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Dates and order

Put U.S. history in order

Move the cards until the earliest is on top, then check. Every date and every presidential number comes from a question or an accepted answer on the official 2025 civics list.

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Earliest at the top. Use the arrows to move a card up or down.

  1. 1 The United States buys the Louisiana Territory from France
  2. 2 The Declaration of Independence is adopted
  3. 3 The 15th Amendment: all men get the right to vote
  4. 4 The U.S. Constitution is written
  5. 5 The 19th Amendment: all women get the right to vote

The full timeline and the presidents in order

Events

  1. July 4, 1776 The Declaration of Independence is adopted Question 79
  2. 1787 The U.S. Constitution is written Question 82
  3. 1803 The United States buys the Louisiana Territory from France Question 90
  4. 1870 The 15th Amendment: all men get the right to vote Question 98
  5. 1920 The 19th Amendment: all women get the right to vote Question 102
  6. 1929 The stock market crash starts the Great Depression Question 104
  7. 1956 Eisenhower signs the Federal-Aid Highway Act Question 107
  8. September 11, 2001 Terrorists attack the United States on September 11 Question 115

Presidents

  1. Portrait of George Washington George Washington First president of the United States Question 86
  2. Portrait of Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson Third president of the United States Question 87
  3. Portrait of James Madison James Madison Fourth president of the United States Question 88
  4. Photograph of Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln 16th president of the United States Question 94
  5. Photograph of Dwight Eisenhower Dwight Eisenhower 34th president of the United States Question 107

Why the order matters more than the year

The 2025 list asks for dates in two ways. Some questions put the year in the question itself: “What founding document was written in 1787?” wants the document, not the year. Others ask “when,” and for those the official list often accepts a period or a cause as well as a number. Knowing which came first is what lets you place an event even when the exact year slips away.

These are the “when” questions behind the cards, with every answer USCIS accepts for each:

For the right to vote, the list gives you room: after the Civil War, during Reconstruction or the 15th Amendment all count for men, and after World War I or the 19th Amendment count for women. If the number does not come, the period will.

The presidents deck

Five people on the official list have an accepted answer that gives their number as president. Nothing on the test asks you to sort them, but each number is an answer you can give for that person, and ordering them is a quick way to fix it in memory. The portraits and the rest of what each one is known for are in Famous Americans.

What to do after a round

Open the question page of any card you placed wrong and read the explanation; each card in the full timeline above links to it. Then try the dates again in a new mix. When the order holds, test yourself on the whole American History section or take the full practice test.

Picture credits
  • The engrossed copy of the Declaration of Independence. original: Second Continental Congress; reproduction: William Stone, public domain. Wikimedia Commons
  • The first page of the U.S. Constitution. Constitutional Convention, public domain. Wikimedia Commons
  • Portrait of George Washington. Gilbert Stuart, public domain. Wikimedia Commons
  • Portrait of Thomas Jefferson. Rembrandt Peale, public domain. Wikimedia Commons
  • Portrait of James Madison. John Vanderlyn, public domain. Wikimedia Commons
  • Photograph of Abraham Lincoln. Alexander Gardner, public domain. Wikimedia Commons
  • Photograph of Dwight Eisenhower. White House, public domain. Wikimedia Commons

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