American History Questions Based on: "What Your 4th Grader Needs to Know" by E.D. Hirsch These questions are copyright 1997 Karen Crowther and are not endorsed nor sponsored by the Core Curriculum Foundation nor E.D. Hirsch. They are brought to you as a public service by Redwood Games (http://www.maui.net/~redwood/hs.html) You may use them for personal use provided you do not remove this notice and provided you do not distribute them. 4th Grade American History #1: ============================== __Read American History p. 164-167 A region under the control of a faraway land is called a ________________. In the 1700's there were _________ American colonies under the rule of ___________________. What did the Americans say when Britain tried to raise taxes? ___________________________________________________________________________ What happened at the "Boston Massacre" ? ___________________________________________________________________________ Who wrote "Common Sense" and argued that it was time for Americans to break away from Britain? _________________________________ The Second Continental Congress met at ___________________ in the year, ________ and voted to accept the ______________________________ proposed by _____________ The "shot heard 'round the world" was fired in _______________ Massachusetts. In the year ____________ there was a battle at ___________ Hill between American minutemaen and British redcoats. Small, local military units were called _________________. Americans who wanted to stay with Britain were called __________________ or __________________. The Second Continental Congress appointed _______________________________ to command the American army. Problems with the American army included: 1.________________________________ 2.________________________________ 3.________________________________ 4.________________________________ Advantages for the American army included: 1.________________________________ 2.________________________________ 3.________________________________ 4th Grade American History #2 ============================= __Read American History p. 168-170 How many African Americans served in the Continental army? ________________ In 1776 Washington's army went from ____________ men to _______________. Who wrote "Common Sense"? _________________. What did he write to encourage the army? _______________________________________________________________ Who were the Hessian soldiers? __________________________________ On Christmas of 1776 where were they camped? ________________________ What did Washington and his troops do that night? _________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ What did Congress offer men to fight? ______________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 4th Grade American History #3 ============================= __Read p. 170-172 General John Burgoyne commanded the _______________ troops in Canada. General Burgoyne's plan was to capture______________________________ What did the Americans do to delay him? _______________________________ Where was Burgoyne defeated? __________________________________________ Who was secretly helping the Americans? ________________________________ What did the French do after the Americans won at Saratoga? ____________ ________________________________________________________________________ What happened in June of 1778? _________________________________________ What things did France do to help the Americans? 1.__________________________________ 2.__________________________________ 3.__________________________________ General Bernardo de Galvez led Spanish troops against the British in ________________________. What young French nobleman came to America to help fight? _____________ _____________________________________________ 4th Grade American History #4 ============================= __Read p. 172-173 British troops captured ______________________ in Pennsylvania. Washington and his troops were camped about 20 miles north in _________________________________ Compare the winter of 1777 for the British in Philadelphia and the Americans in Valley Forge: ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ What was Mary McCauley's nickname?_______________________________ What did Mary do in the battle of Monmouth, New Jersey? ___________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ What important battles was Benedict Arnold in? ___________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ What did the Americans find in the boot of a captured British soldier? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ What happened to Benedict Arnold? ______________________________ What do we mean when we call someone a "Benedict Arnold"? __________________ 4th Grade American History #5 ============================= __Read p. 174-175 The last part of the Revolutionary War was fought in the ___________________ What British general wanted to conquer Virginia? ____________________________ Yorktown is near the early settlement of __________________________. What mistake did the British make when they camped at Yorktown? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ The defeat of the British at Yorktown marked ______________________________ ___________________________________________________________ When was the peace treaty signed? ______________________ What did Yankee mean before the war? _______________________ What did doodle mean? __________________________________ Was Yankee Doodle an insult to the Americans? Why or why not? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 4th Grade American History #6 ============================= __Read p. 176-178 What English document was used in drafting the U.S. Constitution? ___________________________________________ What three rights did Thomas Jefferson list in the Declaration of Independence? 1._____________________ 2._____________________ 3._____________________ What does the Declaration of Independence say about equality? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ What new idea about the purpose of government did the U.S. Declaration of Independence talk about? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ What contradicted the Declaration of Independence's claim that everyone is entitled to freedom? ______________________________________________________ 4th Grade American History #7 ============================= __Read p. 179-183 In the U.S. today a _______________________ heads a state government and the _________________________ heads the federal government. Who is the president today? ____________________________________ Who is the governor of your state today? _____________________________ What body met to decide how the U.S. would be governed? _______________________________________________________ Who was the king in England with whom the revolutionaries fought? ______________________________________________ What did the Articles of Confederation say? _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Why did people call a Constitutional Convention to change the Articles of Confederation? 1.________________________________ 2._________________________________ Which of the _____ states refused to participate in the Constitutional Convention? _______________________ Name three "founding fathers" who were at the Constitutional Convention: 1.________________________________ 2._________________________________ 3.________________________________ Who was the "Father of the Constitution"?______________________________ What three branches of the government did he propose? 1.________________________________ 2._________________________________ 3.________________________________ Who was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court? ____________________ _______________________________________ 4th Grade American History #8 ============================= __Read p. 183-186 Why did the delegates of the Constitutional Convention want to limit the president's powers? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Which part of the government can create taxes? ____________________________ How did people agree to protect states with small populations from having taxes voted on by other bigger states? The ____________________________ would be based on a state's population but the ________________________ would have exactly ________ senators from each state. What does it mean that the U.S. government has a system of "checks and balances"? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 4th Grade American History #9 ============================= __Read p. 187-190 What is the first sentence of the Constitution of the United States? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Who was the second president? ______________________________ What had to happen before the Constitution could go into effect? ____________________________________________ What were people who supported the new Constitution called? __________________ Who wrote "The Federalist Papers"? 1.________________________________ 2._________________________________ 3.________________________________ Why were some people against the new Constitution? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ What was added to the Constitution to satisfy the Anti-Federalists? _____________________________________ Name some freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights: 1.________________________________ 2._________________________________ 3.________________________________ 4th Grade American History #10 ============================= __Read p. 190-194 Who was the first president? _______________________________ What was he called? __________________________________________ Who were in George Washington's cabinet? 1.______________________________ 2.______________________________ What did these two disagree over? __________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Jefferson feared that Hamilton's policies would ____________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ What are the names of the two largest political parties in the U.S. today? 1.______________________________ 2.______________________________ The new capital of the U.S. was established in ____________________________ What is the building where Congress meets called? __________________________ What is the President's residence called? _______________________________ Who was the third president of the U.S.? ________________________________ What University did he found? ______________________________ Name some of Thomas Jefferson's studies: 1.______________________________ 2.______________________________ 3.______________________________ 4.______________________________ What was the name of Jefferson's home and who designed it? ________________ ____________________________________________________________ 4th Grade American History #11 ============================= __Read p. 195-196 Who was our 4th president? __________________________________ Why were western Americans angry at the British? _________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ What did Britain do to American sailors? _________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ What year did Madison declare war on Britain? _______________ What motive did the "War Hawks" have for wanting to go to war? ____________ __________________________________________________________________________ Why did the Americans do poorly in the War of 1812? ______________________ __________________________________________________________________________ What was the nickname of the battle ship, Constitution? ____________________ What did the British do to the White House? _________________________________ When did Britain and the U.S. sign a peace treaty? _________________ Why was there a battle after the treaty was signed? _________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ What general won the Battle of New Orleans? _______________________________ 4th Grade American History #12 ============================= __Read p. 197-200 Who was the 5th president of the U.S.? __________________________________ What was the Monroe Doctrine? ____________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ What tribe did General Jackson defeat and take 23 million acres of land from? ________________________ Why did General Jackson attack the Seminoles in Florida? ____________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ How did Florida come to be part of the U.S.? ________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ When did Andrew Jackson get elected to the presidency? ___________________ What dream did many Americans have about the land of the U.S.? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ What was Jackson's view of the native Americans? ____________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ What was the Indian Removal Bill? __________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Where were most native Americans forced to go? __________________________ What was the Trail of Tears? ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Who was head of the Seminoles? _________________________ What happened to the Seminoles when they agreed to meet with the Americans? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ What did the U.S. want that caused them to do these things to the native Americans? ________________________ 4th Grade American History #13 ============================= __Read p. 200-202 What was "Manifest Destiny"? ______________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ What caused the war against Mexico in 1846? ______________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ What was Zachary Taylor's nickname? ______________________________________ Who was the 12th president? _____________________________________ Why was Thomas Corwin against the Mexican War? 1.________________________________________________________________________ 2.________________________________________________________________________ What present-day states did the U.S. win in the war with Mexico? 1._________________________ 2._________________________ 3._________________________ 4._________________________ 5._________________________ 6._________________________ 4th Grade American History #14 ============================= __Read p. 202-204 What were people who wanted to end slavery called? _________________________ How old was Dorthea Dix when she began teaching school? ___________ Who did she try to help? _________________________________ What was the result of her work? ______________________________ Who believed in universal education? _____________________________________ What was the result of his work? _________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 4th Grade American History #15 ============================= __Read p. 204-206 What did the feminists believe? __________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Who was a writer who claimed that women could fill any job? ______________________________________________________________ What rights were denied to women? 1.________________________ 2.______________________________ 3.______________________________ 4.________________________________ What two American abolitionists went to England to attend an anti-slavery meeting? 1.___________________________ 2.___________________________ What happened? __________________________________________________________ In July, 1848 a women's rights meeting was held at ______________________ ___________________________________________ What two former slaves attended this meeting? 1.___________________________ 2.___________________________ What document did these people create? _____________________________________ ________________________________________________________ How many more years did it take until women got the vote? ______________ What did Amilia Bloomer want? _____________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________