Category 1: Thinking Like a Historian
Which of these is a primary source?
A. A U.S. History textbook
B. A podcast about the Constitution
C. A letter written by a soldier in 1776
D. A timeline from a website
Correct: C
Explanation: Primary sources are original records from the time, like letters or speeches.
Which colonial region relied most on shipbuilding and fishing?
A. Southern Colonies
B. Appalachian Frontier
C. New England Colonies
D. Middle Colonies
✅ Correct Answer: C
📘 Explanation: The New England Colonies had poor soil, so they focused on ocean-based industries like fishing and trade.
Why did colonists protest "taxation without representation"?
A. They disliked all taxes
B. They were denied a trial by jury
C. They could not vote in British Parliament
D. They wanted independence immediately
✅ Correct Answer: C
📘 Explanation: Colonists were being taxed by Parliament without having elected representatives, which they believed violated their rights.
What was the main purpose of the Declaration of Independence?
A. To form a new Constitution
B. To end slavery
C. To declare freedom from British rule
D. To support Parliament
✅ Correct Answer: C
📘 Explanation: The Declaration officially stated the colonies’ separation from Great Britain and justified their decision.
What is a “grievance”?
A. A request for money
B. A formal complaint
C. A type of colonial coin
D. A government job
✅ Correct Answer: B
📘 Explanation: A grievance is an official complaint, often about unfair treatment by the government.
What is the purpose of using chronological thinking in history?
A. To understand when and why events happened
B. To memorize names of leaders
C. To organize regions by population
D. To write fictional stories
✅ Correct Answer: A
📘 Explanation: Chronological thinking helps historians place events in order and understand how they are connected.
Why did many colonists settle in America during the 1600s?
A. To gain access to free health care
B. To escape religious persecution
C. To join the British army
D. To learn new farming methods
✅ Correct Answer: B
📘 Explanation: Groups like the Pilgrims and Quakers came to the colonies to freely practice their religion.
What was the result of the French and Indian War for Britain?
A. Gained more land and increased debt
B. Lost control of the 13 colonies
C. Declared war on Spain
D. Ended its monarchy
✅ Correct Answer: A
📘 Explanation: After the war, Britain gained territory but also had a large debt, leading them to tax the colonies.
Who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence?
A. Thomas Jefferson
B. George Washington
C. John Adams
D. Benjamin Franklin
✅ Correct Answer: A
📘 Explanation: Thomas Jefferson wrote the majority of the Declaration, adopted on July 4, 1776.
What is a “Loyalist”?
A. Someone who supported colonial independence
B. A British merchant
C. A colonist who supported the king
D. A soldier in Washington’s army
✅ Correct Answer: C
📘 Explanation: Loyalists stayed loyal to Britain and opposed the Revolution.
Which of the following is a secondary source?
A. A newspaper from 1776
B. A modern podcast analyzing the Boston Massacre
C. A letter from a Continental soldier
D. The Declaration of Independence
✅ Correct Answer: B
📘 Explanation: A modern podcast interpreting a past event is created after the fact, so it’s a secondary source.
Which colonial region was known for religious tolerance and grain farming?
A. Southern Colonies
B. Middle Colonies
C. New England Colonies
D. Western Colonies
✅ Correct Answer: B
📘 Explanation: The Middle Colonies, like Pennsylvania, welcomed different faiths and grew wheat and other grains.
What event involved colonists dumping British tea into a harbor to protest taxes?
A. Stamp Act Crisis
B. Boston Massacre
C. Tea Act Riots
D. Boston Tea Party
✅ Correct Answer: D
📘 Explanation: The Boston Tea Party was a direct protest against British taxation and the Tea Act of 1773.
What idea from the Enlightenment is reflected in the Declaration?
A. The king is always right
B. Governments are chosen by religion
C. All men are created equal
D. Colonies must always obey the king
✅ Correct Answer: C
📘 Explanation: Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke believed people had natural rights — life, liberty, and equality.
What does the word “Patriot” mean in the context of the Revolution?
A. A soldier hired from another country
B. A colonist who supported British rule
C. A colonist who wanted independence
D. A government tax collector
✅ Correct Answer: C
📘 Explanation: Patriots supported the American cause for independence from Britain.
Why do historians compare multiple sources?
A. To discover biased perspectives and improve accuracy
B. To find the most popular document
C. To look for hidden codes
D. To collect rare images
✅ Correct Answer: A
📘 Explanation: Comparing sources helps reveal bias, confirm facts, and build a more accurate picture of the past.
What describes the plantation system in the South?
A. Public land programs in the West
B. Factories for cotton cloth
C. Large farms using enslaved labor to grow cash crops
D. Small family-run farms
✅ Correct Answer: C
📘 Explanation: Plantations were large Southern farms that used enslaved labor to grow crops like tobacco and cotton.
What was significant about the Battles of Lexington and Concord?
A. They were the first battles of the Revolutionary War
B. They ended the war
C. They began the Civil War
D. They were naval battles
✅ Correct Answer: A
📘 Explanation: These battles marked the first armed conflict between the colonies and British troops in 1775.
What were the grievances in the Declaration of Independence mostly about?
A. Unfair laws and taxes imposed by King George III
B. French alliances
C. Local farming issues
D. Trade with Spain
✅ Correct Answer: A
📘 Explanation: The colonists listed complaints about King George violating their rights, like taxation without consent.
What are “unalienable rights”?
A. Laws passed by Congress
B. Rights that cannot be taken away
C. Freedoms earned by royalty
D. Traditions passed down through families
✅ Correct Answer: B
📘 Explanation: The Declaration states that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are rights no one can take away.
What is a historical argument?
A. A fictional version of a real event
B. A heated debate between two historians
C. A claim about the past supported by evidence
D. A list of all dates in a timeline
✅ Correct Answer: C
📘 Explanation: A historical argument is an explanation about the past that is backed by facts and sources.
Why did self-government develop in the colonies?
A. British governors demanded it
B. Colonists needed local control due to distance from England
C. The king created a constitution for America
D. Towns wanted to remove laws
✅ Correct Answer: B
📘 Explanation: Because England was far away, colonists formed local assemblies to govern themselves.
Why did the colonists write the Declaration of Independence?
A. To demand more tea
B. To remain loyal to Britain
C. To officially separate from Britain and explain why
D. To avoid fighting in the war
✅ Correct Answer: C
📘 Explanation: The Declaration was written to list reasons for separation and declare the colonies as an independent nation.
What was the purpose of the Continental Congress?
A. To help the British military
B. To form a national religion
C. To discuss colonial concerns and eventually declare independence
D. To trade goods with Europe
✅ Correct Answer: C
📘 Explanation: Colonial leaders met in the Continental Congress to coordinate resistance and unite the colonies.
What does “taxation without representation” mean?
A. Colonists were taxed by their own governors
B. Colonists paid taxes in return for land
C. Colonists were taxed by a Parliament where they had no vote
D. Colonists refused to pay local leaders
✅ Correct Answer: C
📘 Explanation: Colonists believed it was unfair to be taxed by a government they had no voice in.