Recent American history
Questions and answers
-
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
- World War I
- World War II
- Korean War
- Vietnam War
- (Persian) Gulf War
The United States fought in World War I from 1917 to 1918, and later in the 1900s in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.
Study guide · World War I ↗ -
Why did the United States enter World War I?
- Because Germany attacked U.S. (civilian) ships
- To support the Allied Powers (England, France, Italy, and Russia)
- To oppose the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria)
The war began in Europe in 1914, and the United States stayed out until 1917, when German attacks on American ships brought it in on the side of the Allied Powers against the Central Powers.
128 questions · C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information ↗ -
When did all women get the right to vote?
- 1920
- After World War I
- (With the) 19th Amendment
Four amendments widened the vote in federal elections. The 19th Amendment, added in 1920 just after World War I, made the vote a right of any citizen, women as well as men.
Study guide · Voting in Federal Elections ↗ -
What was the Great Depression?
- Longest economic recession in modern history
The Great Depression was the hardest period the American economy has ever gone through: banks and businesses closed across the country, and many people lost their jobs, homes and savings.
Study guide · The Great Depression ↗ -
When did the Great Depression start?
- The Great Crash (1929)
- Stock market crash of 1929
The depression began with the stock market crash of 1929, called the Great Crash. By the time Franklin Roosevelt was elected in 1933, the country was deep in it.
128 questions · C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information ↗ -
Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?
- (Franklin) Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt, the 32nd president, was elected four times and served from 1933 to 1945, through the Great Depression and the war, and died in office in 1945.
Study guide · World War II ↗ -
Why did the United States enter World War II?
- (Bombing of) Pearl Harbor
- Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor
- To support the Allied Powers (England, France, and Russia)
- To oppose the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan)
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The next day Roosevelt asked for war and Congress declared it, and the U.S. fought Japan, Germany and Italy until 1945.
Study guide · World War II ↗ -
Dwight Eisenhower is famous for many things. Name one.
- General during World War II
- President at the end of (during) the Korean War
- 34th president of the United States
- Signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (Created the Interstate System)
Before becoming the 34th president in 1953, Eisenhower led American forces as a general in World War II. As president he faced the Soviet Union in the Cold War and the race into space.
Study guide · The Cold War ↗ -
Who was the United States’ main rival during the Cold War?
- Soviet Union
- USSR
- Russia
Russia and the countries it controlled formed the Soviet Union. Though allies in World War II, the two powers did not trust each other, and after 1945 they faced off in the Cold War until the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
Study guide · The Cold War ↗ -
During the Cold War, what was one main concern of the United States?
- Communism
- Nuclear war
The Soviet Union was communist, and China and North Korea were turning communist too. The United States wanted to keep communism from spreading to more countries, and both sides built up huge armies in case of war.
Study guide · The Cold War ↗ -
Why did the United States enter the Korean War?
- To stop the spread of communism
North Korea was becoming communist, and during the Cold War the United States was trying to keep other countries from going communist. The Korean War was fought for that reason.
Study guide · The Cold War ↗ -
Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War?
- To stop the spread of communism
Like the Korean War, the Vietnam War was part of the Cold War effort to keep communism from spreading to more countries in Asia.
Study guide · The Cold War ↗ -
What did the civil rights movement do?
- Fought to end racial discrimination
After World War II many states still had laws separating people by race and keeping them from voting. The movement fought those laws and won the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Study guide · The Civil Rights Movement ↗ -
Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for many things. Name one.
- Fought for civil rights
- Worked for equality for all Americans
- Worked to ensure that people would “not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”
King led the civil rights movement with peaceful protests against laws that separated people by race, and helped convince Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. He wanted civil rights for all Americans.
Study guide · The Civil Rights Movement ↗ -
Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War?
- To force the Iraqi military from Kuwait
The Persian Gulf War was the last war the United States fought in the 1900s. Iraq had invaded its neighbor Kuwait, and the U.S. went to war to push the Iraqi army out.
128 questions · C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information ↗ -
What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States?
- Terrorists attacked the United States
- Terrorists took over two planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City
- Terrorists took over a plane and crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia
- Terrorists took over a plane originally aimed at Washington, D.C., and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania
Terrorists hijacked four planes: two hit the World Trade Center in New York City, one hit the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Almost 3,000 people died.
Study guide · September 11, 2001 ↗ -
Name one U.S. military conflict after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
- (Global) War on Terror
- War in Afghanistan
- War in Iraq
After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States began the War on Terror, which included the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq. The Korean and Vietnam wars were Cold War conflicts of the 1900s.
128 questions · C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information ↗ -
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
- Apache
- Blackfeet
- Cayuga
- Cherokee
- Cheyenne
- Chippewa
- Choctaw
- Creek
- Crow
- Hopi
- Huron
- Inupiat
- Lakota
- Mohawk
- Mohegan
- Navajo
- Oneida
- Onondaga
- Pueblo
- Seminole
- Seneca
- Shawnee
- Sioux
- Teton
- Tuscarora
Native Americans, also called American Indians, lived in North America for thousands of years before Europeans came, each tribe with its own language, religion and government. Today the United States has more than 500 tribes, among them the Cherokee, Navajo and Sioux.
Study guide · The Louisiana Territory ↗ -
Name one example of an American innovation.
- Light bulb
- Automobile (cars, internal combustion engine)
- Skyscrapers
- Airplane
- Assembly line
- Landing on the moon
- Integrated circuit (IC)
During the Cold War the United States and the Soviet Union raced into space. The Soviets launched the first satellite in 1957, and in 1969 the United States became the first country to land a person on the moon.
Study guide · The Cold War ↗