Party in the USA Trivia Quiz

Answer: Democrat

Franklin D. Roosevelt, often called FDR, was one of the most influential US presidents, serving from 1933 to his death in 1945, on behalf of the Democrat Party. He took office during the Great Depression and launched the New Deal. These were a sweeping set of programs aimed at economic recovery, job creation, and social reform. He reshaped the role of government in American life and gave people hope during a time of crisis.

Later in his presidency, he led the United States through most of World War II, helping shape the Allied victory. FDR had a remarkable ability to connect with ordinary citizens, famously using his "fireside chats" on the radio to speak directly to Americans. Despite being paralyzed from the waist down due to polio, he maintained a strong public image.

After the passing of the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution, Roosevelt will be the only US president who served more than two terms; in fact, he was elected a whopping four times. Also, he was only very distantly related to Teddy Roosevelt, being his fifth cousin.

Answer: Democrat

John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States and remains one of the most revered presidents in US history. He achieved this despite serving less than three years before his terrible assassination in 1962. His speeches are still quoted today, especially the line "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". Kennedy brought a sense of youth, energy, and optimism to the White House that resonated across the country and around the world.

Kennedy's presidency was marked by Cold War tensions, especially the Cuban Missile Crisis. With the US and the Soviet Union at the brink of nuclear war, Kennedy's calm leadership helped avoid disaster. He also launched the space race with his bold goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the decade, and spoke out in favour of civil rights.

Answer: Democrat

Bill Clinton was the 42nd president of the United States and one of the most politically skilled leaders of his time. Elected in 1992, he came across as energetic, charismatic, and relatable, especially compared to the older generation of politicians. His presidency saw strong economic growth, a balanced federal budget, and a major welfare reform bill.

Clinton was a centrist Democrat who was forced to work with a Republican Congress. His policies sometimes frustrated people on both sides, but he remained personally popular throughout most of his time in office. His presidency was also marked by scandals, most famously the Monica Lewinsky affair, which led to his impeachment by the House but acquittal in the Senate, and the Whitewater affair which called his personal investments into question. Despite those, he left office with high approval ratings.

Answer: Democrat

Barack Obama was the 44th president of the United States and the first Black person to hold the office, which by itself marked a major moment in American history. He was a gifted speaker, a former law professor, and someone who inspired a lot of hope, especially during his first campaign in 2008. In fact, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize based on his potential to do things as the first Black president.

Obama came into office during a huge financial crisis and signed major stimulus legislation to help stabilize the tumultuous national economy. His signature achievement was the Affordable Care Act (forever called Obamacare), which expanded healthcare coverage to millions of Americans. He also oversaw the mission that killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, supported the legalization of same-sex marriage, and worked on climate change and diplomacy, including the Iran nuclear deal.

Answer: Democrat

Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States and one of the most polarizing figures in American history. He was also the first president elected under the Democratic Party, having seen a break in the Democratic-Republican party that came previously. As a person, Jackson was a war hero, known for the Battle of New Orleans, and he built his image as a champion of the common man. He distrusted elites and banks, and he pushed for a more direct, populist style of government. That made him wildly popular with many voters.

As president, he dismantled the Second Bank of the United States and expanded presidential power in ways that hadn't really been seen before. At the same time, his legacy is stained by the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the subsequent Trail of Tears which followed, something that forced thousands of Indigenous people off their land and led to massive suffering, loss of culture, and deaths.

Answer: Republican

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and probably the greatest American to ever have lived. He led the country through the Civil War, perhaps the darkest period in US history, and managed to hold the Union together while pushing for the end of slavery. His speeches, like the Gettysburg Address and his second inauguration speech, went beyond being memorable and brilliant.

Lincoln wasn't a very outgoing person, however, he was brilliant in how he communicated big ideas in plain language. This may be due to his humble roots in rural Illinois. He never strayed from his ideals, even when it meant that the country would go to war with itself. He faced constant criticism, massive pressure, and personal grief, yet stayed focused on the bigger picture. Sadly, he was assassinated (gunned down in cold blood) just days after the war ended, before he could see the country he loved so much be rebuilt.

Answer: Republican

Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States and one of the best-known people to ever hold the office. He became president after William McKinley was assassinated in 1901 and immediately set out to shake things up. He believed the government should act as a balance between powerful interests and the people, which is why he went after monopolies, supported workers during strikes, and pushed for consumer protections.

Roosevelt was also a passionate conservationist, creating national parks and protecting millions of acres of wilderness. Roosevelt saw America as a rising global power and wasn't shy about using military strength to back that up. His motto was "speak softly and carry a big stick". He even ran again in 1912 under the Progressive "Bull Moose" Party after falling out with his successor but was not elected. Interestingly, his niece, Eleanor, became the wife of FDR.

Answer: Republican

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th president of the United States and one of the most famous Union generals of the Civil War. His military leadership helped bring an end to the conflict, and he was widely respected for his determination and calm under pressure. As president, he worked to protect the rights of newly freed African Americans and supported Reconstruction efforts in the South, even sending federal troops to fight the Ku Klux Klan.

While his intentions were often solid, his administration became known for corruption and scandal. It turns out that Grant himself was pretty honest, however, he trusted some unscrupulous people. After his presidency, Grant wrote memoirs that have been acclaimed for their clarity and humility.

Answer: Republican

George H. W. Bush was the 41st president of the United States and one of the most experienced leaders to ever hold the office. Before becoming president, he'd held the roles of congressman, ambassador to the UN, CIA director, and vice president under Ronald Reagan. His presidency is possibly most remembered for his foreign policy. Under his watch, he oversaw the end of the Cold War and led a massive international coalition during the Gulf War to push Iraq out of Kuwait.

On the domestic side, Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act and made a controversial move by breaking his "no new taxes" pledge, which hurt him politically but helped reduce the deficit. He was often seen as decent and diplomatic, if not always inspiring. He lost re-election in 1992, partly due to an economic downturn and the popularity of Bill Clinton.

Answer: Republican

Dwight D. Eisenhower was the 34th president of the United States who rose to prominence as a politician after being a five-star general who led the Allied forces in Europe during World War II. He ran for office in 1952 as a national hero. As president, he was calm, measured, and more politically moderate than people expected.

Eisenhower expanded Social Security, funded the Interstate Highway System (and tried to change the word "through" to "thru", as in "thruway"), and kept the country steady during the early Cold War. He warned against the growing power of the "military-industrial complex" in his farewell address, which still gets quoted today. He wasn't a flashy leader, but he was steady, practical, and focused on stability. Civil rights were a slow-moving issue under his leadership, but he did make a stand and sent troops to enforce school desegregation in Little Rock. Overall, Eisenhower was respected by both parties, and his presidency is often remembered as a time of peace and prosperity in postwar America.

Answer: Other

John Adams was the second president of the United States, the only member of the Federalist party to become so, and one of the key figures of the American Revolution. He was an intelligent but opinionated thinker who played a huge role in pushing for independence from England and in helping draft the Declaration of Independence.

As president, he kept the United States out of a war with France, which didn't win him much popularity at the time but retrospectively was probably a smart choice. He believed in a strong central government, but he also passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which were widely criticized for limiting free speech. His friendship, rivalry, and reconciliation with Thomas Jefferson is one of the most fascinating stories in early American history.

Answer: Other

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States and the main author of the Declaration of Independence. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican party. He's often remembered as a brilliant thinker, a champion of liberty, and a believer in small government, but his legacy is full of contradictions.

While he doubled the size of the country with the Louisiana Purchase, that move went against his strict interpretation of the Constitution. He pushed for limited federal power but didn't always follow his own philosophy when it came to getting things done and exercised power often. He founded the University of Virginia, promoted science and education, and imagined the US as a nation of independent farmers. At the same time, he enslaved hundreds of people, and his actions and writings on slavery did not square well with his words about equality.

Answer: Other

Millard Fillmore was the 13th president of the United States, the last president from the Whig party, and probably one of the least remembered. He took over after President Zachary Taylor died in office and tried to hold the country together during a time of rising tension over slavery. He supported the Compromise of 1850, which was meant to calm things down between North and South, but it included the Fugitive Slave Act, which ended up making things worse in the long run. That decision pretty much wrecked his reputation in the North.

After his presidency, he ran again with the Know Nothing Party, which focused on anti-immigrant policies, and that didn't help his legacy either.

Answer: Other

John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States and one of the most interesting figures in early American history. He was the son of President John Adams, but he bravely managed to carve out his own path as a diplomat, senator, and later, president. He helped write the Monroe Doctrine and had one of the most impressive résumés of any president before even taking office.

Elected as a Democratic-Republican, his presidency itself wasn't wildly successful since he lost support in Congress and faced fierce opposition from Andrew Jackson's supporters, but what really makes him stand out is what he did after leaving the White House. Instead of retiring, he served in the House of Representatives for years (later switching to the Whig party) and became a passionate opponent of slavery, even arguing cases before the Supreme Court.

Answer: Other

John Tyler was the tenth president of the United States and the first to take office due to the death of a sitting president, William Henry Harrison. Most people didn't expect much from him, but he ended up setting an important precedent by asserting that he was fully president, not just acting as one. He clashed constantly with his own party, the Whigs, who eventually kicked him out. That left him isolated, without much political support, and many of his policies failed as a result.

Still, he managed to push through the annexation of Texas near the end of his term. He was a Virginian, deeply committed to the rights of the individual states, and later sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War, which muddles his legacy quite a bit. Interestingly, he was the first US president to get married while in office.