Unit 2
In which of the following ways did the Rockingham ministry in Britain fashion a compromise to the Stamp Act crisis in 1766?
It repealed the Stamp Act, lowered the molasses tax, and crafted the Declaratory Act.
Who led the moderate faction at the Second Continental Congress and won approval of a petition expressing loyalty to George III and asking for a repeal of oppressive parliamentary legislation?
John Dickinson
Which of the following actions did Lord North's government take in response to the First Continental Congress in 1775?
Labeling the Continental Congress an illegal assembly
What spurred the British Parliament to repeal the Tea Act in 1778?
Parliament hoped it would aid Britain's efforts to seek a negotiated peace with the Continental Congress.
Which Patriot leader persuaded Bostonians to create the first committee of correspondence?
Samuel Adams
Why was Abigail Adams a notable figure in the Revolutionary era?
She criticized Patriots like her husband John and insisted on equal legal rights for married women.
The three-fifths compromise dealt with which of the following issues?
Slavery
Which of the following statements most describes the colonial boycott efforts of 1768-1769?
Support began in seaport cities, then spread to more major population centers.
Which of the following statements describes the historical significance of the April 1776 Battle of Lexington and Concord?
The bloodshed that took place made further compromise impossible.
On what basis did the American colonists object to the vice-admiralty courts in which violators of the Sugar Act were tried?
The courts were run by British-appointed judges and did not involve juries.
Which of the following statements describes the Stamp Act Congress, which was held in New York in 1765?
The delegates protested loss of American liberties and challenged the act's constitutionality.
The colonists' real objections to the Sugar Act stemmed from which of the following?
The growing administrative power of the British government over the colonies
In the 1760s and early 1770s, lawyers and other educated Americans used common-law arguments mainly to
assert the colonists' rights and liberties as Englishmen.
At the same time that Parliament imposed the Stamp Act, it also passed the Quartering Act, which required
colonial governments to provide barracks and food for British troops sent to America to protect them.
Why did New Englanders resent the Quebec Act of 1774?
It recognized Catholicism as the official religion of Quebec.
What percentage of the average American colonists' income in the 1760s was typically spent on taxes?
25 percent
The Great Compromise led to which of the following outcomes?
A bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives and a Senate.
England had a clear advantage at the outset of the Revolutionary War, but Americans had which of the following factors operating in their favor?
A more motivated military
The British strategy in its military campaign in the South in 1778 relied on which of the following factors?
A plan to use Loyalists to administer the territories they expected to capture
What did Shays's Rebellion, which took place in Massachusetts in the winter of 1786-1787, demonstrate to American political leaders?
A stronger national government was needed to solve the nation's monetary problems.
Which of the following individuals would have been an unlikely Loyalist in 1776?
A yeoman farmer in Connecticut
Which of the following statements explains the Patriots' successful revolution against Great Britain?
About one-third of the population strongly supported the war and was willing to finance the fighting through inflation.
Patriots' widely publicized use of natural rights arguments to protest British actions in the 1760s inspired which of the following?
African American slaves to petition the Massachusetts legislature for the abolition of slavery
The ideas expressed in the excerpt most strongly suggest which of the following about that time?
American colonists eagerly sought out news and information related to their ongoing struggle with Britain.
Members of activist groups, such as the Sons of Liberty, were typically which of the following?
Artisans, shopkeepers, poor laborers, and seamen
Which of the following statements describes the American Revolution's impact on civilians in areas that saw military conflicts?
Both British and American troops were known to loot farms and harass and rape civilian women.
In the decade before the American Revolution, the colonists' achieved the greatest effect by using which of the following means of protest?
Boycotts
Which of the following statements characterizes responses to the planned Stamp Act?
British politicians, with the exception of William Pitt, refused to consider the idea of American representation in Parliament.
The Constitution, as completed on September 17, 1787, gave the national government which of the following?
Broad powers over taxation, military defense, and commerce
Why did it take the Continental Congress several years to ratify the Articles of Confederation?
Disputes over western land claims led some states to block ratification.
Through which of the following actions did Sir Henry Clinton launch his southern campaign in 1778?
Capturing Savannah, Georgia, and mobilizing hundreds of blacks
Although women made few gains in the eighteenth century, they did achieve a degree of progress in 1790 when they won which of the following?
Equal access to public education in Massachusetts
Which of the following statements characterizes the participation of farmers in the Patriot movement by 1774?
Farmers, angered by high taxes and Britain's demands that their sons do military service, increasingly backed the rebel cause.
Which of the following factors was among those that motivated many merchants, artisans, and journeymen to protest against the Stamp Act?
Fear that their personal liberty would be undermined
Which of the following statements describes the Boston Massacre, which took place on March 5, 1770?
Five Bostonians were shot and killed by British troops who were later exonerated of the crime.
Despite the favorable terms Americans achieved in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, they could not ultimately secure which of the following?
Forgiveness of their debts to British merchants
Why did British and American diplomats take nearly two years to conclude a peace treaty after the British surrendered at Yorktown?
France and Spain stalled, hoping for some major naval victory or territorial conquest before the official peace.
Which event turned the tide of the war after Britain's series of victories in the South in the late 1770s?
French troops' arrival in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1780
Why did the British General Gage refuse to use his military force to protect the stamps that were to be used once the Stamp Act took effect?
Gage believed that military force would disperse the protests but spark an insurrection.
Which of these events occurred at the Battle of Long Island in August 1776?
General Howe and his British troops forced the Americans to retreat to Manhattan Island.
Which of the following events took place during the Second Continental Congress in 1775?
George Washington became head of the Continental army.
For which of the following reasons did the British government resolve to punish the boycotters and enforce the Towshend Duties by 1769?
Hard-hit by the boycott, British merchants and manufacturers petitioned Parliament to repeal the Townshend Duties.
American antifederalist Patrick Henry opposed the ratification of the Constitution for which of the following reasons?
He feared high taxes, a large bureaucracy, and a standing army.
Which of the following factors explains George Washington's success as an American military leader?
His ability to maintain the support and morale of Continental Congress, state governments, and the Continental army.
George Grenville designed the Sugar Act of 1764 to accomplish which of the following?
Improve colonial merchants' compliance with customs laws
Why was the popular pamphlet entitled Common Sense significant?
It called for republicanism and convinced many colonists of the need to fight for American independence.
Why was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 significant?
It prohibited slavery in the territory and earmarked funds from land sales for public schools.
How did the finances of the Continental Congress compare to those of the states during the first two years of the Revolutionary War?
Like the states, the Continental Congress lacked income and issued paper money in an effort to sustain itself.
How did the authorities in Great Britain respond to the American boycott of 1768-1769?
Lord Hillsborough--secretary of state for American affairs--dispatched British troops to Boston.
Which of the following outcomes resulted from the Continental Congress' approval of the Declaration of Independence?
Loyalists and anti-independence moderates left the Congress.
Which of the following statements characterized Pennsylvania's democratic constitution of 1776?
Many leading Patriots found its radically democratic elements quite alarming.
The 1774 Coercive Acts applied to which of the following colonies?
Massachusetts only
What happened to the property of Loyalists during the Revolution?
Most Loyalist property was not seized because doing so would have violated America's republican principles.
Which of the following describes the Continental army during the Revolutionary War?
Most of its recruits were poor native-born youths and older foreign-born men.
Which of the following was true under the Articles of Confederation?
Most of the power remained with the states.
The Treaty of Alliance that the French and Americans signed in 1778 included which of the following stipulations?
Neither side would sign a separate peace that failed to recognize American independence.
Which of the following states were eventually created out of the Northwest Territory?
Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana
The Townshend Acts of 1767 imposed duties on which of the following goods?
Paper, paint, glass, and tea imported into the colonies
Which of the following statements characterizes the British government's attempts to meet its war debt following the Great War for Empire?
Parliament increased import taxes on items used by the poor and middling classes such as sugar and beer.
Which of the following events was the most direct consequence of the developments described in the excerpt?
Patriot conventions urged the Continental Congress to break with Britain.
Which of the following describes the First Continental Congress of 1774?
Patriot leaders convened the group in response to the imposition of the Coercive Acts.
Which of the following was a result of the Loyalists' exodus during and after the Revolution?
Patriot merchants replaced Tories at the top of the economic ladder.
Which of the following issues formed the basis for the major political and economic challenges that faced postrevolutionary state governments in the 1780s?
Plentiful but worthless paper currency and big debts
At the First Continental Congress in 1774, New England delegates advocated which of the following plans?
Political union and defensive military preparations
How did British politicians respond to the American's cry of "no taxation without representation"?
Politicians argued that the colonists already had virtual representation.
John Dickinson's Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania was a response to which of the following policies?
The Stamp Act
Which of the following statements characterizes the relative military strengths of the British and Patriot forces during the Revolutionary War?
The British could expect support from thousands of Loyalists in the colonies and many Indian tribes.
Which of the following was one reason the British sent 7,500 troops to North America after the end of the Great War for Empire in 1763?
The British government sought to prevent future Indian uprisings on the frontier.
Which of the following was the purpose of the Tea Act imposed by Parliament on the colonies in May 1773?
The British needed to bail out the financially strapped British East India Company.
Which of the following statements describes British military strategy during the first two years of the Revolutionary War?
The British were content to demonstrate their superior power and tactics in the hopes of convincing the rebels to surrender.
Why did the British surrender to the Americans in the Battle of Yorktown in 1781?
The British were outnumbered and cut off from reinforcement or retreat by sea.
Americans responded to the Stamp Act by comparing it to which past event?
The Dominion of New England
George Grenville conceived the Sugar Act of 1764 to replace which of the following acts?
The Molasses Act of 1733
Which of the following factors posed a major problem for the colonies during the American Revolution?
The high price and scarcity of goods
Which constitutional provision demonstrated the framers' lack of trust in the "people"?
The method of electing the President
How did Britain's skyrocketing national debt affect its government in England and America in the 1760s?
The need for higher taxes spurred Britain to increase the size and power of its bureaucracy in England and America.
Why were the land ordinances of the 1780s considered a great accomplishment of the Confederation Congress?
The ordinances provided for orderly settlement and created a fair process for those areas to eventually become fully equal states.
Which of the following was a consequence of the large increase of paper currency in circulation in the states during the Revolutionary War years?
The paper bills quickly fell in value, becoming nearly worthless.
Pennsylvania's constitution of 1776 contained which of the following provisions?
The right of all taxpaying men to hold office
Which of the following was part of British Parliament's effort to govern the colonies after the Great War for Empire ended in 1763?
The seizure of American vessels carrying supplies from the mainland to the French West Indies
How did the Stamp Act crisis of 1765 compare to the crisis over the Townshend duties in 1768?
The stakes had risen: In 1765, American resistance to taxation had provoked an argument in Parliament; in 1768, it produced a British plan for military coercion.
Which aspect of the Townshend Acts posed a great danger to American political autonomy, according to the colonists?
The use of its revenue to pay royal officials
Why was the Battle of Saratoga historically significant?
The victory ensured the French would join in an alliance with the Americans.
Which of the following statements characterizes postwar trends in American trade?
The war had crippled American shipping, which reduced the export of tobacco and other farm goods.
Why were Delaware, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut among the first to ratify the United States Constitution?
These states wanted a strong government to counter the power of the larger states.
Why did Chesapeake slave owners increasingly rally to the Patriot cause?
They feared the British would seize control of courts and assemblies in the South if they succeeded in doing so in Massachusetts.
How did the Daughters of Liberty contribute to the American boycott of British goods in the late 1760s?
They promoted nonimportation by making and wearing homespun cloth.
Why did radical Patriots in the colonies object to the Tea Act of 1773?
They saw it as a bribe to eliminate colonial tax resistance.
How did the British respond after their loss at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777?
They tried to broker a negotiated settlement with the Americans.
Which of the following actions did the First Continental Congress ultimately decide to implement in 1774?
Threatening to cut off almost all American exports to Britain, Ireland, and the West Indies
Which of the following statements characterizes events at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-1778?
Through the training of Baron von Steuben, the Continental army emerged as a much tougher and better-disciplined force.
What prompted many southern yeomen and tenant farmers finally to support independence from Britain in 1775?
Virginia's royal governor's promise to free any slave who joined the Loyalists
What was significant about George Washington's leading of his troops across the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776?
Washington's action surprised the enemy and gave the Americans their first real victory.
Which of the following factors made a critical contribution to the outcome of the Battle of Yorktown in 1781?
Washington's feigned attack on Manhattan while French troops set on Virginia
Which of the following battles marked the end of the American Revolution in 1781?
Yorktown
France gave serious consideration to an alliance with the rebel colonies primarily because it regarded the war as an opportunity to
exact revenge on Britain for defeat in the French and Indian War and the loss of Canada.
Patriot women contributed to the war effort in the 1770s by
increasing production of homespun cloth.
By 1770, after five years of crisis and debate over American sovereignty,
outspoken colonial leaders had repudiated Parliament and claimed equality for their own assemblies under the king.
The Stamp Act was instituted by Parliament in the colonies in 1765; it was
part of England's plan to create a more centralized imperial system in America.
To finance the war during its first two years, the new American state governments relied primarily on
printing large quantities of paper money.