45 topics · Updated 2026-09-17
The civil rights movement fought to end racial discrimination. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for civil rights, worked for equality for all Americans, and worked to ensure people would be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.
The U.S. entered the Persian Gulf War to force the Iraqi military from Kuwait. On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the United States, crashing planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. Military conflicts after 9/11 include the War on Terror, War in Afghanistan, and War in Iraq.
Wars fought in the 1900s include World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. The U.S. entered World War I because Germany attacked U.S. civilian ships, to support the Allied Powers, and to oppose the Central Powers.
All women got the right to vote in 1920, after World War I, with the 19th Amendment. The Great Depression was the longest economic recession in modern history, starting with the Great Crash / stock market crash of 1929. Franklin Roosevelt was president during the Great Depression and World War II.
The U.S. entered World War II because of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to support the Allied Powers and oppose the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan). Dwight Eisenhower was a WWII general, president during the Korean War, the 34th president, and signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956.
The Soviet Union (USSR/Russia) was the main U.S. rival during the Cold War. A main concern was communism and nuclear war. The U.S. entered the Korean War and the Vietnam War to stop the spread of communism.
American Indian tribes include Apache, Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Seminole, Iroquois nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca), and many others. American innovations include the light bulb, automobile, skyscrapers, airplane, assembly line, moon landing, and integrated circuit.
When the U.S. became a country in 1776 there were 13 original states, all on the East Coast. Today there are 50 states, represented by 50 stars on the flag. Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21, 1959. The U.S. has five territories: Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands.
The U.S. is in North America, bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast and the Atlantic Ocean on the East Coast. Canada borders to the north (13 states border Canada) and Mexico to the south (four states border Mexico: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas).
The U.S. is in North America, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, with oceans on each coast.
The capital of the U.S. is Washington, D.C., named after George Washington, the first President and Father of Our Country. It is not part of a state.
The two longest rivers are the Mississippi and Missouri. The Appalachian Mountains are in the east and the Rocky Mountains in the west.
World War II began in 1939 when Germany attacked Poland; Japan and Italy fought alongside Germany. The U.S. fought from 1941–1945 after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. During WWII the U.S. fought Japan, Germany, and Italy, with allies including the UK, France, and Russia. The war ended in 1945 when Germany and Japan surrendered. The power to declare war belongs to the federal government.
After World War II, the U.S. and the Soviet Union became involved in the Cold War. The main concern of the U.S. during the Cold War was the spread of communism, a government type in which the government plans the economy and one political party controls it. There were no direct battles between U.S. and Soviet soldiers. Dwight Eisenhower (34th President, 1953–1961) led during this period. The Soviet Union launched the first satellite (1957); the U.S. landed a person on the moon (1969). The Cold War ended in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed.
The movement to end racial discrimination in the U.S. is called the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader who organized peaceful protests. Other leaders included Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. The movement led Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act (1964) banning discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or national origin, and the Voting Rights Act (1965) preventing states from denying the vote based on race.
On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four airplanes. Two crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and one in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Almost 3,000 people died—the worst attack on the U.S. homeland since Pearl Harbor.
World War I (originally called The Great War) was fought worldwide from 1914–1918. The U.S. joined in 1917 and fought from 1917–1918. The war ended November 11, 1918, which is honored as Veterans Day. Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President (1913–1921), was President during World War I.
When Franklin Roosevelt was elected in 1933, the U.S. was in the Great Depression, the worst period for the U.S. economy. The U.S. economic system is a capitalist economy (also called a market economy), in which the government does not control the economy and people are free to start businesses. During the Depression, banks and businesses closed and many lost jobs, homes, and money.
Franklin Roosevelt was elected the 32nd President in 1933 and was the longest-serving President, elected four times (1933–1945), dying in office in 1945. He was President during both the Great Depression and World War II. In 1951 the 22nd Amendment was added, limiting a person to being elected President only two times.
Washington, D.C. is the capital; the Statue of Liberty is in New York Harbor.
The flag's stripes and stars have specific meanings; the anthem is the Star-Spangled Banner.
The Nation's first motto was E Pluribus Unum.
The civil rights movement tried to end racial discrimination. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for civil rights and worked for equality for all Americans.
Wars fought by the United States in the 1900s include World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the (Persian) Gulf War.
Woodrow Wilson was President during World War I. Franklin Roosevelt was President during the Great Depression and World War II. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general in World War II.
In World War II, the United States fought Japan, Germany, and Italy. During the Cold War, the main concern of the United States was Communism.
On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the United States.
The Pacific Ocean is on the West Coast and the Atlantic Ocean is on the East Coast of the United States.
The capital of the United States is Washington, D.C.
The two longest rivers in the United States are the Missouri River and the Mississippi River. Naming one is required.
U.S. territories include Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. Naming one is required.
States bordering Canada include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Alaska. Naming one is required.
States bordering Mexico are California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Naming one is required.
The Statue of Liberty is located in New York Harbor on Liberty Island. Also acceptable: New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson River.
The American flag is a symbol of freedom, colored red, white, and blue. Red symbolizes bravery, white symbolizes purity, and blue symbolizes justice. It has 13 stripes representing the 13 original colonies and 50 stars, each representing a state.
The Statue of Liberty is a famous symbol of the United States, given by France in 1886 as a symbol of friendship, freedom, and democracy. It stands in New York Harbor on Liberty Island. It shows a woman holding a torch and a tablet inscribed with July 4, 1776, the date the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
We show loyalty to the flag and the U.S. by saying the Pledge of Allegiance, standing with the right hand over the heart. The national anthem is 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' written by Francis Scott Key about seeing the American flag after a battle during the War of 1812.
National (federal) holidays are passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. Key holidays include New Year's Day (Jan 1), Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (3rd Monday in January), Presidents' Day (3rd Monday in February), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Juneteenth (June 19), Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day (1st Monday in September), Columbus Day (2nd Monday in October), Veterans Day (Nov 11), Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in November), and Christmas (Dec 25).
Ellis Island was an immigration station in New York Harbor that began receiving immigrants January 1, 1892; over 62 years more than 12 million immigrants arrived through it. Angel Island was an immigration station on the West Coast that processed nearly 1 million immigrants between 1910 and 1940, through which many Asian Americans trace their family history.
The capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. The Statue of Liberty is in New York Harbor / Liberty Island (also acceptable: New Jersey, near New York City, on the Hudson River).
The two longest rivers in the U.S. are the Missouri River and the Mississippi River. The Pacific Ocean is on the West Coast and the Atlantic Ocean is on the East Coast.
U.S. territories include Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. States bordering Canada include Maine, New York, Michigan, Montana, Washington, and Alaska. States bordering Mexico are California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
The flag has 13 stripes because there were 13 original colonies (the stripes represent the original colonies). It has 50 stars because there is one star for each state (50 states).
The national anthem is 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' Independence Day is celebrated on July 4. National U.S. holidays include New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
There are many federally recognized American Indian tribes in the United States, including Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Chippewa, Choctaw, Pueblo, Apache, Iroquois, Creek, Blackfeet, Seminole, Cheyenne, Arawak, Shawnee, Mohegan, Huron, Oneida, Lakota, Crow, Teton, Hopi, and Inuit.
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