Deck 7: The American People and the American Revolution

Question 1

The chapter introduction tells the story of the Battle of Bunker Hill to make the point that

A) Americans won their revolution by pitting dedicated amateur soldiers against the might of Britain's professional redcoats.
B) initially the war went badly for the Americans, testing their commitment to liberty and independence.
C) a key question in that battle and throughout the war was whether Americans would really fight to win their independence.
D declaring independence was one thing, but after the Declaration, actually fighting against the authority . of one's own king was quite another.

Answer 1

a key question in that battle and throughout the war was whether Americans would really fight to win their independence.
D declaring independence was one thing, but after the Declaration, actually fighting against the authority . of one's own king was quite another.

Question 2

A fundamental question at the outset of the Revolution was, "Will they fight?" Different individuals answered this in different ways. Which of the following does NOT accurately state one of the responses?

A) Northern Anglicans and recent emigrants from the British Isles tended to remain loyal to the British.
B) Most middle-class American revolutionaries preferred to join the Continental Army, rather than merely
become part of their local militias.
C) The war to protect liberty and property was, ironically, waged by those classes of Americans who were poor and least free.
D) In the latter part of the war, brutal civil war between loyalist and rebel bands raged across the South.

Answer 2

Most middle-class American revolutionaries preferred to join the Continental Army, rather than merely
become part of their local militias.

Question 3

The first, briefer section of the Declaration of Independence dealt with ________, while the second section included ________.

A) American grievances; reasons for now becoming independent of the English
B) the general right of revolution based on natural rights; the specific offenses of King George III by . which England forfeited its right to rule Americans
C) the announcement of American independence; the reasons why such a declaration must be made at this time
D) the assertion that all men are created equal; the rights of life, liberty, and happiness as justifications for severing ties with England

Answer 3

the general right of revolution based on natural rights; the specific offenses of King George III by . which England forfeited its right to rule Americans

Question 4

What was the most dominant common characteristic among the diverse group of people who remained
Loyal to Britain?

A) They were devout Christians who believed the Bible commanded obedience to authority.
B) They were old-stock wealthy planters and merchants from the coastal areas whose families had long prospered under British rule.
C) They owed their livelihood and social status to Crown appointments, and thus were unmoved by constitutional arguments.
D) They were fearful of divisions and instability within American society.

Question 5

What event helped overcome republican fears of a standing Continental Army?

A) the battle of Bunker Hill
B) the passage of the Quartering Act by Parliament
C) the dwindling number of "citizen-soldier" volunteers
D) General Washington's reassurance of professionalism in the officer ranks

Question 6

What tactical goal did General Howe have in mind when he captured Philadelphia in the summer of 1777?

A) punishment for the city's overt support of the Continental Army
B) to enable his field officers to resupply their companies
C) to divide the Continental Army from the New England militias
D) to draw the Americans into battle

Question 7

Which statement about the regulars of the Continental Army is true?

A) Most of the soldiers were older, propertied farmers with families, whose substantial farms, left to the
care of wives and children in their long absence, fell into disrepair.
B) Despite the hardships, Continental soldiers-who had enlisted for the sake of liberty-refused the
temptations of desertion and mutiny that plagued the hired armies of Europe.
C) While local partisans in the South often ran at the first encounter with the enemy, the Continental Army
proved its mettle in a series of victories in the Carolinas and Georgia.
D) In social composition and military tactics, the American army came to resemble the British army.

Question 8

Which is the best statement of why the British signed the peace treaty granting American independence?

A) The Americans had driven the British army out of North America.
B) The French had driven the British navy from the high seas.
C) The timing of the occasional American victories led to a global situation where the British needed to salvage the rest of their empire by cutting their American losses.
D) They had sent a commission offering peace on prewar terms, which the Congress accepted in all
particulars except refusing to remain in the empire.

Question 9

Though the Continental Army lost many conventional battles in the South, the British could not restore political control over the backcountry. Why?

A) the inability of the British to understand southern political motivations
B) the hostility almost all southerners had towards the British
C) the resilience of the rebel militias
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 10

Despite many hardships, many women vigorously supported the revolutionary cause in a variety of ways. The ________ joined in harassing those who opposed the rebel cause.

Question 11

Describe British and American military strategies as they evolved over the course of the War for Independence.

Question 12

Among what sorts of people and in which areas was loyalism strongest?

Question 13

In what different ways did the Declaration of Independence justify the colonies' break with Great Britain?

Question 14

Discuss the role of the white civilian population-both men and women-in the War for Independence.

Question 15

Describe how the war affected the lives of black slaves living in the American South.

Question 16

Describe the effect of the Battle of Bunker Hill on the course of the War for Independence.

Question 17

Discuss the role of the French in the War for Independence. Why were they reluctant at first to intervene? In what key ways did they contribute to the American victory?

Question 18

How did Nathanael Greene provide effective leadership of the American army in the South?

Question 19

Why did the British adopt a "southern strategy"
after 1778? What could the British have done differently in order to win the war in the South?

Question 20

Assess the relative importance of the militia and the Continental Army in securing rebel victories in the War for Independence.

Question 21

What was the single most important reason that the British lost the War for Independence?

Question 22

From Washington's point of view, what were the chief obstacles to be overcome in fighting the war? How did he address these problems?

Question 23

Henry Laurens, a South Carolina merchant, reported that after the war's outbreak, local slaves took up the cry of Liberty-he put it-"in thoughtless imitation."
Do you agree? What options were available to African Americans during the Revolution? How did different people exercise those options? Be as specific as possible.

Question 24

Discuss the global issues that were involved in the American War for Independence.
ch07 Key