Term
| What is the supreme law of the land? |
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Definition
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Term
| What does the Constitution do? |
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Definition
▪ sets up the government
▪ defines the government
▪ protects basic rights of Americans |
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Term
| The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words? |
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Definition
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Term
|
Definition
▪ a change (to the Constitution)
▪ an addition (to the Constitution) |
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Term
| What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?* |
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Definition
▪ speech
▪ religion
▪ assembly
▪ press
▪ petition the government |
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Term
| How many amendments does the Constitution have? |
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Definition
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Term
| What did the Declaration of Independence do? |
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Definition
▪ announced our independence (from Great Britain)
▪ declared our independence (from Great Britain)
▪ said that the United States is free (from Great Britain) |
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Term
| What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence? |
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Definition
▪ life
▪ liberty
▪ pursuit of happiness |
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Term
| What is freedom of religion? |
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Definition
| ▪ You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion. |
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Term
| What is the economic system in the United States?* |
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Definition
▪ capitalist economy
▪ market economy |
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Term
| What is the “rule of law”? |
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Definition
▪ Everyone must follow the law.
▪ Leaders must obey the law.
▪ Government must obey the law.
▪ No one is above the law. |
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Term
| Name one branch or part of the government.* |
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Definition
▪ Congress
▪ legislative
▪ President
▪ executive
▪ the courts
▪ judicial |
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Term
| What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful? |
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Definition
▪ checks and balances
▪ separation of powers |
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Term
| Who is in charge of the executive branch? |
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Definition
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Term
|
Definition
▪ Congress
▪ Senate and House (of Representatives)
▪ (U.S. or national) legislature |
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Term
| What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?* |
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Definition
| ▪ the Senate and House (of Representatives) |
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Term
| How many U.S. Senators are there? |
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Definition
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Term
| We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years? |
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Definition
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Term
| Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?* |
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Definition
▪ Kirsten E Gillibrand
▪ Charles E. Schumer |
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Term
| The House of Representatives has how many voting members? |
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Definition
| ▪ four hundred thirty-five (435) |
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Term
| We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years? |
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Definition
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Term
| Name your U.S. Representative. |
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Definition
▪ Yvette Clark (Brooklyn)
▪ Charles Rangel (Bronx)
▪ Carolyn Maloney (Manhattan) |
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Term
| Who does a U.S. Senator represent? |
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Definition
| ▪ all people of the state |
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Term
| Why do some states have more Representatives than other states? |
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Definition
▪ (because of) the state’s population
▪ (because) they have more people
▪ (because) some states have more people |
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Term
| We elect a President for how many years? |
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Definition
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Term
| In what month do we vote for President?* |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the name of the President of the United States now?* |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? |
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Definition
▪ Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
▪ Joe Biden
▪ Biden |
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Term
| If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President? |
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Definition
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Term
| If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President? |
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Definition
| ▪ the Speaker of the House |
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Term
| Who is the Commander in Chief of the military? |
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Definition
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Term
| Who signs bills to become laws? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
|
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Term
| What does the President’s Cabinet do? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are two Cabinet-level positions? |
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Definition
▪ Secretary of Agriculture
▪ Secretary of Commerce
▪ Secretary of Defense
▪ Secretary of Education
▪ Secretary of Energy
▪ Secretary of Health and Human Services
▪ Secretary of Homeland Security
▪ Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
▪ Secretary of the Interior
▪ Secretary of Labor
▪ Secretary of State
▪ Secretary of Transportation
▪ Secretary of the Treasury
▪ Secretary of Veterans Affairs
▪ Attorney General
▪ Vice President |
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Term
| What does the judicial branch do? |
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Definition
▪ reviews laws
▪ explains laws
▪ resolves disputes (disagreements)
▪ decides if a law goes against the Constitution |
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Term
| What is the highest court in the United States? |
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Definition
|
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Term
| How many justices are on the Supreme Court? |
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Definition
|
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Term
| Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now? |
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Definition
| ▪ John Roberts (John G. Roberts, Jr.) |
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Term
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal
government? |
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Definition
▪ to print money
▪ to declare war
▪ to create an army
▪ to make treaties |
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Term
| Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states? |
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Definition
▪ provide schooling and education
▪ provide protection (police)
▪ provide safety (fire departments)
▪ give a driver’s license
▪ approve zoning and land use |
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Term
| Who is the Governor of your state now? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the capital of your state?* |
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Definition
|
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Term
| What are the two major political parties in the United States?* |
|
Definition
| ▪ Democratic and Republican |
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Term
| What is the political party of the President now? |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now? |
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Definition
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Term
| There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them. |
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Definition
▪ Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).
▪ You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote.
▪ Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.)
▪ A male citizen of any race (can vote). |
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Term
| What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?* |
|
Definition
▪ serve on a jury
▪ vote in a federal election |
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Term
| Name one right only for United States citizens. |
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Definition
▪ vote in a federal election
▪ run for federal office |
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Term
| What are two rights of everyone living in the United States? |
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Definition
▪ freedom of expression
▪ freedom of speech
▪ freedom of assembly
▪ freedom to petition the government
▪ freedom of worship
▪ the right to bear arms |
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Term
| What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance? |
|
Definition
▪ the United States
▪ the flag |
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Term
| What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen? |
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Definition
▪ give up loyalty to other countries
▪ defend the Constitution and laws of the United States
▪ obey the laws of the United States
▪ serve in the U.S. military (if needed)
▪ serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed)
▪ be loyal to the United States |
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Term
| How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?* |
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Definition
| ▪ eighteen (18) and older |
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Term
| What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy? |
|
Definition
▪ vote
▪ join a political party
▪ help with a campaign
▪ join a civic group
▪ join a community group
▪ give an elected official your opinion on an issue
▪ call Senators and Representatives
▪ publicly support or oppose an issue or policy
▪ run for office
▪ write to a newspaper |
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Term
| When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?* |
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Definition
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Term
| When must all men register for the Selective Service? |
|
Definition
▪ at age eighteen (18)
▪ between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26) |
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Term
| What is one reason colonists came to America? |
|
Definition
▪ freedom
▪ political liberty
▪ religious freedom
▪ economic opportunity
▪ practice their religion
▪ escape persecution |
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Term
| Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? |
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Definition
▪ American Indians
▪ Native Americans |
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Term
| What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves? |
|
Definition
▪ Africans
▪ people from Africa |
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Term
| Why did the colonists fight the British? |
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Definition
▪ because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
▪ because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
▪ because they didn’t have self-government |
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Term
| Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? |
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Definition
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Term
| There were 13 original states. Name three. |
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Definition
▪ New Hampshire
▪ Massachusetts
▪ Rhode Island
▪ Connecticut
▪ New York
▪ New Jersey
▪ Pennsylvania
▪ Delaware
▪ Maryland
▪ Virginia
▪ North Carolina
▪ South Carolina
▪ Georgia |
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Term
| What happened at the Constitutional Convention? |
|
Definition
▪ The Constitution was written.
▪ The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution. |
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Term
| When was the Constitution written? |
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Definition
|
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Term
| The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers. |
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Definition
▪ (James) Madison
▪ (Alexander) Hamilton
▪ (John) Jay
▪ Publius |
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Term
| What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for? |
|
Definition
▪ U.S. diplomat
▪ oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
▪ first Postmaster General of the United States
▪ writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
▪ started the first free libraries |
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Term
| Who is the “Father of Our Country”? |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| Who was the first President?* |
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Definition
|
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Term
| What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? |
|
Definition
▪ the Louisiana Territory
▪ Louisiana |
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Term
| Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s. |
|
Definition
▪ War of 1812
▪ Mexican-American War
▪ Civil War
▪ Spanish-American War |
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Term
| Name the U.S. war between the North and the South. |
|
Definition
▪ the Civil War
▪ the War between the States |
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Term
| Name one problem that led to the Civil War. |
|
Definition
▪ slavery
▪ economic reasons
▪ states’ rights |
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Term
| What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?* |
|
Definition
▪ freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
▪ saved (or preserved) the Union
▪ led the United States during the Civil War |
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Term
| What did the Emancipation Proclamation do? |
|
Definition
▪ freed the slaves
▪ freed slaves in the Confederacy
▪ freed slaves in the Confederate states
▪ freed slaves in most Southern states |
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Term
| What did Susan B. Anthony do? |
|
Definition
▪ fought for women’s rights
▪ fought for civil rights |
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Term
| Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.* |
|
Definition
▪ World War I
▪ World War II
▪ Korean War
▪ Vietnam War
▪ (Persian) Gulf War |
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Term
| Who was President during World War I? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Who did the United States fight in World War II? |
|
Definition
| ▪ Japan, Germany, and Italy |
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Term
| Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in? |
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Definition
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Term
| During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States? |
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Definition
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Term
| What movement tried to end racial discrimination? |
|
Definition
| ▪ civil rights (movement) |
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Term
| What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?* |
|
Definition
▪ fought for civil rights
▪ worked for equality for all Americans |
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Term
| What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States? |
|
Definition
| ▪ Terrorists attacked the United States. |
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Term
| Name one American Indian tribe in the United States. |
|
Definition
▪ Cherokee
▪ Navajo
▪ Sioux
▪ Chippewa
▪ Choctaw
▪ Pueblo
▪ Apache
▪ Iroquois
▪ Creek
▪ Blackfeet
▪ Seminole
▪ Cheyenne
▪ Arawak
▪ Shawnee
▪ Mohegan
▪ Huron
▪ Oneida
▪ Lakota
▪ Crow
▪ Teton
▪ Hopi
▪ Inuit |
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Term
| Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States. |
|
Definition
▪ Missouri (River)
▪ Mississippi (River) |
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Term
| What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
▪ Puerto Rico
▪ U.S. Virgin Islands
▪ American Samoa
▪ Northern Mariana Islands
▪ Guam |
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Term
| Name one state that borders Canada. |
|
Definition
▪ Maine
▪ New Hampshire
▪ Vermont
▪ New York
▪ Pennsylvania
▪ Ohio
▪ Michigan
▪ Minnesota
▪ North Dakota
▪ Montana
▪ Idaho
▪ Washington
▪ Alaska |
|
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Term
| Name one state that borders Mexico. |
|
Definition
▪ California
▪ Arizona
▪ New Mexico
▪ Texas |
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Term
| What is the capital of the United States?* |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Where is the Statue of Liberty?* |
|
Definition
▪ New York (Harbor)
▪ Liberty Island |
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Term
| Why does the flag have 13 stripes? |
|
Definition
▪ because there were 13 original colonies
▪ because the stripes represent the original colonies |
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|
Term
| Why does the flag have 50 stars?* |
|
Definition
▪ because there is one star for each state
▪ because each star represents a state
▪ because there are 50 states |
|
|
Term
| What is the name of the national anthem? |
|
Definition
| ▪ The Star-Spangled Banner |
|
|
Term
| When do we celebrate Independence Day?* |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Name two national U.S. holidays. |
|
Definition
▪ New Year’s Day
▪ Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
▪ Presidents’ Day
▪ Memorial Day
▪ Independence Day
▪ Labor Day
▪ Columbus Day
▪ Veterans Day
▪ Thanksgiving
▪ Christmas |
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