I love American history. Below is a quiz on our early American history. See how many you remember.
1. In 1803, the United States purchased a large amount of land from the French. President Jefferson needed experienced people to explore this land then report to him about their findings. Who were the explorers he chose? DeSoto and Cartier; Lewis and Clark; Crockett and Bowie; Austin and Decatur.
2. The first large wave of European immigration happened in the 1840’s. Why were the Irish the first group to come in large numbers? The Irish were promised 40 acres of free land if they came to America; The Irish were offered reduced rates on steamships bound for America; The Irish believed that much of the new land contained gold; Because of the potato famine in Ireland.
3. In 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright chose Kitty Hawk, N.C. for their first airplane test flight. Approximately how far did their airplane travel on the first attempt? 120 feet; three miles; half mile; five thousand yards.
4. Most Americans know that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Many ships sunk, greatly disabling our American fleet. What saved the Pacific fleet from total destruction? Many of the American battleships were equipped with high-powered guns; The admiral in charge of Pearl Harbor saw the Japanese planes approaching; Soldiers and sailors were called at home and were able to defend the harbor; The United States aircraft carriers were not in Pearl Harbor, having left for a training mission.
5. In 1540, this explorer set out to explore what is now the southwest part of the United States. His mission was to look for the ‘Seven Cities of Gold’. Andre Salvador; Francisco Coronado; Juan Mercedes; Carlos Lemus.
6. For what is Ellis Island’s claim to fame? The British were defeated by a force led by George Washington; It was the site of an airplane crash in 1960 where over 200 people were killed; It is an island near New York where immigrants were processed for entry into the U.S.; Abraham Ellis built a mansion there to escape the heat of the city.
7. What was the first successful English settlement in America? Princess Anne; Charleston; Plymouth; Jamestown.
ANSWERS
1. Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the Louisiana Purchase. 2. A virus infected the potato, leaving it worthless, and many Irish citizens began starving. Those who could afford to leave Ireland did so, hopping on the first boat out. Many of them landed in New York and settled there. 3. The Wright Brothers took their “aeroplane” to the sands of Kitty Hawk along with five Coast Guard members as witnesses. The plane took off, left the ground, and traveled approximately 120 feet on the first attempt. 4. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, they sank many of the battleships anchored in the harbor; however, the aircraft carriers were at sea on a training mission. Some state that this single factor allowed the United States to quickly recover and destroy the Japanese fleet. 5. Coronado believed, as many did, that there was a place called The Seven Cities of Gold. For two years, he, along with hundreds of Spanish soldiers, searched the southwest part the United States, finding nothing but Indian villages. 6. It was an island near New York where immigrants were processed for entry into the U.S. Immigrants arriving from Europe by ship would first stop at Ellis Island. They were inspected for diseases and asked for their reason for coming to the United States. Ellis Island was named after a man who kept a tavern and small hotel there in the 1700s. 7. In 1607, English settlers arrived on the coast of Virginia. They named their settlement Jamestown.