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Hard US History Trivia Questions
The hard questions from our us history set, 14 of them, each with the answer and an explanation below the game.
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The hard round covers court cases, nicknames and specifics: Marbury v. Madison, Seward's Folly, the Missouri Compromise, the third author of the Federalist Papers. Strong general knowledge is not enough here; this band rewards actual reading.
14 hard us history trivia questions with answers
The first shots of the American Revolution were fired in 1775 at which places?
Answer: Lexington and Concord Emerson later called it "the shot heard round the world".
Who served as the first Vice President of the United States?
Answer: John Adams He called it the most insignificant office ever invented.
The 1803 case Marbury v. Madison established which principle?
Answer: Judicial review It gave the Supreme Court power to strike down unconstitutional laws.
"Seward's Folly" was a nickname for the purchase of what?
Answer: Alaska Critics mocked Secretary of State William Seward until gold was found there.
The Missouri Compromise was passed in which year?
Answer: 1820 It admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free one.
Which amendment introduced Prohibition?
Answer: The 18th It banned the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors from 1920.
Which amendment repealed Prohibition?
Answer: The 21st Ratified in 1933, it is the only amendment to undo another one.
The USS Maine exploded in 1898 in which harbour?
Answer: Havana The blast helped push the United States into war with Spain.
Besides Hamilton and Madison, who wrote the Federalist Papers?
Answer: John Jay Jay wrote five of the 85 essays before falling ill.
Which 1954 Supreme Court ruling declared segregated public schools unconstitutional?
Answer: Brown v. Board of Education It overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine set in 1896.
Which 1863 battle is widely seen as the turning point of the Civil War?
Answer: Gettysburg Lee's invasion of the North was stopped over three days in July.
The First Continental Congress met in 1774 in which city?
Answer: Philadelphia Delegates gathered at Carpenters' Hall to respond to the Coercive Acts.
Which president signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law?
Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson He pushed it through Congress after Kennedy's assassination.
The Salem witch trials of 1692 took place in which colony?
Answer: Massachusetts Twenty people were executed before the governor shut the court down.
Answer key
- Lexington and Concord
- John Adams
- Judicial review
- Alaska
- 1820
- The 18th
- The 21st
- Havana
- John Jay
- Brown v. Board of Education
- Gettysburg
- Philadelphia
- Lyndon B. Johnson
- Massachusetts
How to play
- Pick a mode: multiple choice, true or false, a 60-second sprint, or the daily quiz.
- Answer with a tap, or press 1 to 4 on a keyboard. The right answer appears straight away with a line explaining it.
- Finish the round to see your score, copy the result grid, and step up a difficulty.
- Hosting a night? The full us history list and a separate answer key are printed below, and the print layout drops the game and keeps the paper.
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