Commons

When Was The First European Colony In A US Territory Established, And By Whom?

We all think of Christopher Columbus as the colonial settler of North America, but the first European colony in a US territory was established in ______ and settled by _____ __ _____.

Sebastiano del Piombo, Wikimedia Commons

1508, Settled By Juan Ponce De Léon

With the backing of the Spanish Government and the Catholic Church, Juan Ponce De Léon made the first voyage to Puerto Rico in 1508. He made another voyage five years later, settling in Florida in 1513.

Antonio de Herrera, Wikimedia Commons

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What Was The Name Of An Indigenous American Confederacy Founded During The 1570s?

Although this confederacy existed before contact—established between 1450 and 1660 CE—the French or Americans did not officially recognize it until after 1570. But what was its name?

Bacqueville de La Potherie, Wikimedia Commons

The Iroquois Confederacy 

The Iroquois Confederacy comprised five Indigenous nations that predated European contact by centuries. The tribes that made up this collective were the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca.

James Newbury Edy, Wikimedia Commons

Who Was The Englishman Who Claimed California For England In 1589? 

Queen Victoria sent this intrepid explorer to California in 1589. He renamed the bay where he landed "New Albion".

Hondius, Jodocus, Wikimedia Commons

Sir Francis Drake

The intrepid explorer was named Francis Drake. Despite claiming California for England in 1589, Drake is best known for circumnavigating the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580—the first person to do so.

Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, Wikimedia Commons

Who Was The Man Who Founded The Roanoke Colony?

Sometimes known as The Lost Colony, this colony was founded in modern-day Dare County, North Carolina, in 1585. But by whom?

William Ludwell Sheppard, Wikimedia Commons

Sir Walter Raleigh

After Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh was one of England's greatest-ever explorers. The colony that he established in 1585 was originally called The Roanoke Colony. But just five years later, the Roanoke Colony was found completely deserted, seemingly vanishing without a trace. As many as 120 colonists were never recovered.

National Portrait Gallery, Wikimedia Commons

In 1609, Jamestown, Virginia, Was The Site Of A Tragic Event. What Happened, And What Was The Event Called? 

This event at Jamestown cost the lives of over 400 people. They died because...

John Heinly, Wikimedia Commons

They Starved. It Is Known As The "Starving Time".

Without enough food for the winter, the original 500 inhabitants of Jamestown were reduced to just 61 survivors by the spring of 1510.

Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

What Was The Ship Called That Carried The First English Settlers To The Massachusetts Area?

Known as the Pilgrims, these people were escaping religious persecution in England in the early 17th century and dropped anchor near Cape Cod. But what was the name of the ship that carried them?

Scan by NYPL, Wikimedia Commons

Mayflower

This ship carried approximately 135 people from England to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, dropping anchor on November 21, 1620.

Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

This Religious Controversy Of 1636 That Pitted Puritans Against Magistrates Is Commonly Called What?

This biblical battle, which took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638, pitted one set of biblical theologians against another. But what was it called?

Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons

The Free Grace Controversy 

The religious and political upheaval known as the Free Grace Controversy resulted in several Puritan spiritual leaders being banished from the colony.

John Rogers Herbert, Wikimedia Commons

Where Was The First Baptist Church In The United States Founded And By Whom?

As different religious factions began to emerge among settlers in the United States, they began to create different churches based on their beliefs. The very first Baptist church in the United States was founded in 1638, but where?

Joseph Partridge, Wikimedia Commons

Providence, Rhode Island

Roger Williams founded the First Baptist Meetinghouse in 1638, but an official church building was not erected until 1775. The meetinghouse held its first meetings in May 1775.

C.R. Grant, Wikimedia Commons

What Was The Name Of The First African-American Man To Become A Slave For Life? 

In 1655, as a result of a civil lawsuit between a free African-American man (and slave owner), Anthony Johnson, and his neighbor, Robert Parker, this man was the first African-American to become an enslaved person for life.

Eyre Crowe, Wikimedia Commons

John Casor

Anthony Johnson launched a "freedom suit" against Parker, claiming that his neighbor had illegally offered John Casor work while still under Johnson's servitude. The court found that Johnson was right, and John Casor became the first person in North America to be bound to servitude for life despite having committed no crime.

John Rose, Wikimedia Commons

Who Was The First Person To Sue An Enslaver For Freedom And Win? 

In the mid-17th century, enslaved people had the right to sue their owners for their freedom and see if a court would agree, particularly if their period of indentured servitude had expired. However, one such enslaved person took a different approach.

Jean-Baptiste Debret, Wikimedia Commons

Elizabeth Key Grinstead

Elizabeth Key Grinstead, the daughter of an Englishman and an African mother, used English common law which meant, at the time, that a child's social status was determined by their father, who was obliged to support both legitimate and illegitimate children. As Virginia had incorporated this principle upon becoming a colony, Grinstead won her lawsuit and her freedom—including freedom for her infant son—on July 21, 1656.

Womenofcolor, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

What Precipitated The Peach War Of 1655?

The Peach War of 1655 was a one-day occupation of New Amsterdam by Munsee tribespeople. But what event precipitated the occupation?

Benjamin West, Wikimedia Commons

The Murder Of A Munsee Woman For Stealing Peaches

A Munsee woman, who was allegedly stealing peaches from the orchard of a Dutch landowner, Hendrick Van Dyck, had been murdered. This led to an attack on New Amsterdam by 500 Munsee warriors in 64 canoes. The attack saw the deaths of 40 people and the capture of women and children.

Nikater, Wikimedia Commons

Where Was The First Regular Newspaper Published In The United States? 

Known as the "News-Letter," this was the first regularly-published newspaper. But where was it first released?

Rossiter, William Sidney, Wikimedia Commons

Boston, Massachusetts

First published by John Campbell in 1704, the Boston News-Letter hit the shelves in Boston, Massachusetts.

Boston News-Letter, Wikimedia Commons

What Was The Name Of The First Permanent English Settlement In North America?

Settled in 1609, this town was the first permanent English settlement in North America after the Spanish settlement in Puerto Rico nearly a century earlier.

Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons

Jamestown

It was named after the English King James I—bonus points if you can tell us which company founded Jamestown.

John de Critz, Wikipedia

What Was The Name Of The British Lord That First Devised Smallpox Blankets As A "Weapon Of War"?

The providing of smallpox blankets to Indigenous peoples in North America is one of history's greatest crimes. It's no secret that the British were the first to devise such cruelty. But who gave the order?

Arthur William Devis, Wikimedia Commons

Lord Amherst

Following heavy British losses at Fort Pitt by Ottawa warlord Pontiac, Lord Amherst and Philadelphia-based Colonel Henry Bouquet posited, "Could it not be contrived to Send the Small Pox among those Disaffected Tribes of Indians? On this occasion, we must use Every Stratagem in our power to Reduce them".

Chas. C. Chapman & Co., Wikimedia Commons

What Was The Name Given To A Forced Migration Of Native Americans From The Southeastern United States To Present-Day Oklahoma?

Some 60,000 people were displaced by the US Government between 1830 and 1850 on this route, known as...

J. Stephen Conn, Flickr

The Trail Of Tears

This forced march of just over 5,000 miles is known as "The Trail of Tears". 

Lmaotru, Wikimedia Commons

Which Sculptor Designed The Statue Of Liberty?

This famous French sculptor designed the piece in 1879. He raised more than 1 million francs to build the statue. But who was he?

Mayor of Galaxy, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi

Many incorrectly think of the other French sculptor, Auguste Rodin, but Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi is the correct answer. He designed the statue and unveiled it to the American foreign minister in Paris before the world's press in 1880.

Napoleon Sarony, Wikimedia Commons

Liberty Island Used To Be Known By What Name?

Now known as Liberty Island, for being the permanent home of the Statue of Liberty, it was renamed in 1956, having originally been known by what name?

Clément Bardot, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Bedloe's Island

Although its original name during European colonization was "Great Oyster Island," the island was renamed Bedloe's Island after being sold by English sea captain Robert Needham to a man named Isaac Bedloe in 1667.

US Army Signal Corps, Wikimedia Commons

Who Was The President Who Made The "Star-Spangled Banner" The National Anthem?

This President signed the Public Law in 1931, which decreed that "The Star-Spangled Banner" would become the national anthem of the United States.

Noah Wulf, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

President Herbert Hoover

President Hoover was the President who signed the Public Law.

Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons

What Was The Anthem Before "Star-Spangled Banner"?

Bonus points if you can tell us what the anthem was before 1931. 

National Photo Company Collection, Wikimedia Commons

"Hail, Columbia", Also Called "The President's March"

Composed by Philip Phile in 1789, it was the music played at the inauguration of George Washington.

Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Which Was The Final State To Enter The Union On July 4, 1960?

Completing the 50th star on the flag of the United States, this state entered the Union on July 4, 1960—but which state was it?

Jeff Kubina, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Hawaii

Hawaii became America's 50th state after being a Republic from 1893 to 1898 and a Kingdom before that.

Lux Tonnerre, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

What Was The Name Of The Mercantile Protest That Occurred On December 16, 1773?

It's famously mentioned in many memes on the internet. It concerns taxes, or the lack thereof, on a particular product to be sold in the United States.

Cornischong, Wikimedia Commons

The Boston Tea Party

When the Sons of Liberty (an organized political revolutionary movement) destroyed an entire shipment of tea from the East India Company, this event was known as the Boston Tea Party. This act is widely viewed as the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.

Nathaniel Currier, Wikimedia Commons

How Did You Do?

Let us know how you scored in the comments section!

Henry Hintermeister, Wikimedia Commons