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US citizenship civics · Theme 6 · 6 min read

Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

The world wars, the Great Depression, the Cold War, the civil rights movement, September 11, 2001, American Indian tribes and American innovations. Questions 100 to 118 of the 2025 civics test.

About this section

This section covers the 1900s and the early 2000s: the wars the United States fought and why it entered them, the Great Depression, the civil rights movement and the attacks of September 11, 2001. It ends with two questions where you name an American Indian tribe and an American innovation.

This section belongs to American History, one of the three parts of the official USCIS 2025 civics test. At the interview the officer asks up to 20 of the 128 questions, and you need 12 correct answers to pass. Questions marked 65/20 are the 20 that applicants aged 65 or older with 20 or more years as a permanent resident may study instead; they are asked 10 of them and need 6 correct. The 2025 test applies if you filed Form N-400 on or after October 20, 2025; earlier filers take the 2008 version.

The questions

100. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.

Accepted answers:

In the 1900s the United States fought in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.

101. Why did the United States enter World War I?

Accepted answers:

The United States joined World War I after German submarines attacked American ships, and it fought on the side of the Allied Powers against the Central Powers.

102. When did all women get the right to vote?

Accepted answers:

Women throughout the country won the right to vote in 1920, shortly after World War I, when the 19th Amendment was adopted.

103. What was the Great Depression?

Accepted answer:

The Great Depression was the longest economic downturn in modern history, a period of mass unemployment and hardship through the 1930s.

104. When did the Great Depression start?

Accepted answers:

The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of 1929, known as the Great Crash.

105. Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?

Accepted answer:

Franklin Roosevelt was President through the Great Depression and most of World War II.

106. Why did the United States enter World War II?

Accepted answers:

The United States entered World War II after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and it fought with the Allied Powers against the Axis Powers.

107. Dwight Eisenhower is famous for many things. Name one.

Accepted answers:

Dwight Eisenhower was a leading general in World War II and later the 34th President. He was in office at the end of the Korean War and signed the 1956 law that created the Interstate highway system.

108. Who was the United States’ main rival during the Cold War?

Accepted answers:

The Cold War was a long rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR) that followed World War II.

109. During the Cold War, what was one main concern of the United States?

Accepted answers:

During the Cold War, the United States worked to stop communism from spreading and feared a nuclear war with the Soviet Union.

110. Why did the United States enter the Korean War?

Accepted answer:

The United States fought in Korea to stop communist North Korea from taking over South Korea, part of its wider effort against the spread of communism.

111. Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War?

Accepted answer:

As in Korea, the United States fought in Vietnam to try to stop communism from spreading, supporting South Vietnam against the communist North.

112. What did the civil rights movement do?

Accepted answer:

The civil rights movement used peaceful protest, marches and court cases to end racial segregation and discrimination.

113. Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for many things. Name one.

65/20 question

Accepted answers:

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader of the civil rights movement who used nonviolent protest to work for equality for all Americans.

114. Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War?

Accepted answer:

After Iraq invaded its neighbor Kuwait, the United States led a coalition that drove the Iraqi military out.

115. What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States?

65/20 question

Accepted answers:

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four planes: two hit the World Trade Center in New York City, one hit the Pentagon in Virginia, and one crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.

116. Name one U.S. military conflict after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Accepted answers:

After the 2001 attacks, the United States led the Global War on Terror, which included the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

117. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

Accepted answers:

Hundreds of American Indian tribes live in the United States, among them the Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Apache and Seminole. The official list includes many more, and bia.gov has the complete list.

118. Name one example of an American innovation.

Accepted answers:

Accepted American innovations include the automobile, the light bulb, skyscrapers, the airplane, the assembly line, the integrated circuit and landing on the moon.

Check yourself

  1. Why did the United States enter World War II?
  2. Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?
  3. Who was the main rival of the United States during the Cold War?
  4. Name one thing Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for.
  5. What major event happened on September 11, 2001?

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