American Revolution 1
Who was the American Revolutionary War fought against?
A) France
B) Germany
C) Great Britain
Great Britain
The American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) was initiated by delegates from thirteen American colonies against Great Britain over their objection to Parliament's taxation policies and lack of colonial representation.
What secret revolutionary organization was responsible for the Boston Tea Party?
A) Sons of Freedom
B) Sons of Liberty
C) Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty was founded by Samuel Adams to fight taxation by the British government. Their motto became, "No taxation without representation."
What was the name of civilian colonists who independently organized to form militia companies during the American Revolutionary War?
A) Guerillas
B) Minutemen
C) Factionists
Minutemen
The minutemen were among the first to fight in the American Revolution. Their teams constituted about a quarter of the entire militia and were known for being ready at a minute's notice.
What fort did Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys capture in 1775?
A) Fort Cumberland
B) Fort Ticonderoga
C) Fort Henry
Fort Ticonderoga
On May 10, 1775, a small force of Green Mountain Boys led by Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict Arnold surprised and captured Fort Ticonderoga. The cannons and other armaments at the fort were later transported to Boston by Colonel Henry Knox and used to fortify Dorchester Heights and break the standoff at the siege of Boston.
Who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence?
A) James Madison
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) Benjamin Franklin
Thomas Jefferson
The Declaration of Independence was prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author.
What Act of Parliament was responsible for the tensions that eventually led to the American Revolution?
A) Customs Act
B) Stamp Act
C) Textiles Act
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 imposed a direct tax on the British colonies in America and required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London. Printed materials subject to the Stamp Act included legal documents, magazines, playing cards, newspapers, and many other types of paper used throughout the colonies. The Stamp Act was very unpopular among colonists, most of whom considered it a violation of their rights as Englishmen to be taxed without their consent.
What did protestors disguise themselves as at the Boston Tea Party?
A) Native Americans
B) British Soldiers
C) Dock Workers
Native Americans
The names of many of those involved in the Boston Tea Party remain unknown. Thanks to their Native American costumes, only one of the tea party culprits, Francis Akeley, was arrested and imprisoned.
What was the first battle of the American Revolution?
A) Battle of Lexington
B) Battle of Yorktown
C) Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Lexington
The first shots of the war were fired just as the sun was rising at Lexington on April 19, 1775. The militia was outnumbered and fell back, and the regulars proceeded on to Concord, where they broke apart into companies to search for supplies.
What petition did the Second Continental Congress send King George III in a final attempt to avoid war?
A) Olive Branch Petition
B) Peace Pipe Petition
C) White Flag Petition
Olive Branch Petition
After the Patriot victory at Concord, moderates in Congress led by John Dickinson drafted the Olive Branch Petition, offering to accept royal authority in return for George III mediating in the dispute, but it was followed by the July 6 Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, which made its success unlikely. King George formally declared the colonists traitors without even reading the petition.
Which intellectual movement is associated with the American Revolution?
A) The Enlightenment
B) Existentialism
C) The Renaissance
The Enlightenment
Many of the major political and intellectual figures behind the American Revolution associated themselves closely with The Enlightenment. Benjamin Franklin visited Europe repeatedly and contributed actively to the scientific and political debates there and brought the newest ideas back to Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson closely followed European ideas and later incorporated some of the ideals of the Enlightenment into the Declaration of Independence. And James Madison incorporated these ideals into the United States Constitution during its framing in 1787.
The Boston Massacre started with a disagreement over _____.
A) A flag
B) A wig
C) A pig
A wig
It all started with a wig! A wigmaker's apprentice, 13-year-old Edward Garrick, accused a British officer, Captain Lieutenant John Goldfinch, of refusing to pay his master's bill. Tensions escalated, and British troops fired on rock-throwing civilians in what became known as the Boston Massacre.
What punitive laws were passed by the British Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party?
A) The Intolerable Acts
B) The Vindictive Acts
C) The Diabolical Acts
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts (referred to as the Coercive Acts in Great Britain), were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party protest. The acts took away self-governance and rights that Massachusetts had enjoyed since its founding, triggering outrage and indignation in the Thirteen Colonies.
Who is best known for his midnight ride alerting the colonial militia to the approach of British forces?
A) Alexander Hamilton
B) Crispus Attucks
C) Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere's Midnight Ride occurred on the night of April 18, 1775, immediately before the battles of Lexington and Concord, the first engagements of the American Revolutionary War. By giving advance warning of the British Army's actions, the ride played a crucial role in the subsequent battles.
On what day did Congress vote for American independence?
A) July 3, 1876
B) July 4, 1776
C) July 2, 1776
July 2, 1776
Although the Continental Congress declared independence on July 4, they actually voted to declare independence two days earlier, on July 2, 1776. John Adams would later write to his wife: "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America.... It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."
What American patriot was hanged in 1776 for spying on the British?
A) John Sullivan
B) Thomas Mifflin
C) Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale volunteered on September 8, 1776, to go behind enemy lines and report on British troop movements in New York City, but he was captured by the British and executed. Hale has long been considered an American hero and, in 1985, he was officially designated the state hero of Connecticut.
What future U.S. president served as defense lawyer for the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre?
A) John Adams
B) James Madison
C) James Monroe
John Adams
Eight soldiers, one officer, and four civilians were arrested and charged with murder, and they were defended by future U.S. President John Adams. Six of the soldiers were acquitted. The other two were convicted of manslaughter but granted reduced sentences by pleading benefit of clergy, which reduced their punishment from a death sentence to branding of the thumb in open court.
Which of the Intolerable Acts required Americans to house British soldiers?
A) Homestead Act
B) The Bedfellow Act
C) The Quartering Act
The Quartering Act
The Quartering Act applied to all of the colonies, and sought to create a more effective method of housing British troops in America. It allowed a governor to house soldiers in other buildings if suitable quarters were not provided. While many sources claim that the Quartering Act allowed troops to occupy private homes, historian David Ammerman's 1974 study claimed that this is a myth, and that the act only permitted troops to be quartered in unoccupied buildings.
What animal is depicted on a Revolutionary War flag?
A) Grizzly Bear
B) Bald Eagle
C) Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag commonly used during the revolution, with a yellow field depicting a timber rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Beneath the rattlesnake are the words: "Don't Tread on Me".
On the original American flag, what shape were the thirteen stars arranged in?
A) Triangle
B) Circle
C) Square
Circle
The stars on the original flag were in a circle so all the Colonies would appear equal.
What European nation provided significant military support to America during the Revolutionary War?
A) France
B) Spain
C) Germany
France
The Treaty of Alliance was a defensive alliance between the Kingdom of France and the United States of America formed amid the American Revolutionary War with Great Britain. This agreement marked the official entry of the United States on the world stage, and formalized French recognition and support of U.S. independence that was to be decisive in America's victory.
In what city did American colonists famously dump an entire shipment of East India Company tea into the harbor?
A) Baltimore
B) Boston
C) New York
Boston
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest in defiance of the Tea Act of May 10, 1773. Protesters destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company.
What pamphlet did Thomas Paine publish advocating American independence from Great Britain?
A) The Federalist Papers
B) The Social Contract
C) Common Sense
Common Sense
Common Sense was a 47-page pamphlet published anonymously on January 10, 1776. It became an immediate sensation and was read aloud at taverns and meeting places. Historian Gordon S. Wood described Common Sense as, "The most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era."
Which Founding Father said: "Give me liberty, or give me death?"
A) Thomas Paine
B) Samuel Adams
C) Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an American attorney, planter, politician, and orator best known for his declaration to the Second Virginia Convention: "Give me liberty, or give me death!" A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia, from 1776 to 1779 and from 1784 to 1786.
Which Founding Father is known for his large signature on the United States Declaration of Independence?
A) Samuel Adams
B) William Whipple
C) John Hancock
John Hancock
John Hancock is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence, so much so that the term "John Hancock" has become a synonym in the United States for one's signature.
What woman followed her husband into battle during the American Revolutionary War and took his post when he was killed?
A) Emma Goldman
B) Margaret Corbin
C) Grace Martin
Margaret Corbin
On November 16, 1776, Margaret Cochran Corbin was allowed to accompany her husband into battle as a nurse for injured soldiers. She was standing next to her husband when he fell during battle and took his post firing a cannon until she too was seriously wounded.