Deck 5: The American Revolution, 1763-1783

Question 1

What best describes representation within the United States' national political structure today?

A) Virtual representation.
B) Actual representation.
C) No representation.
D) Constitutional monarchy.

Answer 1

Actual representation.

Question 2

In regard to the Stamp Act Congress of 1765, which statement was true?

A) The Congress wanted to stop written protests of the tax.
B) The Congress hoped to end boycotts.
C) According to the Congress, colonial governors should make decisions unilaterally.
D) The Congress did not look to declare independence from England.

Answer 2

The Congress did not look to declare independence from England.

Question 3

What prevents something like the Intolerable Acts from occurring in the United States today?

A) The Declaration of Independence.
B) The Writs of Assistance.
C) The Bill of Rights.
D) State governors.

Answer 3

The Bill of Rights.

Question 4

What was an important political origin of the American Revolution?

A) The Sugar Act financially hurt New England merchants.
B) The Stamp Act was a tax that most colonists had to pay.
C) The colonists did not like a westward barrier to settlements.
D) The colonists criticized the lack of representation in Parliament.

Question 5

Who wrote the following: "One of the strongest natural proofs of the folly of hereditary right in kings is that nature disapproves it, otherwise she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule, by giving mankind an ass for a lion"?

A) Thomas Paine.
B) Jonathan Boucher.
C) Samuel Seabury.
D) Ben Franklin.

Question 6

Plain Truth (1776)
James Chalmers
It now behooves us well to consider, whether it were better to enter the harbour of peace with Great Britain, or plunge the ship into all the horrors of war.--Of civil war. As peace and a happy extension of commerce, are objects infinitely better for Great Britain, than war and a diminution of her commerce. It therefore is her interest grant us every species of indulgence, consistent with our constitutional dependence, should war continue, there can be no doubt of annihilation of our ships, ports, and commerce, by Great Britain. . . .
If my remarks are founded on truth, it results, that the time hath not found us; that independency is inexpedient, ruinous, and impracticable, and that reconciliation with Great Britain on good terms, is our sole resource. 'Tis alone will render us respectable, it is this alone, will render us numerous; it is this only, will make us happy. . . .
Released from foreign war, we would probably be plunged into all the misery of anarchy and intestine war. Can we suppose that the people of the south, would submit to having the seat of Empire at Philadelphia, or New England; or that they people oppressed by a change of government, contrasting their misery with their former happy state would not invite Britain to reassume the sovereignty.
Chalmers's essay was a response to

A) those in England who wanted to sever ties with the colonies.
B) those who believed that the colonists were best represented virtually in the Parliament.
C) the voices of Patriots like Thomas Paine who called for independence.
D) the colonists' opposition to the end of salutary neglect.

Question 7

Plain Truth (1776)
James Chalmers
It now behooves us well to consider, whether it were better to enter the harbour of peace with Great Britain, or plunge the ship into all the horrors of war.--Of civil war. As peace and a happy extension of commerce, are objects infinitely better for Great Britain, than war and a diminution of her commerce. It therefore is her interest grant us every species of indulgence, consistent with our constitutional dependence, should war continue, there can be no doubt of annihilation of our ships, ports, and commerce, by Great Britain. . . .
If my remarks are founded on truth, it results, that the time hath not found us; that independency is inexpedient, ruinous, and impracticable, and that reconciliation with Great Britain on good terms, is our sole resource. 'Tis alone will render us respectable, it is this alone, will render us numerous; it is this only, will make us happy. . . .
Released from foreign war, we would probably be plunged into all the misery of anarchy and intestine war. Can we suppose that the people of the south, would submit to having the seat of Empire at Philadelphia, or New England; or that they people oppressed by a change of government, contrasting their misery with their former happy state would not invite Britain to reassume the sovereignty.
Chalmers and others opposed to war believed that Britain's advantages over the colonists included

A) military and commercial strengths.
B) ideological persuasiveness.
C) alliances with other great powers.
D) knowledge about geography and terrain.

Question 8

Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer (1767)
John Dickinson
Every government at some time or other falls into wrong measures. These may proceed from mistake or passion. But every such measure does not dissolve the obligation between the governors and the governed. . . . It is the duty of the governed to endeavor to rectify the mistake, and to appease the passion. They have not at first any other right, than to represent their grievances, and to pray for redress, unless an emergency is so pressing as not to allow time for receiving an answer to their applications, which rarely happens. If their applications are disregarded, then that kind of opposition becomes justifiable which can be made without breaking the laws or disturbing the public peace. This conflicts in the prevention of the oppressors reaping advantage from their oppressions, and not in their punishment. . . .
The constitutional modes of obtaining relief are those which I wish to see pursued on the present occasion; that is, by petitions of our assemblies, or where they are not permitted to meet, of the people, to the powers that can afford us relief.
. . . Let us complain to our parent; but let our complaints speak at the same time the language of affliction and veneration.
If, however, it shall happen . . . that our applications to his Majesty and the parliament for redress, prove ineffectual, let us then take another step, by withholding from Great Britain all the advantages she has been used to receive from us. Then let us try, if our ingenuity, industry, and frugality, will not give weight to our remonstrances. Let us all be united with one spirit, in one cause.
Dickinson and his readers were primarily concerned about

A) the freedom of colonists to pursue economic activities.
B) the ability of colonists to work together to govern themselves.
C) how to continue once the British government collapsed.
D) whether George Washington would be a good leader.

Question 9

Common Sense (1776)
Thomas Paine
Every quiet method for peace hath been ineffectual. Our prayers have been rejected with disdain; and only tended to convince us, that nothing flatters vanity, or confirms obstinacy in Kings more than repeated petitioning. . . . Wherefore, since nothing but blows will do, for God's sake, let us come to a final separation, and not leave the next generation to be cutting throats, under the violated unmeaning names of parent and child.
To say, they will never attempt it again is idle and visionary, we thought so at the repeal of the stamp act, yet a year or two undeceived us; as well may we suppose that nations, which have been once defeated, will never renew the quarrel.
The values expressed in Thomas Paine's Common Sense reflect

A) the general position taken by colonial leaders from the time of the French and Indian War.
B) the sentiments of colonial leaders who felt that Parliament's notions of representation and republicanism were not being applied to them.
C) the opposition to authority that had been manifested in the Regulator Movement and Paxton March, and later in Shays' Rebellion.
D) ideas that emerged spontaneously once shots were fired by Great Britain.

Question 10

Plain Truth (1776)
James Chalmers
It now behooves us well to consider, whether it were better to enter the harbour of peace with Great Britain, or plunge the ship into all the horrors of war.--Of civil war. As peace and a happy extension of commerce, are objects infinitely better for Great Britain, than war and a diminution of her commerce. It therefore is her interest grant us every species of indulgence, consistent with our constitutional dependence, should war continue, there can be no doubt of annihilation of our ships, ports, and commerce, by Great Britain. . . .
If my remarks are founded on truth, it results, that the time hath not found us; that independency is inexpedient, ruinous, and impracticable, and that reconciliation with Great Britain on good terms, is our sole resource. 'Tis alone will render us respectable, it is this alone, will render us numerous; it is this only, will make us happy. . . .
Released from foreign war, we would probably be plunged into all the misery of anarchy and intestine war. Can we suppose that the people of the south, would submit to having the seat of Empire at Philadelphia, or New England; or that they people oppressed by a change of government, contrasting their misery with their former happy state would not invite Britain to reassume the sovereignty.
Why did many Loyalists oppose independence from Britain?

A) They feared that colonists would not govern themselves effectively.
B) They wanted to wait until the Spanish colonies were ready for a unified independence movement that the British colonies could join.
C) They worried that France would then invade the colonies.
D) They believed that the agricultural economy of the southern colonies would collapse without British support.

Question 11

Common Sense (1776)
Thomas Paine
Every quiet method for peace hath been ineffectual. Our prayers have been rejected with disdain; and only tended to convince us, that nothing flatters vanity, or confirms obstinacy in Kings more than repeated petitioning. . . . Wherefore, since nothing but blows will do, for God's sake, let us come to a final separation, and not leave the next generation to be cutting throats, under the violated unmeaning names of parent and child.
To say, they will never attempt it again is idle and visionary, we thought so at the repeal of the stamp act, yet a year or two undeceived us; as well may we suppose that nations, which have been once defeated, will never renew the quarrel.
At the time that Paine wrote Common Sense, the prevailing sentiment of colonial leaders was that

A) a good working relationship between the colonies and Great Britain was possible under certain circumstances.
B) the actions of the British government had led to a situation that was beyond repair.
C) declaring independence was necessary because a majority of the colonies supported the Patriot cause.
D) alliances with other countries would need to be made to successfully separate from England.

Question 12

Plain Truth (1776)
James Chalmers
It now behooves us well to consider, whether it were better to enter the harbour of peace with Great Britain, or plunge the ship into all the horrors of war.--Of civil war. As peace and a happy extension of commerce, are objects infinitely better for Great Britain, than war and a diminution of her commerce. It therefore is her interest grant us every species of indulgence, consistent with our constitutional dependence, should war continue, there can be no doubt of annihilation of our ships, ports, and commerce, by Great Britain. . . .
If my remarks are founded on truth, it results, that the time hath not found us; that independency is inexpedient, ruinous, and impracticable, and that reconciliation with Great Britain on good terms, is our sole resource. 'Tis alone will render us respectable, it is this alone, will render us numerous; it is this only, will make us happy. . . .
Released from foreign war, we would probably be plunged into all the misery of anarchy and intestine war. Can we suppose that the people of the south, would submit to having the seat of Empire at Philadelphia, or New England; or that they people oppressed by a change of government, contrasting their misery with their former happy state would not invite Britain to reassume the sovereignty.
The ideas of James Chalmers were shared by

A) most of the colonists in New England.
B) those primarily engaged in agriculture.
C) many of the colonial soldiers and militiamen.
D) a minority of the colonists.

Question 13

Common Sense (1776)
Thomas Paine
Every quiet method for peace hath been ineffectual. Our prayers have been rejected with disdain; and only tended to convince us, that nothing flatters vanity, or confirms obstinacy in Kings more than repeated petitioning. . . . Wherefore, since nothing but blows will do, for God's sake, let us come to a final separation, and not leave the next generation to be cutting throats, under the violated unmeaning names of parent and child.
To say, they will never attempt it again is idle and visionary, we thought so at the repeal of the stamp act, yet a year or two undeceived us; as well may we suppose that nations, which have been once defeated, will never renew the quarrel.
Why does Paine believe that reconciliation with Great Britain is impossible?

A) Great Britain has already declared war on the colonies.
B) Great Britain has refused to engage in negotiations with the colonies.
C) Great Britain has taken conciliatory actions in the past, but always has gone back on them.
D) Great Britain has made allies with other colonial powers.

Question 14

Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer (1767)
John Dickinson
Every government at some time or other falls into wrong measures. These may proceed from mistake or passion. But every such measure does not dissolve the obligation between the governors and the governed. . . . It is the duty of the governed to endeavor to rectify the mistake, and to appease the passion. They have not at first any other right, than to represent their grievances, and to pray for redress, unless an emergency is so pressing as not to allow time for receiving an answer to their applications, which rarely happens. If their applications are disregarded, then that kind of opposition becomes justifiable which can be made without breaking the laws or disturbing the public peace. This conflicts in the prevention of the oppressors reaping advantage from their oppressions, and not in their punishment. . . .
The constitutional modes of obtaining relief are those which I wish to see pursued on the present occasion; that is, by petitions of our assemblies, or where they are not permitted to meet, of the people, to the powers that can afford us relief.
. . . Let us complain to our parent; but let our complaints speak at the same time the language of affliction and veneration.
If, however, it shall happen . . . that our applications to his Majesty and the parliament for redress, prove ineffectual, let us then take another step, by withholding from Great Britain all the advantages she has been used to receive from us. Then let us try, if our ingenuity, industry, and frugality, will not give weight to our remonstrances. Let us all be united with one spirit, in one cause.
How did the British government most frequently respond to writings like those published by Dickinson and others like him?

A) by repealing the Parliamentary legislation in question and replacing it with more moderate laws
B) by occupying colonial cities in order to impose martial law
C) by limiting freedom of speech by arresting the authors and jailing them in England
D) by arguing that despite their distance, colonists were virtually represented in Parliament

Question 15

Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer (1767)
John Dickinson
Every government at some time or other falls into wrong measures. These may proceed from mistake or passion. But every such measure does not dissolve the obligation between the governors and the governed. . . . It is the duty of the governed to endeavor to rectify the mistake, and to appease the passion. They have not at first any other right, than to represent their grievances, and to pray for redress, unless an emergency is so pressing as not to allow time for receiving an answer to their applications, which rarely happens. If their applications are disregarded, then that kind of opposition becomes justifiable which can be made without breaking the laws or disturbing the public peace. This conflicts in the prevention of the oppressors reaping advantage from their oppressions, and not in their punishment. . . .
The constitutional modes of obtaining relief are those which I wish to see pursued on the present occasion; that is, by petitions of our assemblies, or where they are not permitted to meet, of the people, to the powers that can afford us relief.
. . . Let us complain to our parent; but let our complaints speak at the same time the language of affliction and veneration.
If, however, it shall happen . . . that our applications to his Majesty and the parliament for redress, prove ineffectual, let us then take another step, by withholding from Great Britain all the advantages she has been used to receive from us. Then let us try, if our ingenuity, industry, and frugality, will not give weight to our remonstrances. Let us all be united with one spirit, in one cause.
At issue in Dickinson's "Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer" is/are

A) the rights of British subjects.
B) tariffs on agricultural supplies.
C) infighting among the colonists.
D) writing a new Constitution for the colonies.

Question 16

What idea did both the Regulators and Stamp Act Congress share?

A) There should be no taxes under any circumstances.
B) Colonists wanted to be represented in the government.
C) Colonial governors should make decisions unilaterally.
D) Boycotts did not work as a means of protest.

Question 17

The treatment of John Wilkes resembled which act of Parliament against the colonies?

A) Tea Act.
B) Intolerable Act.
C) Sugar Act.
D) Townshend Duties.

Question 18

Common Sense (1776)
Thomas Paine
Every quiet method for peace hath been ineffectual. Our prayers have been rejected with disdain; and only tended to convince us, that nothing flatters vanity, or confirms obstinacy in Kings more than repeated petitioning. . . . Wherefore, since nothing but blows will do, for God's sake, let us come to a final separation, and not leave the next generation to be cutting throats, under the violated unmeaning names of parent and child.
To say, they will never attempt it again is idle and visionary, we thought so at the repeal of the stamp act, yet a year or two undeceived us; as well may we suppose that nations, which have been once defeated, will never renew the quarrel.
A Loyalist would tend to see Paine's statements as

A) persuasive argument for seeking independence.
B) an eventual outcome due to the shifting relationship with England.
C) contrary to their political obligations to the British government.
D) irrelevant due to their significant cultural and economic ties to England.

Question 19

What political movement of the seventeenth century resembled the 1760s Regulator movement in South Carolina?

A) The Salem witch trials.
B) Leisler's Rebellion.
C) Bacon's Rebellion.
D) Dominion of New England.

Question 20

In what ways was Thomas Paine's Common Sense similar to Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence?

A) Both Jefferson and Paine discussed how the United States could create a navy.
B) Both showed how a king can be a tyrant.
C) Paine used many Latin phrases, which led Jefferson to do the same.
D) Paine criticized using slaves from Africa, and that same criticism appeared in the Declaration of Independence.

Question 21

The Sons of Liberty:

A) enjoyed support from New York craftsmen and laborers.
B) won widespread support from New York's upper classes.
C) opposed any violent response to the Stamp Act.
D) prompted founder Samuel Adams and his cousin John Adams to break off relations.

Question 22

After what major event did the British government make the colonies bear part of the cost of the empire?

A) The Declaration of Independence.
B) King Philip's War.
C) The Seven Years' War.
D) The Boston Tea Party.

Question 23

Violent social turmoil in rural areas during the 1760s:

A) was due entirely to Great Britain's Proclamation of 1763, banning western settlement.
B) ended when the British army drove Native Americans beyond the line of settlement.
C) flourished because the British army had no interest in going beyond coastal cities.
D) involved events in both northern and southern colonies.

Question 24

In Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, John Dickinson:

A) denied the ideas of the Enlightenment.
B) reached out to working-class Americans.
C) stated that independence from Great Britain was the best course of action.
D) argued for reconciliation with Great Britain along with the same rights as Englishmen.

Question 25

Which armed group, motivated by deep frustrations with the corruption of North Carolina's county officials, was defeated by the colony's militia at the 1771 Battle of Alamance?

A) The Sons of Liberty.
B) The Regulators.
C) The Paxton Boys.
D) The Association.

Question 26

Unlike the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts focused on:

A) taxing goods imported into the colonies.
B) taxing legal documents.
C) sugar and rum.
D) creating more smuggling opportunities.

Question 27

What ultimately led to the Americans using black recruits in the Continental army?

A) Washington did not want the British to gain an advantage by using ex-slaves.
B) Washington felt they were superior soldiers.
C) The Continental Congress stated black soldiers would not be given any compensation.
D) The French insisted that the Continental army be a diverse fighting force.

Question 28

What contribution did the Stamp Act episode make to the colonists' concept of liberty?

A) The elite became more aware of liberty, but the lower classes remained unconcerned, choosing instead just to follow leaders who encouraged them to riot.
B) The Stamp Act Congress insisted that the right to consent to taxation was essential to people's freedom.
C) It led the Stamp Act Congress to adopt the Declaratory Act, which defined American liberties.
D) It convinced colonists that revolting against Great Britain was the only way to secure their liberties.

Question 29

The Stamp Act created such a stir in the colonies because:

A) it raised prices on printed products so much that most colonists no longer could afford to buy books and newspapers.
B) lawyers were offended that they could be jailed for not using the correct stamp on legal documents.
C) it was the first direct tax Parliament imposed on the colonies.
D) none of the revenue raised would be spent within the colonies themselves.

Question 30

The attack by Massachusetts colonists on the home of lieutenant governor and chief justice Thomas Hutchinson:

A) convinced him that the Stamp Act, which he had previously supported, was unwise.
B) physically assaulted Hutchinson's family, an act that prompted Great Britain to clamp down on colonial liberties.
C) led Hutchinson to believe that effective British rule would require the loss of some liberties for the colonists.
D) led Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts immediately.

Question 31

The Sugar Act alarmed colonists, in part because it:

A) increased the tax on molasses and made rum more expensive to produce.
B) threatened the profits of colonial merchants already in economic trouble.
C) mandated that violators of the act be tried in a court with a jury.
D) eliminated the admiralty courts, which colonists had long favored.

Question 32

Next to national independence, what was the second most significant concession the United States gained in the Treaty of Paris in 1783?

A) Canadian territory.
B) Spanish Florida.
C) A large piece of territory west of the Appalachian Mountains.
D) Property from Loyalists.

Question 33

Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys:

A) started the colony of New Hampshire.
B) forced the British army to retreat at Concord.
C) fought intrusions by New York landlords into what became Vermont.
D) put down the revolt of the Regulators in North Carolina.

Question 34

What impact did the Committees of Correspondence have in America?

A) They allowed for good communication between the colonists and their Indian allies.
B) Enforcement of taxes and regulations became more efficient.
C) These networks allowed slaves to communicate about escaping from their owners.
D) Colonial leaders were able to spread ideas and information of resistance to taxes more quickly.

Question 35

Ultimately, what led to the colonies' victory in the American Revolution?

A) George Washington's major assaults on New York City.
B) The French invasion of England.
C) The French blockade of Philadelphia.
D) Washington's ability to keep an army together.

Question 36

Which of the following statements about the Treaty of Paris in 1783 is true?

A) Mexico would be independent from Spain.
B) Trading concessions were most important to the United States.
C) France and England could work together in spreading Catholicism.
D) Native Americans were not given a role in shaping the eastern half of North America.

Question 37

What was one important legacy of the Declaration of Independence?

A) It immediately resulted in Great Britain granting independence to its colonies.
B) Spain welcomed the document, printing multiple copies for its citizens.
C) It inspired future revolutions against despotic governments.
D) It led to an immediate alliance with France.

Question 38

What strategy worked well for the colonists in fighting the British during the American Revolution?

A) Washington's army used full-frontal assaults.
B) The Continental army and militias deployed hit-and-run tactics.
C) Washington preferred to let the Native Americans fight for the colonists.
D) The Continental Congress handed over most of the war effort to the French.

Question 39

The Declaratory Act:

A) imposed a boycott on all manufactured goods produced in the colonies.
B) declared that colonists had to house British soldiers in their homes.
C) closed the Port of Boston on account of the Boston Tea Party.
D) rejected American claims that only their elected representatives could levy taxes.

Question 40

Virtual representation was the idea:

A) that only those who were elected by a given population could represent that population in a legislative body.
B) about representation that most politically active American colonists in the 1760s and 1770s embraced.
C) endorsed by the Stamp Act Congress in 1765.
D) that each member of Britain's House of Commons represented the entire empire, not just his own district.

Question 41

What made Thomas Paine's Common Sense a unique document?

A) It was the only document in 1776 calling for American independence.
B) It was mostly original in its ideas and concepts.
C) It wanted the United States to form a representative government.
D) It expanded the size of the public sphere, going beyond the elite.

Question 42

When the Second Continental Congress created an official army, how did the British respond?

A) They removed British troops from Boston.
B) They declared that the colonies were in a state of rebellion.
C) They asked the Spanish and French for help to defeat the Americans.
D) They sent diplomats to negotiate for peace.

Question 43

The expulsion of the journalist John Wilkes from his seat in Parliament:

A) symbolized the threat to liberty for many in both Britain and America.
B) pleased most American colonists because of Wilkes's pro-Stamp-Act editorials.
C) resulted from a column Wilkes wrote that was sympathetic toward those killed in the Boston Massacre.
D) came after a London jury convicted him of colluding with pro-independence colonists.

Question 44

Who argued that "true liberty" could only be achieved by remaining in the British Empire?

A) Joseph Galloway.
B) Sam Adams.
C) Ethan Allen.
D) George Washington.

Question 45

What were the Suffolk Resolves?

A) The peace treaty that ended the Regulator movement in North Carolina.
B) A list of demands addressed to landlords, made in 1772 by New York tenant farmers.
C) A group of anti-Tea Act petitions from Boston merchants to the Massachusetts royal governor.
D) A set of resolutions made in 1774, urging Massachusetts citizens to prepare for war.

Question 46

By 1774, how did the Germans of Northhampton County, Pennsylvania, react to talks of liberty?

A) They supported the idea of natural rights for subjects of King George III.
B) They feared it would give too much freedom to Indians in Pennsylvania.
C) They did not like the focus on individualism.
D) They focused only on freedom of religion.

Question 47

Why did colonists object to the Tea Act?

A) Because it would aid a different part of the empire than their own, colonists felt that this was the kind of discriminatory action that violated the concept of liberty.
B) By paying it, they would be acknowledging Great Britain's right to tax the colonists.
C) It granted a monopoly, and the colonists opposed all forms of monopoly.
D) The British East India Company made inferior tea, and colonists preferred not to drink it.

Question 48

What did Lord Dunmore do that horrified many southerners?

A) He encouraged Indians to conduct raids against backcountry settlements in the Carolinas.
B) He issued a proclamation freeing all slaves south of the Ohio River.
C) He promised freedom to slaves who joined the British cause.
D) He confiscated property of Loyalists.

Question 49

The Quebec Act:

A) granted religious toleration to Catholics in Canada.
B) placed a tax on all imported goods from Canada.
C) removed the Ohio River Valley from the province of Quebec.
D) called for Canada to join America in the struggle for independence.

Question 50

Which of the following was associated with the Intolerable Acts?

A) For the first time, British authorities stationed soldiers in Boston.
B) Parliament closed all American ports to all trade until the tea destroyed by the Boston Tea Party was paid for.
C) The Massachusetts Charter of 1691 was changed to curtail town meetings.
D) The office of governor of Massachusetts became an elected position.

Question 51

In the years immediately before the American Revolution, the concept of natural rights:

A) greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson's early writings.
B) prompted Thomas Jefferson to support independence before the war even began.
C) caused many American colonists to call for the abolition of the monarchy.
D) contradicted the argument for colonial resistance.

Question 52

At the first Continental Congress, who declared, "I am not a Virginian, but an American"?

A) Thomas Jefferson.
B) George Washington.
C) Richard Henry Lee.
D) Patrick Henry.

Question 53

The "Daughters of Liberty" was the name given to:

A) the female children of the Founding Fathers, especially the daughters of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson.
B) New England women who won voting rights in the 1770s.
C) the brave women who cared for wounded soldiers during the early battles of the Revolution.
D) women who spun and wove to create their own clothing rather than buy British goods.

Question 54

The Olive Branch Petition:

A) was meant to ease tensions among the organized political parties within the Continental Congress.
B) enabled northern and southern colonies to work together.
C) convinced Thomas Paine that he had enough support to write Common Sense.
D) was addressed to King George III and reaffirmed American loyalty to the crown.

Question 55

Which of the following was a significant battle during the first year of the Revolutionary War?

A) Yorktown, a siege in Virginia.
B) Monmouth, where the opposing armies fought to a draw.
C) Cowpens, which helped turn the tide of war in the South.
D) Saratoga, where a large British army surrendered.

Question 56

Crispus Attucks:

A) defended in court the British soldiers who participated in the Boston Massacre.
B) organized the boycott of British imports following the Townshend Act.
C) was the first person of mixed race to serve in the Continental Congress.
D) has been called the first martyr of the American Revolution.

Question 57

Thomas Paine's Common Sense:

A) argued that the British governmental system was perfectly good but that current officials had corrupted it.
B) made highly original arguments in favor of independence.
C) sold well among the elite, who in turn were able to convey its ideas to the lower classes.
D) argued that America would become the home of freedom and "an asylum for mankind."

Question 58

The Committees of Safety:

A) served to warn colonists if the Royal Navy was approaching.
B) were part of a series of efforts by the Continental Congress to promote unity and to take action against enemies of liberty.
C) killed twenty-eight Loyalists before the Revolutionary War began.
D) took action against Catholics trying to spread Quebec's influence.

Question 59

The Boston Massacre occurred when British soldiers:

A) killed Indians who were raiding frontier towns.
B) fired into a mob and killed a number of Boston residents.
C) captured members of the Sons of Liberty involved in the Boston Tea Party.
D) fired on local minutemen guarding an arsenal.

Question 60

John Adams recommended George Washington as commander of the Continental army because:

A) he knew that Washington was weighing an offer from Britain to lead its North American forces.
B) he shared Washington's view of the importance of natural rights.
C) the fact that Washington was from Virginia could help unify the colonists.
D) he knew Washington had opposed General Howe's forces cutting down the Liberty Tree.

Question 61

Which of the following is true of the soldiers who fought for American independence?

A) During the war's later years, the Continental army relied increasingly on young men with limited economic prospects.
B) Relatively few-only one in sixty-lost their lives in the war.
C) Nearly one-third of all American soldiers were slaves fighting as substitutes for their masters.
D) Because they had the most to gain, men of substantial property served in disproportionately high numbers throughout the war.

Question 62

Most of the text of the Declaration of Independence:

A) was originally drafted by Benjamin Franklin and then brilliantly edited by Thomas Jefferson.
B) consists of a list of grievances against King George III.
C) is an updated version of John Locke's classic, The Rights of Man.
D) specifically attacks the idea that Parliament has a right to enact any laws for the colonies.

Question 63

The main point of The American Crisis is:

A) that the Continental Congress should agree to peaceful reunification with Britain.
B) to inspire American soldiers to continue to fight despite demoralizing military losses.
C) that independence was too costly a goal for the colonies.
D) to encourage European powers to provide military assistance to the cause of American independence.

Question 64

Why did Jefferson address the Declaration of Independence to the "opinions of mankind"?

A) He wanted to emphasize free speech.
B) He was unsure of including women.
C) He wanted to reach a worldwide audience.
D) He was actually reiterating that his opinion was the most significant.

Question 65

A key consequence of the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777 was:

A) France becoming an ally to the United States.
B) the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress.
C) the immediate surrender of all British troops to the Continental army.
D) British commanders taking the war into the heart of New England for the first time.

Question 66

Evaluate the extent to which a new era in the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain began in 1763, analyzing what changed and what stayed the same from the period before to the period after 1763.

Question 67

Cornwallis was defeated at Yorktown because:

A) he had no land or water escape route.
B) he was overwhelmed by Washington's much larger and better-trained army.
C) General Clinton had withdrawn from Yorktown, leaving Cornwallis vulnerable.
D) most of his troops were cold, starving, and ready to surrender.

Question 68

In fighting the Revolutionary War, the Americans on their own could not match what British advantage?

A) Deployment of a navy.
B) An army with armed men.
C) The ability to fire artillery.
D) The use of African-American soldiers.

Question 69

In today's world, more than ________ of the countries have issued declarations of independence.

A) 10 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 30 percent
D) 40 percent

Question 70

Why did George Washington eventually allow African-Americans to serve in the Continental army?

A) Southern colonies stopped their opposition.
B) Many northern colonies immediately abolished slavery.
C) He had freed all of his slaves during the second year of the war.
D) The British started offering freedom to slaves who signed up to fight for their army.

Question 71

Who was Samuel Seabury?

A) He was a Revolutionary War hero for the Americans.
B) He served in the Continental Congress from New York.
C) As a colonial minister, he remained a British loyalist.
D) He was a British general who chased after Washington's army.

Question 72

The negotiation of the Treaty of Paris of 1783:

A) began only after the Battle of Yorktown.
B) was a masterful bit of diplomacy by Thomas Jefferson.
C) gave the new American nation control of Florida.
D) led to the British government receiving compensation for anything the Continental Congress had taken from British citizens.

Question 73

During the Revolutionary War, tensions between backcountry farmers and wealthy planters:

A) enabled the British to turn around their previously unsuccessful performance during the war.
B) prompted several mutinies within colonial ranks.
C) gave the British hope that they might be able to enlist the support of southern Loyalists.
D) led Benedict Arnold to defect to the British.

Question 74

In his document "An Alarm to the Legislature of the Province in New-York," the minister Samuel Seabury equated freedom with:

A) religion.
B) British tyranny.
C) sedition.
D) property ownership.

Question 75

During the eight years of war, approximately how many Americans bore arms in the Continental army and state militias?

A) 80,000.
B) 125,000.
C) 200,000.
D) 350,000.

Question 76

In the winter of 1776-1777, Washington won important victories that improved American morale. These battles were at:

A) Saratoga and Albany, New York.
B) Morristown and East Orange, New Jersey.
C) Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey.
D) Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.

Question 77

In 1778, the focus of the war shifted:

A) from minor skirmishes of fewer than 100 men to major battles, each involving thousands of soldiers.
B) from fighting in the southern states to fighting in New York and New England.
C) to an emphasis on the Continental army's trying to capture British strongholds in the Ohio Valley.
D) to the South, where the British captured Savannah that year.

Question 78

In the same year the Declaration of Independence was signed,

A) the Spanish established a mission at San Diego.
B) the Lakota Sioux settled in the Black Hills.
C) the French and Indian War ended.
D) the steam engine was invented.

Question 79

British possessions in the West Indies:

A) were handed over to the new United States in the Treaty of Paris.
B) issued their own declarations of independence in the late 1770s.
C) remained loyal to the crown during the American Revolution because their leaders feared slave uprisings.
D) all fell into the hands of the French, either through conquest or treaty, as a result of the American Revolution.

Question 80

In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson's biggest influence with regard to natural rights came from:

A) John Adams.
B) Thomas Paine.
C) Joseph Galloway.
D) John Locke.