Q. Who was the first Republican president to be elected? A. Abraham Lincoln B.  Ulysses S. Grant C.  Rutherford B. Hayes Answer: Abraham Lincoln is elected the 16th president of the United States over a deeply divided Democratic Party, becoming the first Republican to win the presidency. Lincoln received only 40 percent of the popular vote but handily defeated the three other candidates: Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Constitutional Union candidate John Bell, and Northern Democrat Stephen Douglas, a U.S. senator for Illinois.    Q. Who was the first presidential candidate to run (and win) as a Democrat? A. Martin Van Buren B.  Andrew Jackson C.  James K. Polk Answer: The first Democratic Party president of the United States was Andrew Jackson. There have been a total of 15 Democratic Party presidents, including Barack Obama.   Q. Who said it? Match the names to the quotes. A. Thomas Jefferson B. Franklin Roosevelt C. George Washington D. John Adams E. Theodore Roosevelt F. Lyndon Johnson 1. “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” – Thomas Jefferson   2. “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.” – George Washington   3. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt   4. “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” – Theodore Roosevelt   5. “Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.” – John Adams   6. “Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.” Lyndon B. Johnson

Trivia Answers October, 2014 1. Lewis & Clark: https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/lewis-clark/ (National Archives) In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson guided a splendid piece of foreign diplomacy through the U.S. Senate: the purchase of Louisiana territory from France. After the Louisiana Purchase Treaty was made, Jefferson initiated an exploration of the newly purchased land and the territory beyond the “great rock mountains” in the West. Jefferson chose his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, an intelligent and literate man who also possessed skills as a frontiersman. Lewis in turn solicited the help of William Clark, whose abilities as draftsman and frontiersman were even stronger. Lewis so respected Clark that he made him a co-commanding captain of the Expedition, even though Clark was never recognized as such by the government. Together they collected a diverse military Corps of Discovery that would be able to undertake a two-year journey to the great ocean. (From the National Archives) 2. A sudden thunderstorm, called a tornado by some: https://blogs.archives.gov/prologue/?p=1453 (Public Broadcasting System)  While historians and meteorologists can’t quite commit to whether D.C. experienced a serendipitous hurricane, tornado, tropical storm, or severe thunderstorm, they all agree that the weather turned quite nasty on the redcoats. According to one British account of the day the White House burned: Of the prodigious force of the wind it is impossible for you to form any conception. Roofs of houses were torn off by it, and whisked into the air like sheets of paper; while the rain which accompanied it resembled the rushing of a mighty cataract rather than the dropping of a shower. The darkness was as great as if the sun had long set and the last remains of twilight had come on, occasionally relieved by flashes of vivid lightning streaming through it; which, together with the noise of the wind and the thunder, the crash of falling buildings, and the tearing of roofs as they were stript from the walls, produced the most appalling effect I ever have, and probably ever shall, witness. This lasted for nearly two hours without intermission, during which time many of the houses spared by us were blown down and thirty of our men, besides several of the inhabitants, buried beneath their ruins. Our column was as completely dispersed as if it had received a total defeat, some of the men flying for shelter behind walls and buildings and others falling flat upon the ground to prevent themselves from being carried away by the tempest… 3. A potato famine: https://www.pbs.org/destinationamerica/usim_wn_noflash.html (National Archives) Between 1845 and 1850, a devastating fungus destroyed Ireland’s potato crop. During these years, starvation and related diseases claimed as many as a million lives, while perhaps twice that number of Irish immigrated — 500,000 of them to the United States, where they accounted for more than half of all immigrants in the 1840s. Between 1820 and 1975, 4.7 million Irish settled in America. In 2002, more than 34 million Americans considered themselves to be of Irish ancestry, making Irish Americans the country’s second-largest ethnic group.

Trivia During the Civil War, no flag became a more popular symbol of Union loyalty than the worn and imperiled standard belonging to 19th-century sea captain William Driver. His defiant flying of it—from his Nashville, Tennessee, household during the midst of the conflict— made national news. 1. One of our nation’s most treasured relics is Old Glory. What is it? During the Civil War, no flag became a more popular symbol of Union loyalty than the worn and imperiled standard belonging to 19th-century sea captain William Driver. His defiant flying of it—from his Nashville, Tennessee, household during the midst of the conflict— made national news. 2. What is it? Who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance? The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 by the socialist minister Francis Bellamy (1855-1931). It was originally published in The Youth’s Companion on September 8, 1892. 3. Presidents Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays are now officially celebrated as one federal holiday called “Presidents’ Day.” When is it? President’s Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated every year on the third Monday of February to honor George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and also all the Presidents of the country. 4. In the patriotic song, what did Yankee Doodle call the feather in his hat? Here are the words to the patriotic song: Yankee Doodle went to town Riding on a pony; He stuck a feather in his hat, And called it macaroni 5. Why were there 13 stars on the first flag? The first official national flag, was approved by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. It contained 13 stars, representing the original 13 colonies. 6. The Great Seal of the United States is a bald eagle. What two items does it hold in its claws? In one claw is an olive branch, while the other holds a bundle of thirteen arrows. The olive branch and arrows “denote the power of peace and war.”  

Trivia Answers: Midterm Elections – November 4, 2014: The Senate will hold elections with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested. Winners will serve six-year terms from January 3, 2015 to January 3, 2021. The House of Representatives will hold elections for all seats. Winners will serve two-year terms and will be considered for reelection every even year. In 36 states and three territories, elections for governors will be held. Additionally, special elections may be held to fill vacancies that occur during the 113th U.S. Congress. Q. When was the first quadrennial (recurring every four years) American election? Hint: The election spanned from a Monday, December 15 to a Saturday, January 10. A. 1788-1789 The United States presidential election of 1788–1789 was the 1st quadrennial presidential election. It was held from Monday, December 15, 1788 to Saturday, January 10, 1789. It was the first presidential election in the United States of America under the new United States Constitution, which was adopted on September 17, 1787, and the only election to ever take place partially in a year that is not a multiple of four. In this election, George Washington was unanimously elected for the first of his two terms as president, and John Adams became the first vice-president. Q. How old do you have to be to vote in a federal election in most, but not all, states? A. 18 The Twenty-Sixth Amendment reads: The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Q. Do you have to show proof of American citizenship to vote? A. No