Learning from America's Revolutionary Past

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2. Which of the following contributed to the failure of the Articles of Confederation? • A) The federal government could not collect taxes. • B) Each state printed their own currency. • C) There was no federal postal system. • D) The federal government was extremely weak. Return to Main Page

3. What ideas and documents and experiences with Great Britain (England) shaped American beliefs about government? • A) Magna Carta, John Locke, The Roman Republic, English Bill of Rights • B) Rousseau, The French Republic, King Louis XVI • C) America’s beliefs about government were shaped primarily by their own experiences and insights. They did not study European political philosophies or ideas. Return to Main Page

4. Which phrase best describes the role of Loyalists during the Revolutionary War? • A) Loyalists played a minor role during the war. There were few colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain, and they were given very little responsibilities by the British. • B) Loyalists played a major role during the war. Historians estimate at least 1/3 of the colonists remained loyal to Britain. In the South Cornwallis relied on them to assist in fighting the guerrilla war with Francis Marion. Return to Main Page

5. What was the name of the post Revolution leader in Massachusetts who fought against the Massachusetts State legislature in the chaos that erupted after the Revolutionary War? His rebellion led America’s political leaders to call for a Constitutional Convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. • A) John Adams • B) Daniel Shay • C) Benjamin Franklin • D) John Andre Return to Main Page

6. Which description best fits the role of American women during the revolutionary war? • A. The war was primarily inspired by, fought by and the consequences of the war were felt primarily by men. American women played very little role in the American Revolution. • B. There were women patriots, soldiers, Revolutionaries, camp followers and leaders. The consequences of the war were felt by both men and women Return to Main Page

7. Which of the following sentences best describes Thomas Paine's contribution to the Revolution? • A. He became a strong opponent of British taxation measures and organized resistance to the Stamp Act. He organized the Boston Tea Party and signed the Declaration of Independence. • B. He drafted the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolutionary war, he served as Governor of Virginia. He served as the third US president. While president he negotiated the Louisiana Purchase. • C. Through his popular pamphlet, Common Sense, ideas of revolution were spread to common farmers, to intellectuals, and stirred the hearts of the people. It sold over 500,000 copies. His pamphlet “The Crisis” inspired soldiers at the lowest point of the war. He later inspired Revolutions in England and France. Return to Main Page

8. Which battle was an American victory which resulted in the surrender of 1/3 of the British army invading New York from Canada? Led by General Gates and Benedict Arnold, the colonists used sharpshooters and American Indian tactics to defeat General Burgoyne. As a result of this victory the French were convinced to enter the conflict on behalf of the Americans. • A. Battle of Yorktown • B. Battle of Saratoga • C. Battle of Trenton • D. Valley Forge Return to Main Page

9. Which battle was a victory by a combined assault of French and American Forces led by George Washington that led to the final defeat of the British. The Americans also received help from the French Navy. • A. Battle of Yorktown • B. Battle of Trenton • C. Battle of Saratoga • D. Valley Forge Return to Main Page

10. Which of the following was NOT one of the ways in which France assisted the Americans? • A. They used their navy. • B. They gave financial (money) support • C. Soldiers and leaders • D. Maintained control of New Orleans and the Mississippi river. Return to Main Page

11. Who was the American diplomat who secured the French alliance that helped to make independence possible? One of the oldest and most experienced founding fathers, he was on the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence; in addition, he was one of the principle author’s of the Articles of Confederation, an author, printer and world renowned Scientist. Hint: He is on the $100 bill. • A. John Adams • B. Ben Franklin • C. John Jay • D. Thomas Jefferson Return to Main Page

12. Who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence? • A. Marquis de Lafayette • B. George Washington • C. John Adams • D. Thomas Jefferson Return to Main Page

13. Who was the French aristocrat (cousin to King Louis XVI) that served in the American Revolution without pay? He helped gain French financial and military support. He saw George Washington as a father figure and fought by his side at Yorktown. • A. Baron Friedrich von Steuben • B. Marquis de Lafayette • C. Comte de Rochambeau • D. Bernardo de Galvez Return to Main Page

14. Who was the Prussian-born military officer who served with George Washington. At Valley Forge, he taught the Continental Army the essentials of military drill and discipline. • A. Comte de Rochambeau • B. Baron Friedrich von Steuben • C. Marquis de La Fayette • D. Bernardo de Galvez Return to Main Page

15. Which of the following militiamen were formed to protect their towns from foreign invasion and ravages of war? Hint: They were chosen for their enthusiasm, reliability, and ability to be ready at a moment’s notice. A. The Continental Army • B. The State Militia • C. The Minutemen • D. Virginia National Guard Return to Main Page

16. Which of the following locations is the site of the camp of the American Continental Army in the winter of 1777-1778? At this location, there was great suffering for George Washington’s Army; however, it was also a time of re-training and rejuvenation. • A. Lexington & Concord • B. Long Island • C. Valley Forge • D. Trenton Return to Main Page

17. Which of the following best describes the Battle of Trenton? • A. This battle took place on December 25-26, 1776. George Washington led the main Continental Army across the Delaware River to lead a successful surprise attack on the Hessians. • B. The battle stopped the advancing British Army from Canada. • C. The battle was a major victory for the British and enabled them to capture the city of Philadelphia. • D. battle occurred when British troops tried to gain ammunitions at Valley Forge. Return to Main Page

18. Which of the following battles began when British troops were sent to collect ammunition being stored outside of Boston by colonial militia-Minutemen? They also hoped to capture John Hancock and Samuel Adams. It is sometimes known as “The Shot Heard Round the World”. • A. Battle of Lexington & Concord • B. Battle of Bunker Hill • C. Battle of Saratoga • D. Battle of Long Island Return to Main Page

19. What was the 1st Continental Congress?  • A.   A body created by the local governments of the American colonies for the purposes of arranging written communication outside of the colony. • B.   Delegates from the American Colonies that discussed and acted upon the recently passed Stamp Act. They officially met in October 1765. • C.   Secret organizations formed in the American colonies in protest against the Stamp Act. They met in New York City, and included delegates from 7 of the 13 colonies.  • D.   12 of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia in Sep. 1774 to protest the Intolerable Acts. They decided to fully support Massachusetts and to arm themselves in case of war. Return to Main Page

20. Why did Parliament pass the Intolerable Acts? • A. To punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party • B. To help the colonists economically succeed following the French and Indian War. • C. To help the colonists in other regions of the colonies (namely Quebec, New York, and Virginia). • D. Assist the colonies, and improve self government. • E. Allow the House of Burgesses to govern Massachusetts. Return to Main Page

21. The Boston Massacre was... • A. The killing of 5 civilians by British troops which helped spark the American Revolutionary War. • B. The killing of 50 civilians by British troops which helped spark the American Revolutionary War. • C. American patriots dressed as Mohawk Indians, boarded the vessels of the East Indian Company and dumped all the tea into the ocean. • D. The killing of 5 British soldiers by angry colonists. Return to Main Page

22. Following the French and Indian War, why did Great Britain create new taxes for the American Colonies? • A. To punish the colonists for their role in the French and Indian War. • B. To help pay for the cost of re-building Parliament. The building itself was destroyed during the French and Indian Wars. • C. To help collect revenues (money) to pay for the cost of the war. • D. All answers are correct. Return to Main Page

23. Which paragraph best describes the Sons & Daughters of Liberty? • A. They attempted to define America's rights, place limits on Parliament's power, and agree on tactics for resisting the aggressive acts of the English Government. They set up the Continental Association to enforce an embargo against England. • B. The meetings adopted a Declaration of Rights and Grievances and wrote letters or petitions to the King and both houses of Parliament • C. They shared the Colonial version of the events happening between the British and the Colonists. • D. They were secret organizations made up of merchants, businessmen, common men and women, lawyers, journalists, and others who would be most affected by the Stamp Act. They often boycotted English made goods, burnt effigies, smuggled and wore homespun clothes. Return to Main Page

24. What was the stamp act? • A. An Act which imposed a tax of six pence per gallon on molasses in order to make English products cheaper than those from the French West Indies. • B. British legislation intended to raise revenue, tighten customs enforcement, and assert imperial authority in America. The key statute levied import duties on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. • C. An act passed in 1773 that gave a monopoly on tea sales to the East India Company. • D. In 1765 this new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. • E. An American label for the laws sponsored by Lord North's ministry and enacted by the British Parliament in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party. Return to Main Page

25. What was the Proclamation of 1763? • A. It announced France's loss of all its North American ossessions east of the Mississippi. • B. It is also known as the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war. • C. It was made at the end of the French and Indian war and closed the frontier west of the Appalachians to colonial expansion. Return to Main Page

26. What were the primary causes of the French & Indian War? • A. The British colonists and the Algonquin claimed land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi river. • B. The Iroquois and the French colonists wanted access to water ways for trading and trapping between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River • C. The British (English Empire) wanted land and water rights between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. • D. All answers are correct. Return to Main Page

27. Which of the following were consequences of the French and Indian War? • A. Britain gained control of French Canada and all of France's North American possessions east of the Mississippi River. • B. France gained control of Eastern Canada. • C. Spain gained Florida • D. Africa was divided among the French and English. • E. No answers are correct Return to Main Page

28. What was the Proclamation of 1763? • A. It announced France's loss of all its North American possessions east of the Mississippi. • B. It is also known as the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war. • C. It was made at the end of the French and Indian war and closed the frontier west of the Appalachians to colonial expansion. Return to Main Page