Before the colonies
American Indians (Native Americans) lived across North America for thousands of years before Europeans arrived (#74). Hundreds of nations, such as the Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux and Iroquois, had their own languages, governments and territories.
The colonies (1607–1750s)
English settlement began at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, in what became Massachusetts, in 1620. Over the next century, 13 British colonies grew along the Atlantic coast.
Why did colonists come (#73)? For freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, or to escape persecution. The Pilgrims and Puritans, for example, wanted to practice their religion their own way. Name any one.
Not everyone came by choice. Starting in 1619 in Virginia, Africans were brought to the colonies by force and sold as slaves (#75). Slavery spread through all 13 colonies and lasted until the 13th Amendment in 1865.
Remembering the 13 original states (#81: name five)
Group them by region, north to south:
- New England: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut
- Middle: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware
- South: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
An easy five to say: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia. Avoid Maine and Vermont: they became states later. The 13 stripes on the flag stand for these colonies.
The road to revolution (1763–1775)
After Britain won the French and Indian War in 1763, it was deep in debt and decided the colonies should help pay. Parliament passed a series of taxes and laws, and the colonists had no representatives in Parliament to vote on them. That's the core of #77, "Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain." The test accepts ten answers, and they fit on a timeline:
- Sugar Act (1764) and Stamp Act (1765): taxes on sugar and molasses, then on printed paper such as newspapers and legal documents.
- Townshend Acts (1767): taxes on imports such as glass, paper and tea.
- Boston Massacre (1770): British soldiers fired on a crowd in Boston and killed five people.
- Boston Tea Party (1773): to protest the Tea Act, colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor.
- Intolerable (Coercive) Acts (1774): Britain punished Massachusetts, closing Boston's port and limiting self-government.
The bigger reasons tie them together: high taxes, taxation without representation, British soldiers staying in Americans' houses (quartering) and no self-government. If you only remember one, say "taxation without representation."
The war (1775–1783)
Fighting began at Lexington and Concord in April 1775. The war has three accepted names (#76): the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War and the War for Independence. George Washington became General of the Continental Army (#86).
#80 asks for one important event. In time order:
- Battle of Bunker Hill (June 1775): an early battle near Boston. The Americans lost the hill but showed they could stand up to the British army.
- Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776): see below.
- Washington crossing the Delaware / Battle of Trenton (December 1776): a surprise night crossing of the icy river and a victory that lifted American spirits.
- Battle of Saratoga (1777): a major American victory that convinced France to join the war on the American side.
- Valley Forge (winter 1777–1778): the hard winter camp where the Continental Army suffered but trained into a stronger force.
- Battle of Yorktown (1781): the British army surrendered in Virginia, effectively ending the war. The Treaty of Paris made peace official in 1783.
The Declaration of Independence (1776)
The Second Continental Congress adopted it on July 4, 1776 (#79), which is why Independence Day is July 4. Thomas Jefferson wrote it (#78), with help from a committee that included Benjamin Franklin (#85). It said the colonies were free from British control and that all people are created equal with rights to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Those ideas appear in the government questions too (#8–#11).
From the Articles to the Constitution (1781–1789)
The first national government, under the Articles of Confederation, was too weak: it couldn't collect taxes or regulate trade. In 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia and wrote a new Constitution (#82: "What founding document was written in 1787?"). Washington served as President of the Constitutional Convention (#86), and James Madison earned the name "Father of the Constitution" (#88).
To persuade people, especially in New York, to approve it, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay wrote 85 essays under the pen name "Publius." These are the Federalist Papers (#83). They mattered because they helped people understand the Constitution and supported passing it (#84). Enough states ratified the Constitution in 1788, the new government began in 1789, and Washington became the first President.
The Founders: one fact each
Questions #85–#89 ask for one thing each Founder is famous for. Pick the easiest one to say:
- Benjamin Franklin (#85): U.S. diplomat (he won France's support), first Postmaster General, inventor, helped write the Declaration, founded the first free public libraries.
- George Washington (#86): "Father of Our Country," first President, General of the Continental Army, President of the Constitutional Convention.
- Thomas Jefferson (#87): writer of the Declaration, third President, first Secretary of State, doubled the size of the country with the Louisiana Purchase (1803), founded the University of Virginia, wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.
- James Madison (#88): "Father of the Constitution," fourth President, President during the War of 1812, one of the writers of the Federalist Papers.
- Alexander Hamilton (#89): first Secretary of the Treasury, helped establish the First Bank of the United States, one of the writers of the Federalist Papers, aide to General Washington, member of the Continental Congress.
Notice the overlaps: Madison and Hamilton both answer #83, Jefferson answers #78 and #87, and Washington answers #86 four ways. Learning the story once covers several questions.
Practice
Study every question with its official answers and a short explanation on the American History study page, then test yourself with the practice test or the audio practice. For how the government the Founders created works, read The Three Branches of Government, Explained. On the 2008 test, this period is covered by questions #58–#70.
Sources: USCIS, 2025 Civics Test: 128 Questions and Answers; National Archives: America's Founding Documents (Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights). The historical summaries are our own. This is general information, not legal advice.