The American Revolution

What happened to Loyalists after the American Revolution?

About 90,000 became political refugees.

Why did General Cornwallis retreat from the Carolinas and march north into Virginia?

Cornwallis had decided he could not win the Carolinas after losing two key battles.

What was one of General Washington's skills as a military leader?

Leading retreats that saved the lives of his men.

What role did Parliament play in the events that led to the Boston Tea Party?

Parliament allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to colonists.

In what way could the American victory at Yorktown be called "lucky"?

The French fleet arrived at the right moment to blockade a British escape.

Which important event led neutral civilians in the South to give their support to The Patriots?

The Patriot's decisive victory at Kings Mountain.

What event finally convinced France to recognize American independence and the war against the British?

The Patriot's victory at the Battle of Saratoga.

What events at Kings Mountain caused formerly neutral colonists to support the Patriots?

The Patriots crushed a Loyalist militia, and they executed many of the prisoners.

What was one reason Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown and the Patriots won the war?

The Patriots received critical help from French soldiers and sailors.

After the Treaty of Paris was signed, about 90,000 Loyalists became refugees. Where did about half of them resettle?

The area that later became Canada.

Which of the following contributed to the United States' economic weakness at the beginning of the Revolutionary War?

The lack of authority to collect taxes.

Which act by custom officers began a series of events that led to the Boston Massacre?

The seizure of the merchant ship Liberty for smuggling.

What important responsibility did the Second Continental Congress take on in May 1775?

The war against Great Britain.

At Monmouth, what did the Continental soldiers demonstrate?

Their training at Valley Forge improved their discipline under fire.

In a famous letter of 1776, why did Abigail Adams ask John Adams to "remember the women" while drafting the new nation's laws?

Abigail Adams wanted legal protection for women.

Which American Patriot helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris?

Benjamin Franklin.

What was one difference between the British and American forces at the beginning of the American Revolution?

British troops had better training and more supplies.

Which of the following was included in Patrick Henry's Virginia Resolves?

Colonists could be taxed only by colonial assemblies.

What was one way that colonial governments differed from the British Governments?

Colonists' rights were defined by formal documents. British rights were defined by laws and tradition.

After declaring independence from Great Britain in 1776, what major obstacle did Americans have to overcome to gain independence?

Defeating the greatest military power in the world.

Why did enslaved people run away to join the British forces?

Enslaved people were seeking liberty.

What misguided strategy caused Lord Howe and the British to fail?

Fighting a traditional war rather than trying to win the civilian support.

What role did Benjamin Franklin play in relations between France and the United States?

Franklin was the main negotiator for the alliance with France.

Whom did the Second Continental Congress make supreme command of the Continental Army?

George Washington.

Why were colonists angry that Great Britain had hired German mercenaries?

German mercenaries had a reputation for being particularly brutal in battle.

What was one of the key term of the Treaty of Paris?

Great Britain recognized American independence and granted boundaries.

How did British manufacturing give Great Britain an advantage in the war?

Great Britain was able to build ships and make weapons.

At the Battle of Bunker Hill, why did William Howe order his men to make a frontal assault in broad daylight?

He believed his well-trained soldiers could beat untrained Patriot soldiers under any conditions.

Iroquois League

Included the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas.

How did the Revolutionary War affect the relationship between settlers and Indians?

It increased the fighting between settlers and Indians, leading the settlers to claim more Native American lands.

How did Patriots' victory in the American Revolution affect Native Americans?

It left them vulnerable to the American hunger for land.

Why was the meeting of the First Continental Congress in 1774 a significant event?

It represented an attempt to unify colonies and colonists against the Coercive Acts.

What was the practice of enslaving African Americans after the Revolution?

It was eliminated in the North.

Whom or what did Common Sense name as the greatest enemy to American liberty?

King George III.

Which of the following led the British army to make tactical mistakes that finally led them to lose the Revolutionary War?

Lack of respect for Patriot soldiers.

What was the most important concept that the American Revolution spreed at home and abroad?

Liberty.

Which rights were described as natural rights by philosophers of the Enlightenment?

Life and liberty.

What term is used to refer to the full-time farmers who fought part-time for the Patriots?

Militia.

Under the Treaty of Paris, how much territory did the Americans secure?

More territory than the Patriots had won in the war.

Which document did the Second Continental Congress send King George III to reaffirm allegiance to him, but not to Parliament?

Olive Branch Petition.

Why was the fighting on the frontier in the Revolution especially destructive?

Native Americans attacked colonial settlements, and settlers killed neutral Native Americans.

How did the Treaty of Paris effect Native Americans?

Native Americans were forced to give up large amounts of land.

Which right, under the British form of government, did colonists cherish above all?

No taxation without representation.

What is one reason that the American Revolution led to the emancipation of slaves in the North but not in the South?

Slavery was not critical to the success of the economy in the North.

What was one reason that southern states passed laws after 1800 to discourage manumission?

Southern whites feared that freed blacks would seek revenge for past treatment as slaves.

Which is an important effect of the American Revolution on other countries?

The American Revolution inspired revolutions around the world for years to come.

Victories in which of the following battles helped raise morale when the Patriot cause seemed to be lost?

The Battles of Trenton and Princeton.

How were the results of the British strategy in the South similar to the results in the North?

The British captured large seaports but could not control the countryside.

What was one reason for the failure of British troops in the South?

The British had to divert troops to defend Gulf Coast forts under Spanish attack.

Why did a majority of Native Americans choose to side with the British during the Revolutionary War?

The British said that they would stop colonists from settling in the West.

After General Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown, how did the British public generally feel about the war?

The British were fed up with war's casualties and with heavy taxes levied to pay for war.

Which document states that "all men are created equal"?

The Declaration of Independence.

How did Patrick Henry's words "I am not a Virginian, but an American" symbolize the importance of the First Continental Congress?

The First Continental Congress helped unite the separate colonies.

Why did the colonists protest passage of the Stamp Act?

They believed that without representation in Parliament, they should not be taxed.

At the First Continental Congress, what significant action did delegates organize against the British?

They called for a boycott of all British imports.

Which statement is true about the Loyalists?

They felt that Parliament and the Crown must be obeyed as the legitimate government of the Empire.

What did the colonists do to let Britain's Parliament know they were against new taxes?

They stopped buying British goods.

Why did southern whites discourage freeing slaves after the Revolution?

They thought freed slaves would seek revenge.

What did the Sons of Liberty do to protest the Stamp Act?

They tore down the office of the tax collector and destroyed his home.

Which of the following Patriots drafted the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson.

Which Patriot wrote an influential book that denounced British aristocrats as frauds and parasites?

Thomas Paine.

Why did General Thomas Gage send soldiers to Lexington?

To arrest colonial leaders in hiding in there.

Why did approximately 5,000 African Americans join Patriot militias or the Continental Navy or Army?

To gain their freedom.

Why did the Sons of Liberty form?

To lead popular protests against the Stamp Act.

Why did George Washington make the risky move of crossing the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776?

To make a surprise attack on German mercenaries in Trenton, New Jersey.

Why did Parliament raise taxes on the colonies after the French and Indian War?

To pay war debts and keep the colonies safe.

Why did Thomas Paine write Common Sense?

To persuade the colonies to declare independence.

Why did Parliament pass the Coercive Acts?

To punish colonists for the Boston Tea Party.

Why did colonial women gather to spin thread and weave cloth?

To support colonial boycotts against British-made goods.

Which term might a Loyalist have used to describe a Patriot gathering or committee?

Unlawful.

When Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal", to whom was he most likely referring?

White men.

Why was manumission banned in the South after 1800?

Whites feared that free blacks would seek revenge for past treatment.

What effect did the American Revolution have on the role of women in society?

Women began to speak out about issues that affected their ability to raise their children.