50 topics · Updated 2026-09-17
Native peoples lived in America before Europeans; Africans were sold as slaves.
Americans fought Britain for independence for several reasons.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration, adopted July 4, 1776.
The Revolution had major events; there were 13 original states.
The Constitution was written in 1787; the Federalist Papers supported its passage.
Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton were famous founders.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.
The Constitution was written in 1787.
George Washington is the 'Father of Our Country' and was the first President of the United States.
Colonists came to America for freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, to practice their religion, and to escape persecution.
American Indians (Native Americans) lived in America before the Europeans arrived.
Africans (people from Africa) were the group taken to America and sold as slaves.
Colonists fought the British because of high taxes (taxation without representation), because British soldiers stayed in their houses (quartering), and because they lacked self-government.
There were 13 original states, including New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Naming three is required.
At the Constitutional Convention, the Constitution was written by the Founding Fathers.
The Federalist Papers supported passage of the U.S. Constitution. Writers included James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, who wrote under the name Publius.
Benjamin Franklin was a U.S. diplomat, the oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, the first Postmaster General, writer of 'Poor Richard's Almanac,' and started the first free libraries.
The colonists fought the British because of high taxes (taxation without representation), because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering), and because they didn't have self-government.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted on July 4, 1776. Independence Day is celebrated on July 4.
Colonists came to America for reasons including freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, to practice their religion, and to escape persecution.
Before Europeans arrived, American Indians (Native Americans) lived in America. Africans (people from Africa) were the group taken to America and sold as slaves.
There were 13 original states: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The Americans fought the American Revolution (Revolutionary War / War for Independence) to win independence from Britain. Reasons for declaring independence included high taxes, taxation without representation, quartering of soldiers, lack of self-government, the Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Townshend Acts, and Intolerable Acts.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted on July 4, 1776.
Benjamin Franklin founded the first free public libraries, was first Postmaster General, helped write the Declaration, was an inventor and diplomat. George Washington was the 'Father of Our Country,' first president, general of the Continental Army, and president of the Constitutional Convention. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration, was third president, doubled U.S. size via the Louisiana Purchase, and was first Secretary of State.
Colonists came to America for freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, and to escape persecution. American Indians (Native Americans) lived in America before Europeans arrived. Africans were taken and sold as slaves.
Important American Revolution events include Bunker Hill, Declaration of Independence, Washington crossing the Delaware (Trenton), Saratoga, Valley Forge, and Yorktown. There were 13 original states, including New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The U.S. Constitution was written in 1787. The Federalist Papers, written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay (under the pen name Publius), supported passage of the Constitution and helped people understand it.
James Madison was the 'Father of the Constitution,' fourth president, president during the War of 1812, and a Federalist Papers writer. Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury, a Federalist Papers writer, helped establish the First Bank of the United States, and was an aide to General Washington.
The Judicial Branch includes the Supreme Court and other federal courts. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. and its decisions are final. Federal judges are nominated by the President and approved by the Senate, and are not elected.
There are nine justices on the Supreme Court. A justice is a judge. One is the Chief Justice of the United States, who leads the Court. A majority (at least 5 of 9) is needed to decide a case.
The Judicial Branch includes the Supreme Court and lower federal courts. Federal judges are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, not elected.
The Judicial Branch reviews laws to decide if they follow the Constitution. Courts can only review a law when there is a legal case before them. The Supreme Court can review decisions from lower courts, and no court can change a Supreme Court decision.
The Judicial Branch can review a law only when a legal case is brought before it. The Supreme Court's decision is final.
The Constitution was written in 1787, 11 years after the Declaration of Independence. After the Revolutionary War, leaders like George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison wanted a new government. In 1787 leaders from all 13 states met in Philadelphia at the Constitutional Convention to write the Constitution. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers to support ratifying it.
In 1803 the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, adding a large area of land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. France sold it because it needed money for wars in Europe. Westward expansion increased conflicts with Native Americans.
Between the 1830s–1850s, people from five Native American nations in the southern U.S.—the Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw—were forced from their homelands to the Louisiana Territory. This event is called the 'Trail of Tears' because thousands died from disease and starvation. Today there are over 500 American Indian tribes in the United States.
Texas became the 28th state in 1845; it had been part of Mexico until 1836 and independent from 1836–1845. In 1846 the U.S. went to war with Mexico over Texas and southwestern land. The U.S. won in 1848 and, by treaty, Mexico agreed Texas was part of the U.S. and sold southwestern land that became California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of other states.
California became the 31st state in 1850, the first bordering the Pacific Ocean. By 1860 there were 33 states stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Expansion led to the biggest conflict—slavery. Conflicts over slavery in the South and West were one problem that led to the Civil War (other issues cited: economic reasons and states' rights).
Lincoln led during the Civil War and freed the slaves.
The 14th and 15th Amendments and the women's rights movement expanded rights.
The U.S. bought territory from France and fought several wars in the 1800s.
The U.S. war between the North and the South was the Civil War, also called the War between the States.
Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation), saved/preserved the Union, and led the United States during the Civil War.
The United States bought the Louisiana Territory (Louisiana) from France in 1803.
Wars fought by the United States in the 1800s include the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War.
Problems that led to the Civil War include slavery, economic reasons, and states' rights.
The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in the Confederacy — the Confederate/Southern states.
Susan B. Anthony fought for women's rights and civil rights.
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