U.S. Citizenship Quiz

The U.S. Constitution set up the U.S. government and outlines the rights of the American people. The Constitution was signed in 1787, 11 years after the American Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain.

People in the U.S. vote for president every four years. A person can be elected president only twice.

False: The two parts of the U.S. Congress are the Senate and the House of Representatives. Together they make up the legislative, or lawmaking, branch of the U.S. government. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country. It is part of the judicial branch. 

The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in U.S. history. It announced that the 13 Colonies were free from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson is considered to be the main author, but he had help from other Founding Fathers, including Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.

Delaware became the first state after it ratified, or approved, the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787. Over the next few years, it was followed by the other 12 original states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island.

Florida became the 27th U.S. state in 1845.

The Civil War began in April 1861, after several Southern states seceded, or broke away, from the United States. They formed the Confederate States of America, also known as the Confederacy. The Northern states were called the Union. The war ended after the Confederacy surrendered in April 1865.

Officially approved in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted suffrage, or the right to vote, to women throughout the United States.

The Statue of Lady Liberty was a gift of friendship from France. It has stood on Liberty Island in New York Harbor since 1886.

A lawyer named Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the War of 1812. On September 13, 1814, he watched as U.S. troops defended Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, against a British attack. Key was inspired to write a poem, which was later turned into a song and renamed “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It became the U.S. national anthem in 1931.

National holidays are also known as federal holidays. On these days, federal government buildings are closed, and federal employees, such as postal workers, get a day off of work. Many schools and businesses also close on national holidays.

On Memorial Day, we honor and mourn the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day was first declared a federal holiday by Congress in 1971 and is observed on the last Monday in May. 

Labor Day, which is celebrated on the first Monday in September, honors all workers. It became a national holiday in 1894.