American Presidents Quiz
From Washington to Watergate, 15 questions on the people who have held the Oval Office.
Who was the first President of the United States?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
George Washington
George Washington was chosen unanimously by the Electoral College and took the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789.
Washington remains the only president to receive every Electoral College vote, doing so in both 1789 and 1792.
Which president authorized the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, doubling the size of the nation?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson bought about 828,000 square miles from Napoleon's France for roughly $15 million, which works out at under four cents an acre.
Jefferson then sent Lewis and Clark west in 1804 to explore the new territory and search for a route to the Pacific.
Which president issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln's proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, declaring enslaved people in the rebelling Confederate states to be free.
Slavery was not abolished nationwide until the 13th Amendment was ratified in December 1865, eight months after Lincoln's death.
Who was the first president to serve two non-consecutive terms?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland won in 1884, lost to Benjamin Harrison in 1888 despite winning the popular vote, then beat Harrison in the 1892 rematch.
Cleveland is counted as both the 22nd and 24th president, and in 2025 Donald Trump became the second person to return to the office after a gap.
Which president served the shortest term in office, dying just 31 days after inauguration?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison gave a two-hour inaugural address in raw March weather in 1841 and died of illness a month later, aged 68.
His death caused the first presidential succession, and John Tyler's insistence on full powers set the precedent later written into the 25th Amendment.
Who was president during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
John F. Kennedy
Kennedy ordered a naval blockade after U.S. spy planes photographed Soviet missile sites in Cuba, and the 13-day standoff ended with the missiles withdrawn.
In return the U.S. quietly agreed to remove its Jupiter missiles from Turkey, a concession kept secret for years.
Which president resigned from office due to the Watergate scandal?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, after the 'smoking gun' tape proved he had ordered a cover-up of the Watergate break-in.
Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon a month later, a decision widely believed to have cost Ford the 1976 election.
Who was the only president to also serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
William Howard Taft
Taft was president from 1909 to 1913 and Chief Justice from 1921 to 1930, and he made no secret of preferring the court job.
As Chief Justice, Taft swore in Coolidge and Hoover, making him the only former president to administer the presidential oath.
Which president signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Johnson signed the Act on July 2, 1964, after using his mastery of the Senate to help break a filibuster that had lasted since March.
Johnson followed it with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Medicare, the core of his Great Society program.
Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest person to become president. How old was he when he took office?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
42
Theodore Roosevelt was 42 years and 322 days old when William McKinley's assassination made him president in September 1901.
John F. Kennedy, inaugurated at 43, remains the youngest person actually elected to the presidency.
Which president issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing Japanese American internment during WWII?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in February 1942, leading to the forced removal of about 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry to inland camps.
Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act in 1988, which apologized and paid $20,000 to each surviving internee.
Who was the first president to live in the White House?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
John Adams
John Adams moved into the still unfinished President's House in November 1800, just months before losing his bid for re-election.
Adams wrote a blessing for the house in his first letter from it, which Franklin Roosevelt later had carved into the State Dining Room mantel.
Who was the first president to be impeached by the House of Representatives?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868 for firing War Secretary Edwin Stanton in defiance of the Tenure of Office Act; the Senate acquitted him by a single vote.
Bill Clinton and Donald Trump were also impeached and acquitted, with Trump impeached twice, in 2019 and 2021.
The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, limits presidents to how many elected terms?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Two
The 22nd Amendment allows two elected terms, plus up to two years of a predecessor's term, and was a direct response to Franklin Roosevelt's four election wins.
Harry Truman, who was in office when the amendment was ratified, was specifically exempted from its limit.
Which president negotiated the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel in 1978?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter hosted Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin for 13 days at Camp David in September 1978, producing the framework for a formal peace treaty.
Sadat and Begin shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize; Carter received his own in 2002.
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All History quizzes →About the American Presidents Quiz
George Washington took the first oath of office in New York in 1789. Since then 45 people have held the presidency across 47 administrations, and their decisions have redrawn the map, freed millions and occasionally ended in resignation. Jefferson doubled the country for about four cents an acre. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Nixon became the only president to quit. American presidents make for rich trivia because every one of them left a mark.
These 15 questions cover presidential firsts, landmark laws, wartime decisions and a few facts that surprise even political junkies, such as which president later ran the Supreme Court. It suits students of U.S. history and government, anyone preparing for a citizenship test, and quiz fans who want a round with more substance than a list of names.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
Which presidents feature in the American Presidents Quiz?
Questions span Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Cleveland, Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, Taft, Franklin Roosevelt, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Carter, plus the 22nd Amendment and the White House itself.
Is the quiz up to date?
Yes. It reflects the presidency as of 2026, including the fact that Grover Cleveland is no longer the only president to have served non-consecutive terms.
Is it useful for students or citizenship test practice?
Very. Several questions overlap with U.S. civics material, and every answer comes with an explanation and an extra fact, so wrong guesses still teach you something.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Who was the first President of the United States?
George Washington George Washington was chosen unanimously by the Electoral College and took the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789. Washington remains the only president to receive every Electoral College vote, doing so in both 1789 and 1792. - Which president authorized the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, doubling the size of the nation?
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson bought about 828,000 square miles from Napoleon's France for roughly $15 million, which works out at under four cents an acre. Jefferson then sent Lewis and Clark west in 1804 to explore the new territory and search for a route to the Pacific. - Which president issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863?
Abraham Lincoln Lincoln's proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, declaring enslaved people in the rebelling Confederate states to be free. Slavery was not abolished nationwide until the 13th Amendment was ratified in December 1865, eight months after Lincoln's death. - Who was the first president to serve two non-consecutive terms?
Grover Cleveland Grover Cleveland won in 1884, lost to Benjamin Harrison in 1888 despite winning the popular vote, then beat Harrison in the 1892 rematch. Cleveland is counted as both the 22nd and 24th president, and in 2025 Donald Trump became the second person to return to the office after a gap. - Which president served the shortest term in office, dying just 31 days after inauguration?
William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison gave a two-hour inaugural address in raw March weather in 1841 and died of illness a month later, aged 68. His death caused the first presidential succession, and John Tyler's insistence on full powers set the precedent later written into the 25th Amendment. - Who was president during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962?
John F. Kennedy Kennedy ordered a naval blockade after U.S. spy planes photographed Soviet missile sites in Cuba, and the 13-day standoff ended with the missiles withdrawn. In return the U.S. quietly agreed to remove its Jupiter missiles from Turkey, a concession kept secret for years. - Which president resigned from office due to the Watergate scandal?
Richard Nixon Richard Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, after the 'smoking gun' tape proved he had ordered a cover-up of the Watergate break-in. Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon a month later, a decision widely believed to have cost Ford the 1976 election. - Who was the only president to also serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
William Howard Taft Taft was president from 1909 to 1913 and Chief Justice from 1921 to 1930, and he made no secret of preferring the court job. As Chief Justice, Taft swore in Coolidge and Hoover, making him the only former president to administer the presidential oath. - Which president signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law?
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Johnson signed the Act on July 2, 1964, after using his mastery of the Senate to help break a filibuster that had lasted since March. Johnson followed it with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Medicare, the core of his Great Society program. - Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest person to become president. How old was he when he took office?
42 Theodore Roosevelt was 42 years and 322 days old when William McKinley's assassination made him president in September 1901. John F. Kennedy, inaugurated at 43, remains the youngest person actually elected to the presidency. - Which president issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing Japanese American internment during WWII?
Franklin D. Roosevelt Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in February 1942, leading to the forced removal of about 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry to inland camps. Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act in 1988, which apologized and paid $20,000 to each surviving internee. - Who was the first president to live in the White House?
John Adams John Adams moved into the still unfinished President's House in November 1800, just months before losing his bid for re-election. Adams wrote a blessing for the house in his first letter from it, which Franklin Roosevelt later had carved into the State Dining Room mantel. - Who was the first president to be impeached by the House of Representatives?
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868 for firing War Secretary Edwin Stanton in defiance of the Tenure of Office Act; the Senate acquitted him by a single vote. Bill Clinton and Donald Trump were also impeached and acquitted, with Trump impeached twice, in 2019 and 2021. - The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, limits presidents to how many elected terms?
Two The 22nd Amendment allows two elected terms, plus up to two years of a predecessor's term, and was a direct response to Franklin Roosevelt's four election wins. Harry Truman, who was in office when the amendment was ratified, was specifically exempted from its limit. - Which president negotiated the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel in 1978?
Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter hosted Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin for 13 days at Camp David in September 1978, producing the framework for a formal peace treaty. Sadat and Begin shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize; Carter received his own in 2002.
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