Civic Lessons about United States History, citizenship test preparation

U.S. Civic Lessons

Question: How many states are there in the Union?
Answer: 50	There are 50 states in the Union. The first 13 states, which were the original 13 colonies, were Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Georgia, Delaware, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The last state to join the Union was Hawaii.
Question: How many changes or amendments are there to the U.S. Constitution?
Answer: 27	The first Amendments to the Constitution were added in 1791. These original ten Amendments are called the Bill of Rights. Since the Bill of Rights passed, 17 more Amendments have been added. The 27th Amendment is the most recent addition. It was added in 1992 and addresses how Senators and Representatives are paid. Interestingly, Congress first discussed this Amendment back in 1789.
Question: What is the legislative branch of the U.S. government?
Answer: Congress	Congress comprises the Senate and House of Representatives. It makes the laws of the United States.
Question: Which President freed the slaves?
Answer: Abraham Lincoln	On September 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln announced that on the first day of 1863 "all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State...shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free."
Question: In what month is the new President inaugurated?
Answer: January	Before 1933, Presidents were inaugurated on March 4th. This meant that there were four months between when new Presidents were elected and when they took office. This gave the new President enough time to make the long journey to Washington, DC. By the 1930s, with the invention of automobiles and speedy trains, it was much faster to travel. The 20th Amendment officially changed the date of inauguration to January 20th. Franklin Roosevelt was the first President inaugurated on this date.

*Source: USCIS.gov