The Stamp Act
What reason did Parliament give for passing the Stamp Act?
A. To control printing presses in the colonies
B. To raise money for British troops stationed in America
C. To reward loyal governors for their service
D. To limit communication between colonies
B. To raise money for British troops stationed in America
What emotion did Revere’s engraving aim to create in its audience?
A. Fear of rebellion
B. Sympathy for the colonists
C. Respect for the soldiers
D. Trust in Parliament
B. Sympathy for the colonists
Why did colonists disguise themselves during the Tea Party?
A. To blame Native Americans
B. To show unity and avoid being identified
C. To hide from other colonists
D. To entertain the crowd
B. To show unity and avoid being identified
What was Britain’s main goal in passing the Coercive Acts?
A. To punish Boston and restore order
B. To reduce taxes on imported goods
C. To create colonial representation
D. To improve trade with France
A. To punish Boston and restore order
Which odd item was sometimes used to pay taxes in the colonies before paper money was common?
A. Tobacco
B. Buttons
C. Wheat flour
D. Seashells
A. Tobacco
According to the Virginia Resolves, why was the Stamp Act unfair?
A. It taxed imported goods
B. It was passed without colonial consent
C. It supported Native alliances
D. It punished rebellious printers
B. It was passed without colonial consent
How does Preston’s testimony differ from Revere’s engraving?
A. Preston blames the crowd; Revere blames the soldiers
B. Preston blames the soldiers; Revere blames the crowd
C. Both claim it was a peaceful protest
D. Both describe British troops as heroes
A. Preston blames the crowd; Revere blames the soldiers
Based on Source A, what do the protestors’ actions reveal about their intentions?
A. They sought to destroy British ships
B. They wanted to show disciplined resistance
C. They hoped to join Parliament
D. They aimed to start a war
B. They wanted to show disciplined resistance
According to Source B, how did other colonies respond?
A. They stayed neutral
B. They sent help and united in protest
C. They supported the punishment of Boston
D. They turned against Massachusetts
B. They sent help and united in protest
What strange drink did colonists often serve at breakfast, even to children?
A. Hot cider
B. Weak beer
C. Sweet tea
D. Root coffee
B. Weak beer
How did the Stamp Act challenge traditional English ideas about government?
A. It gave colonies more independence
B. It ignored the idea of “no taxation without representation”
C. It encouraged colonists to form their own army
D. It abolished local assemblies
B. It ignored the idea of “no taxation without representation”
Why would patriots have circulated Revere’s engraving widely?
A. To promote fair trials
B. To encourage loyalty to Britain
C. To convince colonists that British soldiers were violent oppressors
D. To advertise Boston as a safe city
C. To convince colonists that British soldiers were violent oppressors
What does Lord North’s speech suggest about Britain’s reaction?
A. Parliament viewed the Tea Party as a crime that required punishment
B. Britain saw it as a misunderstanding
C. Parliament offered negotiation and apology
D. The king ignored the event completely
A. Parliament viewed the Tea Party as a crime that required punishment
What right was most clearly violated under the Coercive Acts?
A. Right to trial by local jury
B. Freedom of religion
C. Freedom of speech
D. Right to petition the king
A. Right to trial by local jury
During protests of the Stamp Act, what unusual item did mobs sometimes burn in the streets to mock tax officials?
A. Rag dolls dressed as British tax collectors
B. Empty tea crates
C. Piles of old coins
D. Fake newspapers
A. Rag dolls dressed as British tax collectors
The Stamp Act (Source A) said the tax was needed to pay for British soldiers. The Virginia Resolves (Source B) argued that Parliament had no right to tax the colonists because they weren't represented. What is the main idea that combines these two sources to explain the start of the conflict?
A. The fight was about money; the colonists didn't want to pay for the soldiers, even if Parliament lowered the tax.
B. The conflict was about power and authority. Britain wanted to prove Parliament could pass any law it wanted (Source A), and the colonies argued that the right to tax themselves was a core freedom that Parliament could not take away (Source B).
C. The colonists feared the British soldiers would stop them from printing newspapers, so they protested the tax to protect their freedom of the press.
D. Parliament was angry that the colonies didn't help pay for the Seven Years' War, so they created the Stamp Act as punishment.
B. The conflict was about power and authority. Britain wanted to prove Parliament could pass any law it wanted (Source A), and the colonies argued that the right to tax themselves was a core freedom that Parliament could not take away (Source B).
Paul Revere's engraving (Source A) makes the soldiers look like evil killers, while Captain Preston's testimony (Source B) makes the soldiers look like they were confused and acting in self-defense against a mob. What is the main problem a historian faces when trying to find the historical truth using these two sources?
A. The biggest challenge is that Source A is a strong piece of propaganda designed to make colonists angry, while Source B is a limited personal defense of a chaotic event, making it hard to know if the soldiers fired on purpose or by accident.
B. Historians always trust court testimony (Source B) over pictures (Source A), so they just throw out the engraving as meaningless.
C. Source A proves the colonists were peaceful, and Source B proves the soldiers were clearly given an order to fire, so the facts are actually very clear.
D. The problem is that neither source explains why the British soldiers were in Boston in the first place, which is the most important fact.
A. The biggest challenge is that Source A is a strong piece of propaganda designed to make colonists angry, while Source B is a limited personal defense of a chaotic event, making it hard to know if the soldiers fired on purpose or by accident.
George Hewes (Source A) stresses that the protestors were disciplined: they only destroyed the tea and stopped any theft or drunkenness. Lord North (Source B) called the whole thing "open rebellion." Why was the protestors' careful discipline (Source A) an important strategy for their "rebellion" (Source B)?
A. They hoped that if they were disciplined, the British would only make them pay for the tea instead of punishing them with new laws.
B. The discipline was only meant to impress the Native Americans who were watching the event from the shore.
C. By only destroying the tea, the protestors showed they were making a political statement against the principle of the tax, rather than just being a lawless mob seeking profit. This forced Lord North to react to an ideological challenge instead of simple criminal looting.
D. Being disciplined meant they couldn't be caught or punished by the British authorities.
C. By only destroying the tea, the protestors showed they were making a political statement against the principle of the tax, rather than just being a lawless mob seeking profit. This forced Lord North to react to an ideological challenge instead of simple criminal looting.
The Coercive Acts (Source A) were meant to punish Massachusetts alone by closing its port and stopping its local government. Yet, the Virginia House of Burgesses (Source B) called the acts an attack on the liberties of all the colonies. How did the specific punishments of the Coercive Acts (Source A) cause the other colonies to quickly unite (Source B)?
A. The punishment was so harsh that every colony feared they would be next.
B. The colonies were told by the King that if any single colony resisted, they would all be punished.
C. Virginia was financially dependent on the Boston port, so they had to act to save their own economy.
D. By closing the port, stopping town meetings, and changing the colonial charter (Source A), the Acts proved that Parliament was willing to destroy self-government in any colony.
D. By closing the port, stopping town meetings, and changing the colonial charter (Source A), the Acts proved that Parliament was willing to destroy self-government in any colony.
What surprising role did the Liberty Tree in Boston play before being cut down by loyalists?
A. It was used for posting British laws
B. It served as a meeting place and symbol of resistance
C. It was owned by the royal governor
D. It marked the edge of Boston’s main market
B. It served as a meeting place and symbol of resistance
Imagine Parliament agreed with the Virginia Resolves (Source B) that only the colonial assemblies could pass taxes. What would have been the most significant long-term result for the British Empire?
A. The colonies would have immediately separated from Great Britain because they would see the British government as weak.
B. It would have limited the power of Parliament over the colonies, allowing colonial governments to control their own money. This would have created a new kind of empire where colonies governed themselves more independently.
C. The King would have taken over all the power from Parliament and passed even tougher laws on the colonies instead of taxes.
D. The colonists would have stopped trading with Great Britain and only traded with France and Spain.
B. It would have limited the power of Parliament over the colonies, allowing colonial governments to control their own money. This would have created a new kind of empire where colonies governed themselves more independently.
Considering how different people viewed the event (Source A vs. Source B), how did the Boston Massacre most immediately change the way colonists felt about the conflict with Britain?
A. It convinced colonists that military force was necessary, so they immediately raised their own army.
B. It created a powerful, emotional symbol of British cruelty (tyranny) and violence against citizens, turning a political fight over taxes into a much more personal fight about the safety and fundamental rights of all colonists.
C. The fairness of the trial (where soldiers were defended by John Adams) made colonists realize the British legal system was just, so protests stopped for several years.
D. It caused all British soldiers to be pulled out of Boston immediately, lowering the tension between the two sides.
B. It created a powerful, emotional symbol of British cruelty (tyranny) and violence against citizens, turning a political fight over taxes into a much more personal fight about the safety and fundamental rights of all colonists.
Since Lord North viewed the Tea Party as an "act of open rebellion" (Source B), what action was he most likely to argue for in Parliament, and what was his goal?
A. He would suggest they stop taxing the colonies completely to prevent future violent acts.
B. He would demand that the Boston protestors pay for the tea, and once they did, the issue would be over.
C. He would push for punishment laws (like the Intolerable Acts) that targeted all of Massachusetts. His goal would be to show the Crown would not tolerate colonists ignoring the law and to force them back into obedience.
D. He would ask the King to step down, admitting that the British government was unable to control the colonies peacefully.
C. He would push for punishment laws (like the Intolerable Acts) that targeted all of Massachusetts. His goal would be to show the Crown would not tolerate colonists ignoring the law and to force them back into obedience.
The Intolerable Acts (Source A) were Britain's final and strongest reaction to years of colonial defiance. How do the specific details of the Intolerable Acts (Source A) directly reject the core idea of self-government demanded in the Virginia Resolves (Category 1, Source B)?
A. The Acts, by forbidding town meetings and stopping the elected government (revoking the charter), completely went against the Resolves' claim that only local assemblies have the right to govern.
B. The punishment laws only applied to Massachusetts, which proved that Britain still respected the self-government rights of Virginia.
C. By moving trials to England, the British were showing they wanted to make peace with the colonists and stop the fighting.
D. By closing the port, Britain was financially supporting the Virginia Resolves' idea of no taxation without representation.
A. The Acts, by forbidding town meetings and stopping the elected government (revoking the charter), completely went against the Resolves' claim that only local assemblies have the right to govern.
Which odd superstition spread among British soldiers after the Boston Massacre?
A. That Boston Harbor was haunted by tea spirits
B. That wearing red coats cursed them with bad luck
C. That colonists used witchcraft to make them miss shots
D. That a ghost drummer warned of rebellion
D. That a ghost drummer warned of rebellion