United States of America Trivia Questions (Free Printable)

Inside: Free Printable United States of America Trivia Questions perfect for family game night.

The United States of America was officially formed in 1776 before the country was formed we had colonists living in America.

Before European explores ever reached many Native American tribes lived on the land.

So needless to say there has been a lot of history happening in the United States.

Here are over 100 America trivia questions and answers perfect for your next trivia night, 4th of July party, USA lesson or any other time you want to learn more about the United States of America.

At the bottom of the post you will find a free printable trivia game with a couple of pages of questions to choose from.

America Trivia Questions

To Make it a little bit easier I have broken the America trivia questions into different categories.

First are US history trivia questions broken down into years. Following that are some fun and random United States of America trivia questions.

Each trivia question is followed by the correct answer.

American History Trivia Questions

The American history trivia questions are broken into century’s starting in the 1600’s.

Some of the questions are general knowledge and some are more challenging.

America Trivia Through the 1600’s

How did Indigenous tribes get to America? Many scholars believe they walked over a land bridge between Asia and Alaska.
What is the oldest European-founded city in the United States? St. Augustine, Florida. Founded in 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain is the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European and African-American origin in the Unite States.
Who was the first European to land in North America? Leif Erikson arrived from Norway in the 10th century.
What 5 countries formed colonies in what would later become part of the United States? Britain, France, the Netherlands, Russia and Spain.
What year were the first African slaves brought to America? 1619. 20-30 slaves were traded in exchange for supplies in today’s Hampton, VA.
Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from which country in the late 1400’s and early 1500’s? Spain

Jamestown Trivia

What tribe was Pocahontas from? The Powhatan tribal nation.
What was the name of the first permanent English American colony? Jamestown, named after King James I.
What year was Jamestown settlement established? 1607.
In what modern day state was Jamestown settlement established? Virginia.
How many ships did the settlers of Jamestown travel on? 3 the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery.
What company established Jamestown settlement? The Virginia Company of London.
Who did Pocahontas marry? John Rolfe.

Pilgrims Trivia

What year did the Pilgrims arrive in America? 1620.
Why did the Pilgrims come to America? They were seeking religious freedom.
What was the name of the Pilgrim’s ship? The Mayflower.
Where did the Pilgrim’s on the Mayflower land? Plymouth (in modern-day Massachusetts).

Salem Witch Trials Trivia

How many people were killed in the Salem Witch Trials? 20 people were killed, most by hanging.
How many people were accused of practicing witchcraft? more than 200 people.
What ended the Salem Witch trials? The governor of the colony ordered an end to the trials after his own wife was accused of witchcraft.

1700’s America Trivia Questions

The Proclamation Line of 1763 prohibited American colonists from settling west of which natural barrier? The Appalachian Mountains.
How many people were killed in the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770? five people were killed when seven British soldiers fired into a crowd of volatile Bostonians.
The Untied States had three capital cities since the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788 what cities were they? New York (1789-1790), Philadelphia (1790-1800) Washington DC (1800 – present day)
What city was the first capital of the Untied States? New York City.
Who was the fist President of the United States? George Washington (1732-1799)
When was the first American currency created? The first American national paper money was introduced in 1775.
When was the United States Mint established? 1792 in Philadelphia.
When did the Philadelphia deliver the nations first circulating coins? March 1, 1793 they delivered 11,178 copper cents.
When was the Declaration of Independence Signed? August 2, 1776. The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 but signing of the declaration didn’t start until August 2, 1776.
Who primarily wrote the Declaration of Independence? Thomas Jefferson (his draft went through revisions by fellow committee members and the Second Continental Congress)
Who was the first to sing the Declaration of Independence? John Hancock
When did the Revolutionary War end? September 3, 1783.
What was the name of the treaty that ended the Revolutionary War? The Treaty of Paris
What was the first American state? Delaware (December 7, 1787)
Who was the first U.S. President to live in the White House? John Adams
When was the Stars and Stripes adopted as the American Flag? June 14, 1777 (This flag had 13 alternating red and white stripes with 13 stars on a blue field.)
How many original British colonies existed in America? 13
Where was the Constitutional Convention held? Philadelphia
What was the first governing document in the United States that was later replaced by the U.S. Constitution? The Articles of Confederation
Which of the founding fathers was credited with inventing bifocals? Benjamin Franklin.

Boston Tea Party Trivia

What was the date of the Boston Tea Party? Dec 16, 1773.
What was the Boston Tea Party? A political protest of American colonists frustration and anger at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation”.
What Acts were the colonists protesting with the Boston Tea Party? The Stamp Act of 1765 (tax on paper) and the Townshend Acts of 1767 (tax on paint, paper, glass, lead and tea).
What tea company did the colonists boycott? British East India Company.
How much tea was emptied into Boston Harbor? More than 90,000 pounds of tea which would cost about $1,000,000 dollars today.
After the Boston Tea Party, Great Britain punished colonists with several laws. What were these laws called? Coercive Acts (later known as the Intolerable Acts). These acts closed Boston harbor until the tea lost was paid for and moved judicial authority to Britain and more.
What American leader insisted the British East India Company be reimbursed for the lost tea? Benjamin Franklin – He even offered to play for it himself.

America Trivia Questions in the 1800’s

Who led the first land expedition to the Pacific Coast? Meriweather Lewis and William Clark
Which president signed the Indian Removal Act? President Andrew Jackson
How many Native Americans were forcibly relocated by the government under the Indian Removal Act? About 100,000
How many members of the Cherokee tribe died of cold, hunger or disease on the Trail of Tears? About 4,000
Which US President was the shortest serving? William Henry Harrison (he only served 31 days after being elected in 1841 before dying)
When was the Liberty Bell rang for the last time? February 23, 1846 for George Washington’s Birthday. After a few hours the bell received its fatal crack and has not been rung since.
When was the first U.S. dollar printed? 1862
What is the name of the theater where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated? Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.
Who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln? John Wilkes Booth
The draft was first instituted in the United States during what war? The Civil war (The confederate army instituted the first draft in American history in 1862. The northern states instituted a draft a year later)
What state is the only modern state to have declared it’s independence from the Confederacy? West Virginia. West Virginia separated from Virginia and was added to the union as a result of the civil war and the sharp division over the issue of secession from the Union.
Who was the first U.S. President to be impeached? President Andrew Johnson in 1868
What country gifted the United States with the Statue of Liberty? France in 1885

US Civil War Trivia Questions

When did the Civil War start? April 12, 1861 when the confederates bombarded Union soldiers at Fort Sumter.
How many states fought for the Confederacy? 11
What was the bloodiest single-day battle of American military history? The Battle of Antietam, during the Civil War with more than 22,000 casualties
Who was the Confederate President during the Civil War? Jefferson Davis
When was the Emancipation Proclamation issued? January 1, 1863
When did the Civil War end? Spring 1865. Lee surrendered the last major Confederate army on April 9, 1865 and the last battle was fought at Palmito Ranch, Texas on May 13, 1865
How many slaves were freed at the conclusion of the Civil War? About 3.9 Million

1900’s United States Trivia

What was the first United States National Monument? Devil’s Tower in Wyoming (1906).
When was Henry Ford’s Model T introduced to the World? 1908
In 1910 what program was established for boys? The Boy Scouts of America.
When did the Titanic Sink? April 15, 1912
What young women’s organization did Juliette Gordon Low establish in 1912? Girl Scouts of the USA
Who was the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress in 1916? Jeanette Rankin
What year did the United States enter World War 1? 1917
Which amendment passed in 1919 prevented the sale of alcoholic beverages? The 18th Amendment
What year was the 19th Amendment passed which guaranteed women the right to vote? 1920
What state passed America’s first woman suffrage law in 1869 allowing women to vote? Wyoming
What was the date of the Black Tuesday stock market crash? October 24, 1929
When did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor? December 7, 1941
When did the US enter World War 2? December 1941
Who was the first president to appear on TV? Franklin D. Roosevelt
Who was the first president to use a Secret Service code name? President Harry Truman who was called “General”.
Which branch of the military did President John F. Kennedy serve in? The United States Navy.
How many U.S. presidents have been assassinated? 4
What are the names of the presidents that have been assassinated? Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy.
When was the first year Veterans’ Day was celebrated? In 1954 Armistice day was changed to Veteran’s Day.
What was the last state to be admitted to the union? Hawaii in 1959.
The Civil Rights Act of what year ended the application of Jim Crow laws? 1964.
Who refused to give up her bus seat, sparking national civil rights protests? Rosa Parks.
What civil rights leader was assassinated in 1968? Martin Luther King Jr.
Two sets of fathers and sons have served as presidents? What are their names? John Adams and John Quincy Adams, and George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

America Trivia Questions in the 2000’s

What person and organization are widely believed to be behind the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001? Osama Bin Laden and al Qaeda.
What year did Apple Computer introduce the first iPod? 2001
What was the name of the space shuttle that exploded on re-entry over Texas, killing all seven astronauts aboard? Columbia.
What was the name of the hurricane that devastated New Orleans in 2005? Hurricane Katrina.
Who was the first Black U.S. President? Barack Obama.
What year began the worst economic recession since the Great Depression? 2008

A Few More Fun America Trivia Questions

What is the national bird of the United States? Bald Eagle
Which State is known as the ‘Sunshine State’? Florida
Which River is the Longest in the U.S.? Missouri River
Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner? Francis Scott Key
What large island is located off the coast of Alaska? Aleutian Islands.
Which U.S. State has the most active volcanoes? Alaska
What Amendment gives U.S. Citizens the right to bear arms? Second Amendment
Which President is on the $50 Bill? Ulysses S. Grant
Who Delivered The Gettysburg Address? Abraham Lincoln
Which US presidents faces are carved into Mount Rushmore? George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
Where is Mount Rushmore located? South Dakota.
Which us state is known as the ‘Land of 10,000 Lakes’? Minnesota.
Which Island in New York was the entry point for many immigrants? Ellis Island.
In which Desert is Aera 51 located? Nevada Desert.
Which state has the Grand Canyon? Arizona
Which Island in San Francisco Bay was A Famous Prison? Alcatraz
Which President Is on the $20 Bill? Andrew Jackson.
What was the first national park in the US? Yellowstone National Park in 1872.
In what city is the empire state building located? New York City.
What is the tallest Mountain in the United States? Denali in Alaska
What is the smallest state in the US? Rhode Island
What is the largest state in the US? Alaska

Free Printable America Trivia Questions

The free printable below has 2 pages of questions for you to choose from along with 2 pages of answers. These pages are great for use in the classroom or as an activity for an Independence Day party.

Please keep the printable for personal and class use only.