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Trivia Challenge

BETA VERSION 1.0

Welcome to the Colonial Sense Trivia Challenge!

There are ten categories, each dealing with a specific time period of early American history. Simply select a category from the drop-down menu and your quiz will appear.

Each quiz is comprised of ten randomly selected questions from our trivia storehouse. The questions -- and possible answers -- are randomized as well. Select your answer by clicking in the radio button. When you're finished, you can see how well you scored.

Notes:

All questions must be answered to obtain a score, which is presented with a rating and award.
Refresh the page in your browser to generate a new set of quizzes (in all categories)
Correct answers to wrongly-answered questions are not given...go do some studying and come back when you've discovered what you missed...
After you've scored yourself, you can reset the current quizzes so others can take the same quiz
A future feature we may add will be to track the correct answers (if you're logged in as a member) and only present questions you haven't answered yet.
Some categories have more or less questions than others, so you may well see the same questions popping up repeatedly in certain categories...but we're adding new questions on a weekly basis, so this issue should gradually go away.

Enjoy...and good luck!

Select Topic for Trivia Quiz:

Quiz for (1492-1618) Pre-Jamestown:

1) In 1604, Saint Croix Island, Rhode Island was the site of a short-lived French colony, much plagued by illness, perhaps scurvy.

True

False

2) In 1526, Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón founded the colony San Miguel de Guadalupe The colony only lasted a short while before disintegrating. It was also notable for perhaps being the first instance of African slave labor within the present boundaries of the United States. What is the approximate present day location?

Florida or Alabama

Virginia or North Carolina

Georgia or South Carolina

Georgia or Florida

3) Founded in 1607, the Popham Colony was a short-lived English colonial settlement located near the mouth of the Kennebec River by the proprietary Virginia Company of Plymouth. What is the present day location?

Ocean City, MD

Boston, MA

Atlantic City, NJ

Phippsburg, ME

4) In 1567, Fort San Juan was established but was destroyed by local American Indians 18 months later. What is the present day location?

North Carolina

Tennessee

South Carolina

Florida

5) Founded in 1570, The Ajacan Mission failed the next year. Near what is the present day location?

Charleston, SC

Raleigh, NC

Jacksonville, FL

Jamestown, VA

6) In 1528, Pánfilo de Narváez attempted to start a colony in the New World. The Narváez expedition ended in disaster with only four members making it to Mexico in 1536. What is the present day location?

Tennessee

Louisiana

Mississippi

Florida

7) Who founds the first Spanish settlement, San Juan de los Caballeros, in New Mexico on July 11, 1598?

Pueblo de Tesuque

Juan de Onate

Richardo del Celia

Manuel del Toro

8) In 1562, a small group of French troops were left in the New World to build Charlesfort, but left after a year when they were not resupplied from France. What is the present day location?

Manhattan Island, NY

Ottawa, Ontario

Nantucket, ME

Parris Island, SC

9) In 1559, the Spanish Colony of Pensacola in West Florida was destroyed by a hurricane.

True

False

10) In 1564, Fort Caroline was established. It lasted only a year before being destroyed by the Spanish from St. Augustine. What is the present day location?

Charleston, SC

Savannah, GA

Tampa, FL

Jacksonville, FL

Quiz for (1619-1701) Early Colonies:

1) Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret set up a colony known as New Jersey.

True

False

2) What did New York used to be known as?

New Amsterdam

New Jersey

New England

New France

3) Who was a co-founder of Eastham, Massachusetts and governor of Plymouth Colony in1634, 1638, and 1657 - 1673?

Thomas Prence

David R. White

Thomas Paine

Brook Edwards

4) Which colony in New England was founded by Thomas Hooker?

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Connecticut

Rhode Island

5) The Pilgrim's charter was granted with the king's condition that the group's religion would not receive official recognition. When was the agreement reached?

July 4, 1619

July 4, 1620

June 29, 1619

June 19, 1619

6) Georgia, America's thirteenth colony, was founded for a certain group of people. Who were these people?

Quakers

Debtors

Pilgrims

Puritans

7) What was the Mayflower's original destination?

Charleston

Jamestown

Hudson River

Cape Cod

8) When did the Mayflower arrive at the tip of Cape Cod (Provincetown Harbor)?

November 21, 1620

November 11, 1621

November 1, 1620

November 11, 1620

9) Following his arrest on a charge of witchcraft and subsequent release, who plans and orchestrates the Pueblo Revolt in 1680?

Papie

Pongo

Paypong

Pope (or Po-pay)

10) Aside from Pennsylvania, which other colony was founded by William Penn?

Maryland

Virginia

New Jersey

New York

Quiz for (1702-13) Queen Anne's War:

1) During Queen Anne's War, in 1709, it was reported that two thirds of the fields north of Boston were unattended and the war parties were returning without prisoners because the colonists stayed in their forts and would not come out.

True

False

2) During Queen Anne's War, in 1704, the ex-governor of South Carolina launched an invasion against combined Spanish and Apalachee forces led by Captain Mexia. Who launched the attack?

Grover Washington

Jeffrey Hamilton

Raymond Burr

James Moore

3) Queen Anne's War ended in what year?

1831

1731

1713

1631

4) During Queen Anne's War, the French were opposed to attacking the Province of New York because they were reluctant to arouse an American Indian tribe, whom they feared more than the British. Whom did the French fear?

Iroquois

Sioux

Mohawk

Apache

5) Early in Queen Anne's War, the Spanish attacked a British town and were repulsed. What was the British town?

Charleston, SC

Dover, DE

Bridgeport, WV

Hope, VA

6) In February 1704, during Queen Anne's War, Hertel de Rouville destroyed a British settlement, 150 settlers were killed or taken prisoner. What was the name of the community?

Deerfield, PA

Deerfield, NY

Deerfield, ME

Deerfield, MA

7) 8) When is the town of Alburquerque, named for the viceroy of New Spain, the Duke of Alburquerque, founded?

1712

1708

1710

1706

8) At the start of Queen Anne's War, in response to Spanish attacks, 500 English soldiers and militia along with 300 Indians captured and burned a town in the Spanish province of Florida. What was the town in Florida that the British attacked?

St. Augustine

Daytona

Miami

Tampa

9) During Queen Anne's War, in 1712, an armistice was declared. What was the name of the treaty?

Treaty of Utrecht

Treaty of Berlin

Treaty of Erie

Treaty of Combine

10) In what year did Queen Anne's War begin?

1702

1720

1802

1620

Quiz for (1714-53) Later Colonies:

1) In 1753 the Governor of Virginia dispatched a young militia officer to hand deliver a note to the French at Fort Duquesne demanding the withdrawal of all French influence in the region. Who was this militia officer?

George Washington

Daniel Boone

George Rogers Clark

Alexander Hamilton

2) In 1732, James Oglethorpe established a colony that was designed to be a buffer between the English colonies and the French and Spanish territories. What was the name of this colony?

Georgia

Kentucky

Ohio

South Carolina

3) What was unique (at the time) about the British colony newly settled in 1733?

All were English expatriates

First experiment in a Utopian society

All were second sons of nobles looking for land

All of the original settlers were from British prisons

4) In 1724 the English built a fort that is today the town of Brattleboro, Vermont. What was the name of the fort?

Fort Fife

Fort Dummer

Fort Bugle

Fort George

5) Founded in 1751 by Dr. Thomas Bond, the Pennsylvania Hospital was the first hospital in the United States. Who was the co-founder?

Dr. Benjamin Rush

John Adams

Benjamin Franklin

Elizabeth Gardner

6) In 1716 Governor William Spotswood of Virginia led an expedition of fifty men into western Virginia. What did this expedition NOT accomplish?

Located the source of the James River

Exploration of the western Allegheny mountains

Claimed more land for Virginia

Fought and defeated several Indian tribes

7) In 1737, Penn Colony exchanged much of its political goodwill with the Native Lenape for more land. The colonial administrators claimed that they had a deed dating to the 1680s in which the Lenape-Delaware had promised to sell a portion of land beginning between the junction of the Delaware River and Lehigh River (near present Wrightstown, Pennsylvania) "as far west as a man could walk in a day and a half." This purchase has become known as?

Walking Purchase

The Miracle Miles

70 Mile Purchase

The Day-Walk Purchase

8) The Northkill Amish Settlement was established in 1740 in Berks County, Pennsylvania. As the first identifiable Amish community in the new world, it was the foundation of Amish settlement in the Americas.

True

False

9) When Governor Spotswood and the western Virginia exploration party returned to Williamsburg, what did the Governor do for each man that rode with him?

Gave them each 100 acres of land

Made them Knights of the Golden Horseshoe

Offered to be the best man at their weddings

Freed them from taxes for the next ten years

10) In 1749 the Ohio Valley Company was formed for the purpose of settlement, as well as to build a fort. What was the name of this fort?

Fort Pitt

Fort Cleveland

Fort Apache

Fort Hood

Quiz for (1754-63) French and Indian War:

1) The Battle of Fort Necessity was George Washington's only military surrender

True

False

2) The Battle of Fort Necessity is also know as:

The Battle of the Dark Forest

The Battle at Cowpens

The Battle of the Wilderness

The Battle of the Great Meadows

3) What was the name of the fort the French built at the Forks of the Ohio River (present Pittsburgh)?

Fort Duquesne

Fort Pitt

Fort du Jumon

Fort Necessity

4) The bulk of the British garrison at Ft. Necessity had been sent to the Gist’s Plantation in Pennsylvania, which is near what present-day site?

Williamsburg

Millersburg

Mount Braddock

York

5) At what time did George Washington ask the French for terms of surrender at the Battle of Fort Necessity?

24:00 (Midnight)

22:00 (10 PM)

20:00 (8 PM)

18:00 (6 PM)

6) On May 24, 1754, on their way to Ft. Necessity, Washington’s party arrived at a marshy clearing at the junction of two streams in what is now Upper Moreland Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania called the Great Meadows.

True

False

7) When George Washington surrendered at Ft. Necessity, what "admission" in the surrender terms would later be used as propaganda against the British and nearly ruin Washington's reputation?

Building the road to Fort Necessity

The death of Joseph Coulon de Jumonville

The death of Captain James Mackay

Building Fort Necessity

8) The Battle of Fort Necessity was primarily between the British and French over land known as the Ohio Country. Which current US state was NOT part of the Ohio Country?

Indiana

Pennsylvania

Delaware

West Virginia

9) When Captain James Mackay arrived at Ft. Necessity, he immediately got into an argument with George Washington over command of the garrison. Although Mackay was only a captain, his commission as an officer in the British army technically took precedence over Washington’s militia rank of Lt. Colonel.

True

False

10) When in the Virginia Militia, George Washington was sent to construct a road from Wills Creek into the Ohio Country and await reinforcements. What is the present location of Wills Creek in Maryland?

Cumberland

Cascade

Sharpsburg

Hancock

Quiz for (1764-74) Pre-Revolution:

1) Parliament passed the Coercive Acts in 1774 to punish the Province of Massachusetts for what event?

Boycott of New York

Boston Tea Party

Boston Massacre

Blockade of Boston Harbor

2) During the Boston Tea Party, what kind of tea was dumped in the harbor?

Earl Grey

Darjeeling

Oolong

Various types

3) In the 1760s, British Parliament sought to directly tax the colonies for the purpose of raising revenue.

True

False

4) During the Boston Tea Party, how many chests of tea were dumped into the harbor?

342

3,420

423

3,240

5) Prior to the Boston Tea Party, the tea ship Dartmouth arrived and Whig leader Samuel Adams called for a mass meeting to be held at Faneuil Hall. Because of the huge crowd, where was the meeting actually held?

Our Lord Church

Boston Town Meeting Hall

Old South Meeting House

Old Town Church

6) In U.S. dollars of the early 21st century, what was the approximate value of the tea thrown into the harbor during the Boston Tea Party?

$200,000

$100,000

$10,000

$1,000,000

7) What did Ben Franklin do when he heard about the Boston Tea Party?

He wrote an article praising the colonists

He offered to pay for damages

He invented a substitute tea made from grape leaves

He ignored it

8) In 1773, seven ships loaded with tea were sent from England to American ports. Four went to Boston. What port did NOT have a ship sent?

Baltimore

Philadelphia

Charleston

New York

9) After the Boston Tea Party, what happened to the tea that was dumped into the harbor?

Dissolved in the harbor

Piled up like haystacks

Poisoned the fish

Sank to the bottom in chests

10) While it is true that the 150 men participating in the Boston Tea Party disquised themselves as Indians, they did NOT do which of the following?

Wear rags, old shawls, and red caps

Smear burnt cork on their faces

Smear ashes on their faces

Smear reddish makeup on their faces and wear war bonnets

Quiz for (1775-1783) American Revolution:

1) In the Battle of Cowpens, Lt. Col Banastre Tarleton commanded the British forces. What was the strength of his army?

550 men

1,100 men

2,200 men

3,300 men

2) At what meeting did delegates adopt the final draft of the Declaration of Independence?

First Continental Congress

First Constitutional Convention

Second Constitutional Convention

Second Continental Congress

3) In the Battle of Cowpens, the Americans first retreated and when the British ran after them, abruptly pulled an about-face, fired a devastating volley into the enemy, and then charged. Who led the American troops?

Lt. Col. Benjamin Martin

Lt. Col. John Eager Howard

Lt. Col. Harry Burwell

Lt. Col. William Washington

4) In the Battle of Cowpens, realizing that poorly-trained militia were unreliable in battle, especially when they were under attack from cavalry, Morgan decided to ask the militia to fire two shots and then retreat, so he could have them re-form under cover of the reserve.

True

False

5) Who was the first soldier to die (by cannon fire) at the Battle of Bunker Hill?

Asa Pollard

Amos Morgan

Bill Pullman

Roger Smith

6) In the Battle of Cowpens, after the Amerian counter-charge, who was left of the British force?

71st Highlanders

17th Light Dragoons

6th Hessians

16th Regiment

7) In the Battle of Cowpens, taking the withdrawal of the first two lines as a full blown retreat, the British advanced headlong into the awaiting final line of disciplined regulars which firmly held on the hill. Who did Tarleton order to attack the Americans?

Hessians

Royal Fusiliers

Loyalist Prince of Wales' Regiment

Highlanders

8) How many people signed the Declaration of Independence?

9) When did the Battle of Bunker Hill take place?

June 17, 1775

June 7, 1776

February 7, 1776

October 17, 1775

10) Which of the following is NOT included in the Declaration of Independence?

Articles of Confederation

Signatures of the colonists' representatives

A Bill of Indictment

A Declaration of Rights

Quiz for (1784-1800) Federalist Era:

1) On July 31, 1790, inventor Samuel Hopkins became the first person to be issued a U.S. patent...for what?

Mechanical plow

Improved method of making potash

Innovative wagon improvement

New irrigation system

2) When did President George Washington give his first State of the Union Address?

March 29, 1793

February 19, 1787

January 19, 1785

January 9, 1790

3) What did the Residence Bill do?

Formally made the colonists US citizens

Separated US territories from Canada

Established the District of Columbia

Fully defined state lines

4) What state is the last of the original 13 to ratify the United States Constitution

South Carolina

Delaware

Rhode Island

Georgia

5) The Compromise of 1790 was hammered out by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and whom?

John Adams

John Quincy Adams

John Jay

Alexander Hamilton

6) The United States Revenue Cutter Service was the forerunner of which government service?

Border Patrol

Internal Revenue Service

Coast Guard

US Navy

7) Who was the first United States Secretary of State?

John Jay

Thomas Jefferson

Aaron Burr

John Quincy Adams

8) The Supreme Court of the United States convenes for the first time on February 1, 1790 in which city?

Boston

New York City

Washington, DC

Philadelphia

9) On February 11, 1790, who petitions the United States Congress for the abolition of slavery?

Three Jewish delegates

One Shaker delegate

Two Quaker delegates

Four Pilgrim delegates

10) On March 1, 1790, what was authorized for the first time?

United States Navy

United States currency

United States Post Office

United States census

Quiz for (1800-36) Early Republic:

1) On March 4, 1829, who becomes the 7th President of the United States?

Andrew Jackson

Martin Van Buren

John C. Calhoun

Aaron Burr

2) In 1812, how long does it take for any information between England and the United States to cross the Atlantic?

Three weeks

Six weeks

One week

Two months

3) What is a rallying cry for the United States throughout the War of 1812?

"Free trade and sailors' rights"

"All For One and One for All"

"Land of the Free"

"America First"

4) The Anglo-American Convention of 1818 provided for the joint occupation of England in America citizens in which territory?

Black Hills

Arcadia

Oregon Country

Ottawa Territory

5) Which president President believed that conquest of Canada would be easy and that economic coercion would force the British to come to terms?

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

John Quincy Adams

James Monroe

6) In 1812, who says: "The acquisition of Canada this year, as far as the neighborhood of Quebec, will be a mere matter of marching, and will give us the experience for the attack on Halifax, the next and final expulsion of England from the American continent."?

John Adams

Willard Scott

Aaron Burr

Thomas Jefferson

7) On May 11 1812, who is the British Prime Minister that is shot and killed by an assassin, resulting in putting Lord Liverpool in power?

Abraham Isaac

Spencer Perceval

Jefferson Smith

Randolph Churchill

8) In 1830, Congress passes an act which authorizes the President to negotiate treaties that exchange Indian tribal lands in the eastern states for lands west of the Mississippi River. What is the name of this act?

Native Exchange Treaties Act

Land Acquisition Act

Manifest Destiny Act

Indian Removal Act

9) In the early 1800s, Britain was the largest trading partner of the US, receiving what percentage of all U.S. cotton?

30%

50%

80%

93%

10) American expansion into the Northwest Territory (Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois & Wisconsin) is being obstructed by indigenous leaders, who are supplied and encouraged by the British. Name one of these leaders.

Dance with Buffalo

Brave Eagle

Tecumseh

Sherman

Quiz for (1837-59) Early Victorian Era:

1) What is the name of the treaty between America and England to divide the United States and Canada?

Louisiana Treaty of 1845

Vancouver Accords

Oregon Treaty of 1846

Ottawa Peace Treaty of 1850

2) The term 'Manifest Destiny' is used by which New York journalist in 1845 to call for the annexation of Texas?

Marvin Blank

John L. O'Sullivan

Jeffrey Smith

Mark Reynolds

3) In the 1840s, what route did settlers take to move into the Oregon Country?

Pacific Trade Route

Oregon Trail

Pacific Highway

Interstate Oregon

4) In what year does the term 'Manifest Destiny' first appear in print?

1839

1837

1843

1841

5) What year is Texas annexed into the United States?

1845

1844

1843

1846

6) Where was the US and Canada geographically divided?

29th parallel

39th parallel

59th parallel

49th parallel

7) During the Aroostook War, who does president Martin Van Buren send to keep the peace on the US-Canadian border?

Winfield Scott

Robert E. Lee

Robert Hayes

William Sherman

8) In 1851, who published The Conspiracy of Pontiac?

Robert W. Johannsen

Reginald Horsman

Marion Morrison

Francis Parkman

9) Despite protests from the elected Cherokee government and many white supporters, the Cherokees are forced to make the long and cruel trek, known as the "Trail of Tears," to the Indian Territory. When is the trek?

1840

1844

1848

1838

10) Mental illness and its treatment is reformed by a Massachusetts woman who makes an intensive study of the conditions that the mentally ill are kept in. Who is this leading advocate?

Susan Tate

Dorothea Dix

Sharon Moore

Betty White

Poor Showing! You receive the

Hmmmm....you seem to have slept through History class; read up a bit on the subject and then try again!

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While there's certainly room for improvement, you've displayed some knowledge of the topic; study a bit more and try again!

Good Effort! You receive the

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Great Job! You've demonstrated a solid understanding of the topic and applied that knowledge well...Hooray for you!

Perfect Score! You receive the

Awsome job! You should consider becoming a History professor (if you're not already) or write a book on early America (if you haven't)...Colonial Sense salutes you!