Through an exciting new collaboration between the National Constitution Center and the Wilmington-based Intercollegiate Studies Institute, we would like to encourage you to test your knowledge of American history and civics by taking the following 30-question multiple-choice quiz. This test, developed by ISI as part of its ground-breaking effort to assess the civic literacy of American undergraduates, is an excellent way for patrons of the National Constitution Center to determine their own level of civic knowledge, knowledge that is at the heart of the NCC's efforts to highlight America's unique and ongoing experiment in constitutional self-government.
In taking this online test, you must answer all questions, and when finished, use the button at the bottom to submit your quiz for immediate scoring.
You will be given a score for the number of questions you answered correctly. For those questions you missed, the appropriate answer will be provided.
Good luck!
1)   The Constitution of the United States established what form of government?
2)   George Washington’s role in America’s founding is best characterized as:
3)   Which battle brought the American Revolution to an end?
4)   Which of the following are the unalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence?
5)   Which of the following are in correct chronological order?
6)   The phrase that in America there should be a “wall of separation” between church and state appears in:
7)   The dominant theme in the Lincoln-Douglas debates was:
8)   Abraham Lincoln was elected President during which period?
9)   In 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed a series of government programs that became known as:
10)   During which period was the American Constitution amended to guarantee women the right to vote?
11)   Which of the following statements is true about abortion?
12)   The end of legal racial segregation in United States schools was most directly the result of:
13)   The line “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . .” is from:
14)   A “representative democracy” is a form of government in which:
15)   The Federalist (or The Federalist Papers) was written to:
16)   The principle of the “separation of powers” suggests that:
17)   The power of judicial review was established in:
18)   What is federalism?
19)   The common law:
20)   The Declaration of Independence relies most obviously on the political thought of:
21)   In his “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
22)   The Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits:
23)   In 1776, Thomas Paine argued for colonial independence from Britain in:
24)   Which of the following is NOT among the official powers of Congress?
25)   The warning to the American people to avoid entangling alliances and involvement in Europe’s wars is found in:
26)   The Monroe Doctrine:
27)   The question of why democracy leads to well-ordered government in America when disorder prevails in Europe is central to:
28)   The major powers at odds with each other in the “Cold War” were the United States and:
29)   The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) was significant because it:
30)   Which wall was President Reagan referring to when he said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”?
(Optional)
Name:
Institution:
Postal Code:
Highest Academic Achievement:
Personal Annual Income:
When you have completed the quiz, click the button below to submit your quiz for scoring.
Thank you for your participation! And as Benjamin Franklin reminded us as he departed the constitutional convention, America is "a republic, if you can keep it." By taking this quiz, you are recognizing the important role that all citizens should perform in securing this promise.
If you have any comments or questions about this quiz, please email ISI at americancivicliteracy@isi.org.
For more information about the National Constitution Center, please email Feedback@ConstitutionCenter.org.

* These questions were part of the 2007–2008 American Civic Literacy Program survey.