US History Quiz 1

Why were the Townshend Acts such a significant threat to colonial assemblies?

Townshend planned to use revenue from the tax to pay royal governors

Stamp Act

affected all colonists, and was the first effort to put a direct tax on American goods and services, rather than an external tax on imports and exports

Currency Act

caused value of paper money to plummet

mercantilism

a political and economic policy enabling the government to take control of all economic activities

Although the British won the French and Indian War, there were still significant challenges ahead. What were some of the issues the British faced after the war?

After the French and Indian War, Britain began to enforce economic regulations on the colonies to help pay for the expensive war. Additionally, Britain needed to take steps to keep the peace with the Native Americans, so King George III issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which prevented colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. These policies were unpopular with the colonists, who defied the proclamation by crossing into Indian country.

salutary neglect

a period of loosely enforced trade restrictions in the American colonies

What was the cause of the Boston Tea Party?

Colonial smugglers were angry that the East India Company was allowed to sell tea at a greatly reduced price

Boston Port Act

closed Boston Harbor until the city paid for the tea lost in the Boston Tea Party

How did colonial women contribute to colonial resistance of the Stamp Act?

Colonial women organized into groups called the Daughters of Liberty. These groups supported the nonimportation agreements. They helped support the boycott of British goods by producing their own in the colonies, rather than importing them from Britain.

Various differences existed between the French and British colonial governments. What were these differences, and how did they impact the development of the colonies?

Colonists in New France did not enjoy a representative government. The government of New France was led by a governor-general and modeled after the absolute monarchy in France. On the other hand, British colonial governments included a governor and a legislative assembly that was elected. Only adult males who owned property could vote.

Why did the French and Indian War start?

France and Britain each claimed the fertile lands in the Ohio Valley

What was the British motivation for increasing taxes on their colonies in North America after the French and Indian War?

George Grenville believed the colonists should pay for the British troops who defended them during the war

Identify one of the reasons the number of French colonists in Canada were much lower than the number of British and Dutch colonists in North America.

In 1627, the French government ordered that only Catholics could live in New France

As the colonies moved closer to outright war with Britain, Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet that was widely circulated throughout the colonies. What was this pamphlet, and how did it influence the course of events?

In January 1776, Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense in which he argued that King George III caused the rebellion. Paine encouraged colonists to abandon the British monarchy and declare their independence. If the colonies did this, Paine believed they would gain the support of France and Spain.

What made the Sugar Act different from other acts passed by Britain regarding the colonies?

It was the first time Parliament adopted taxes designed to raise revenues for the colonies, rather than to simply regulate trade

After the Glorious Revolution, John Locke published his Two Treatises on Government, which would strongly influence political thought in the colonies. What was Locke's argument?

John Locke believed that all people are endowed with natural rights to life, liberty, and property. He noted that people created governments to protect those rights. If the government failed to fulfill its duties, the people had the right to overthrow the ruler and change the government

What was one of the effects of the Navigation Acts on the colonies?

King Charles II revoked the royal charter for Massachusetts in 1684 after the colony's legislature declared that the Navigation Acts had no legal standing the colony

On September 5, 1774, the fifty-five delegates of the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. What did the First Continental Congress do about the conflict with Britain?

The Continental Congress endorsed the Suffolk Resolves, which encouraged Massachusetts to resist Britain with force. Additionally, the Congress adopted a Declaration of American Rights, which said the colonists had all the rights of British citizens and denied Parliament's authority to regulate internal colonial affairs. Finally, the Congress passed the Continental Association of 1774, which suggested all colonies completely boycott British goods.

In 1765, nine colonial assemblies sent delegates to Massachusetts to discuss their opposition to the Stamp Act. What did they conclude?

The Stamp Act Congress issued the Declaration of the Rights and Grievances of the Colonies that stated the colonists would not allow themselves to be taxed without representation in Parliament. In 1766, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act and passed the Declaratory Act, which reasserted the power of Parliament to govern the colonies.

What role did colonial legislatures play in resisting British taxation?

The Virginia assembly passed the Virginia Resolves, which claimed that colonists could only be taxed by their elected representatives

the Conciliatory Propositions of 1775.

Britain offered to eliminate all taxes on colonies that volunteered to pay for their own defense and their own royal governors

How did the Treaty of Paris (1763), which was supposed to end the French and Indian War, lead to Pontiac's Rebellion?

Native Americans were outraged that the French had "given" Native American land to the British, who were now rushing to settle the new land

What ultimately prompted Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts?

The Boston Massacre shocked Parliament into repealing the acts

How did Pontiac's Rebellion end?

The British negotiated an agreement with the Native Americans

Sugar Act

added taxes on goods such as wine, coffee, spices, and sugar

Why was the Albany Plan of Union drafted, and why did the plan ultimately fail?

The northern and mid-Atlantic colonies sought a union that would aid the British defense in the French and Indian War. The colonies wanted to maintain their autonomy, and the British military merely wanted a military alliance.

Quartering Act

forced Boston authorities to provide lodging for British soldiers

How did the Glorious Revolution in Britain impact the colonies?

it proved that a despised monarch could be deposed

Staples Act

law requiring all shipments of goods from Europe to America to stop in Britain to be taxed

Navigation Act of 1651

law requiring that all goods imported to or exported from Britain be carried only on British ships

Massachusetts Government Act

made all of Massachusetts' officials royal appointments rather than elected positions

Which statement most accurately describes the relationship between Native Americans and settlers of New France?

settlers of New France sought to build close bonds with the Native Americans

In the aftermath of the French and Indian War, King George III issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763 to control westward colonial expansion and ensure that Native Americans would not be disturbed.

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