Colonial Conflict
What war ended in 1763 and left Britain deeply in debt, contributing to increased control over the colonies?
The French and Indian War
Which single tax remained after most Townshend Acts were repealed in 1770?
The tax on tea.
What group formed to organize colonial protests and boycotts against British policies?
The Sons of Liberty.
What broader intellectual period, also called the Age of Reason, influenced colonial leaders?
The Enlightenment
In what year was the Declaration of Independence adopted by the Continental Congress?
1776
Name the 1763 proclamation that forbade colonists from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains.
The Proclamation of 1763.
What 1765 law required certain printed materials in the colonies to carry a paid stamp?
The Stamp Act.
Who was named in the text as one of the leaders of the Sons of Liberty?
Samuel Adams.
Define "natural rights" as used by Enlightenment thinkers.
Rights that people possess naturally (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness) that governments should protect.
Name the primary author chosen to draft the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson.
Give two reasons colonists were unhappy with British rule after the French and Indian War.
They were forbidden from settling lands they fought for; Britain increased taxes and control; colonists had no representation in Parliament.
Explain the main purpose Britain had for imposing new taxes on the colonies in the 1760s and 1770s.
To raise revenue to pay off war debt and to fund the army stationed in the colonies.
What event on December 16, 1773 involved colonists dressing as American Indians and dumping tea into Boston Harbor?
The Boston Tea Party.
What Enlightenment idea says government gets its power from the people?
Popular sovereignty (consent of the governed).
Write the famous phrase from the Declaration that refers to universal equality.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”
Explain why Britain created forts along the Proclamation Line according to the Proclamation of 1763.
To defend and maintain the colonies, monitor and enforce trade, and to avoid wars with American Indian groups.
What was the colonial slogan that protested taxation without representation?
“No taxation without representation!”
Name three punishments included in the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts.
(1) Closed Boston’s port until tea was paid for; (2) Banned town meetings and placed a military governor over Massachusetts; (3) Reinstituted Quartering Act forcing colonists to house British troops.
Identify two ways Enlightenment ideas influenced Thomas Jefferson when writing the Declaration of Independence.
(1) Natural rights/natural law (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness); (2) Consent of the governed/social contract—limits on government power.
List two specific Enlightenment-based concepts the Declaration includes besides natural rights.
Examples: limitation on government power; consent of the governed (social contract); rights of the citizen.
Describe how colonial defiance of the Proclamation Line demonstrated limits of British control.
Colonists continued to move west past the Appalachians, resisting enforcement; Britain could not easily police settlers, showing colonial willingness to defy laws.
Describe how the Tea Act of 1773 advantaged the British East India Company and affected colonial merchants.
The Tea Act let the British East India Company sell tea directly to the colonies without paying customs duties.
Describe how the Sons of Liberty actions influenced Parliament’s decisions about the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts.
The Sons of Liberty organized protests and boycotts that hurt British trade
Explain the concept of the social contract and how the Declaration used it to justify independence.
The social contract says people give up some freedoms so government protects rights; the Declaration argued Britain broke that contract, thus colonies could replace the government.
The Declaration has three main parts. Name each part and give its purpose in one sentence each.
Preamble — introduction explaining reasons for separation; List of Grievances — detailed complaints against King George III; Conclusion — declares the colonies free and independent states.