Taxes & Trouble
(Causes of the War)
(Causes of the War)
What 1765 law placed a direct tax on newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards in the colonies?
The Stamp Act (Created by Elijah Chan)
What special unit of colonial militia was trained to be ready to fight at a moment's notice?
Minutemen (Created by Laffayette Edwards; Inspired by Geneva Obrien)
Who was chosen by the Continental Congress as the primary author to draft the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson (Created by Geneva Obrien; Inspired by RJ Edwards)
Who was appointed by the Continental Congress to serve as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army?
George Washington (Created by Seth Hall; Inspired by Laffayette Edwards)
What form of government is established when power resides in voting citizens who elect representatives to govern according to laws?
A Republic (Created by Raqzen Santos; Inspired by Seth Hall)
What snowball-and-ice throwing incident between Boston colonists and British soldiers escalated into gunfire that killed five people?
The Boston Massacre (Created by Jax Wagers; Inspired by RJ Edwards)
In what two Massachusetts towns were the very first military clashes of the Revolutionary War fought on April 19, 1775?
Lexington and Concord (Created by Simon Rich; Inspired by Raqzen Santos)
On what exact month, day, and year was the Declaration of Independence formally adopted in Philadelphia?
July 4, 1776 (Created by Raqzen Santos; Inspired by Ruth Liben)
On Christmas night in 1776, George Washington led a surprise attack across the icy Delaware River to defeat Hessian troops in what battle?
The Battle of Trenton (Created by Joonwhi Park; Inspired by RJ Edwards)
Who wrote The American Spelling Book and an 1828 dictionary to standardize American English separate from British English?
Noah Webster (Created by Ruth Liben; Inspired by Jackson Reeves)
What war between Great Britain and France left Britain with a massive national debt, leading Parliament to tax the American colonies?
The French and Indian War (Created by Joonwhi Park; Inspired by Raqzen Santos)
What persuasive 1776 pamphlet written by Thomas Paine convinced many colonists to support complete independence from King George III?
Common Sense (Created by Ruth Liben; Inspired by RJ Edwards)
Which English Enlightenment philosopher influenced Thomas Jefferson with the idea that people have natural rights and that government relies on the consent of the governed?
John Locke (Created by Jax Wagers; Inspired by Joonwhi Park)
Why was the 1777 Battle of Saratoga considered the major turning point of the Revolutionary War?
It convinced France to enter the war as an official American ally (Created by Ruth Liben; Inspired by Seth Hall)
What landmark Virginia legislation, written by Thomas Jefferson, declared that the state could no longer collect taxes for an official church?
The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (Created by Seth Hall; Inspired by Joonwhi Park)
What agreement was signed by colonial merchants pledging not to buy or import British goods as a form of protest against taxes?
Non Importation agreement (Created by Jackson Reeves; Inspired by RJ Edwards)
What term described colonists who remained loyal to King George III and opposed breaking away from the British Empire?
Loyalists (or Tories) (Created by Geneva Obrien; Inspired by Seth Hall)
According to the Declaration of Independence, what are the three unalienable rights that all people are endowed with by their Creator?
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness (Created by Simon Rich; Inspired by Raqzen Santos)
What 1781 battle in Virginia ended with British General Cornwallis surrendering his army to combined American and French forces?
The Siege of Yorktown (Created by Jackson Reeves; Inspired by Geneva Obrien)
What principle, championed by John Adams, divides government power among executive, legislative, and judicial branches to prevent tyranny?
Checks and Balances (Created by Joonwhi Park; Inspired by Ruth Liben)
What 1763 Royal Proclamation prohibited American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains?
Proclamation of 1763 (Created by Seth Hall)
What official document did King George III issue after rejecting the Olive Branch Petition, declaring the colonies to be in open rebellion?
Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition (Created by Jackson Reeves; Inspired by Laffayette Edwards)
What major American institution directly contradicted the Declaration's claim that "all men are created equal"?
Slavery (Created by RJ Edwards; Inspired by Joonwhi Park)
What major geographic and logistical disadvantage hindered the British army throughout the Revolutionary War?
Operating 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean with long supply lines (Created by Simon Rich; Inspired by RJ Edwards)
Following the Revolutionary War, how did Northern states begin taking legal action against the institution of slavery?
By passing gradual emancipation laws (Created by Raqzen Santos; Inspired by Ruth Liben)