| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| This text states "there is something absurd" about an island ruling a continent like America. This text opens with the line "These are the times that try men's souls." For the point, identify this 1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine that advocated for American independence. | Common Sense |
| One leader of this organization headed the United States Atomic Energy Commission. David Lilienthal's experiences with this organization proved useful when managing projects along the Mekong River. For the point, identify this New Deal corporation that oversaw hydropower projects from its headquarters in Knoxville. | TVA (accept Tennessee Valley Authority) |
| The majority of military casualties in this event were due to friendly fire from Hotchkiss Mountain guns brought by James Forsyth. This event was carried out over fears that a Ghost Dance ritual might be a prelude to an attack by Spotted Elk. For the point, name this massacre of Lakota civilians that took place along a namesake creek in South Dakota. | Wounded Knee Massacre |
| A scientist of this ethnicity worked with Edward Teller on an early thermonuclear weapon. Another member of this ethnic group was the first to develop the oral vaccine for polio. Albert Sabin and Stanislaw Ulam were of, for the point, what ethnicity of many scientists who attended the University of Warsaw? | Polish (accept Polish-Americans; accept Poles) |
| This initiative merged with the British Tube Alloy project via the Quebec Agreement. This project involved work at the Oak Ridge Laboratory in Tennessee. The Trinity Test was the product of, for the point, what project in which scientists at Los Alamos Laboratory developed the first nuclear weapons? | Manhattan Project (or Development of Substitute Materials) |
| This man forced a retreat at the Battle of Resaca de la Palma. At La Angostura, this man’s forces turned back Santa Anna’s troops at the Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican-American War. For the point, name this general, nicknamed “Old Rough and Ready,” who later became the twelfth president of the United States. | Zachary Taylor |
| This event was funded by a group known as the Secret Six, who supplied its perpetrators with rifles nicknamed Beecher’s Bibles. This event was carried out with the expectation that it would spark an uprising among the enslaved people of the U.S. For the point, name this failed raid on a West Virginia arsenal that preceded the Civil War. | John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry (or John Brown’s Raid) |
| The first major American offensive during a conflict in this country was the fall of Mazar-i-Sharif. The U.S. waged the Battle of Tora Bora in this country to capture the leader of a Salafi jihadist group. Operation Enduring Freedom occurred during the U.S. invasion of, for the point, what country, from which al-Qaeda was led by Osama bin Laden? | Afghanistan (accept Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) |
| A veteran of the War of 1812 co-founded this U.S. state's city of Fort Wayne. Members of the KKK held a conference in South Bend in this state that was protested by students from the University of Notre Dame. For the point, name this U.S. state that publishes The Hoosier. | Indiana |
| This president relieved one general of command after receiving a letter from Gideon Johnson Pillow. This man was likened to Andrew Jackson with the nickname “Little Hickory,” Texas and California were annexed during the administration of, for the point, what "Dark Horse" president who oversaw the Mexican- American War? | James K. Polk (or James Knox Polk) |
| An individual with this surname founded a company that released the The Checkered Game of Life in 1860. This surname was also shared by the first person to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. For the point, identify this shared surname of manufacturer Milton and General of the Army Omar. | Bradley (accept Milton Bradley; accept William Warren Bradley; accept Bill Bradley; accept Omar Nelson Bradley) |
| This man offered $500 to anyone who could communicate with the dead in the book The Humbugs of the World. A museum exhibited by this man featured General Tom Thumb and conjoined twins Chang and Eng. "There's a sucker born every minute" is a quote attributed to, for the point, what showman who founded a circus with James Bailey? | P.T. Barnum (or Phineas Taylor Barnum) |
| This man's doctrine stated that European involvement in the Americas would be considered a threat to the U.S. A reduction of partisan splits during this man’s presidency led to the Era of Good Feelings. For the point, name this fifth president, the successor of James Madison. | James Monroe |
| A wave of post-1917 immigration of this ethnic group included large numbers of Ilocano and Visayans. This ethnic group is thought to be the earliest Asians to inhabit California. For the point, identify this ethnic group who immigrated to the U.S. from cities like Manila. | Filipino-Americans |
| Tecumseh predicted this U.S. state's New Madrid [[“MAD”-“rid”]] earthquakes of 1811 and 1812. The Thomas Proviso paved the way for the admission of this state, which was represented by Senator Thomas Hart Benton. For the point, identify this U.S. state that names an 1820 Compromise. | Missouri (accept Missouri Compromise) |
| John Bell ran during this election as the only presidential candidate of the Constitutional Union party. During this election, John C. Breckenridge represented the interest of the Southern Democrats. For the point, identify this antebellum-era election year in which Hannibal Hamlin and Abraham Lincoln won their first terms. | Election of 1860 |
| Eric Adams served as president of this borough, which includes neighborhoods such as Crown Heights and Coney Island. A structure named for this borough was the world's longest suspension bridge when it was opened in 1883. For the point, name this borough, the most populous in New York. | Brooklyn (prompt on "New York" or "New York City") |
| The subject of this event claimed it was “abhorrent to every instinct of [his] body [but he] must put the interest of America first.” The day after this event its subject made a double V sign as he boarded a helicopter on August 9, 1974. For the point, identify this event in which Gerald Ford’s predecessor stepped down from office. | Resignation of Richard Nixon (accept equivalents) |
| Paint Creek was a location central to this industry's namesake "Wars." Workers in this industry were led by IWW co-founder Mother Jones in a Colorado strike that culminated in the Ludlow Massacre. For the point, identify this primarily Appalachian industry that is represented by the United Mine Workers. | Coal Mining (accept equivalents; prompt on "Mining") |
| Allegedly improper real estate deals in this U.S. state were probed in the Whitewater Scandal. Ken Starr led an independent council that eventually exposed the complicity of a former governor of this state in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. For the point, name this U.S. state where Bill Clinton once served as governor in Little Rock. | Arkansas |
| This man was depicted in Ebony peeking out of a window with an M1 Carbine. This man was assassinated by Thomas Hagan in the Audubon Ballroom. For the point, identify this civil rights figure who led the Nation of Islam and replaced his last name with a single letter. | Malcolm X (or Malcolm Little; or El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) |
| Andrew Carnegie kickstarted this city’s manufacture of steel by employing the Bessemer process. This city became an important distribution point for manufacturing due to its location on the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. J.P Morgan further bolstered the industry of, for the point, what largest city in western Pennsylvania? | Pittsburgh |
| While stationed in Bad Nauheim, this person met his future wife Priscilla Beaulieu and developed an eventually fatal addiction to barbiturates. This native of Tupelo, Mississippi later lived in the Memphis mansion Graceland. For the point, identify this “King of Rock and Roll.” | Elvis Presley |
| The delayed release of slaves in this U.S. state was announced by Major General Gordon Granger and is celebrated on the holiday Juneteenth. This state’s cotton shipments were left to rot after the Union blockaded Galveston. For the point, name this U.S. state that seceded from the Union after deposing its governor, Sam Houston. | Texas |
| This president's secretary of state, William Marcy, helped acquire land beyond the Gila River in the Gadsden Purchase. William Rufus King was on the winning ticket of this president, who once served as U.S. attorney in his home state of New Hampshire. For the point, identify this president who succeeded Millard Fillmore. | Franklin Pierce |
| This figure coined the term "Sun Belt'' when arguing for the construction of Route 66. This figure, who was known as “Mr. Democrat,” served in the House of Representatives from 1913 to 1961, including a record eight years as dean of the House. The longest-serving Speaker of the House, for the point, who was this Texas congressman? | Sam Rayburn (or Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn) |