Deck 5: Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution

Question 1

The attempt of some colonial legislatures to end the African slave trade was blocked by

A) a coalition of slave owners.
B) South Carolina.
C) the British authorities.
D) poor whites.
E) New England slave trading interests.

Answer 1

the British authorities.

Question 2

All of the following conditions caused many Scots to migrate to Northern Ireland and thence to America except

A) the poor quality of farmland in Scotland.
B) the spread of commercial farming.
C) extremely high rent increases.
D) persecution for their Catholic religion.
E) paying taxes to support the Anglican church.

Answer 2

persecution for their Catholic religion.

Question 3

In contrast to the seventeenth century, by 1775 colonial America

A) began to show signs of stratification and barriers to mobility.
B) had all but eliminated poverty.
C) found that it was easier for ordinary people to acquire land.
D) was almost entirely middle class.
E) was less able to maintain ownership of small farms.

Answer 3

began to show signs of stratification and barriers to mobility.

Question 4

Which of the following was not one of colonial America's cities in 1775?

A) New York
B) Charlestown
C) Philadelphia
D) Boston
E) Buffalo

Question 5

The most ethnically diverse region of colonial America was ____, whereas ____ was the least ethnically diverse.

A) New England, the South
B) the middle colonies, the South
C) the South, New England
D) the middle colonies, New England
E) the frontier regions, New England

Question 6

The Scots-Irish can best be described as

A) fiercely independent.
B) loyal to the British king.
C) deeply rooted in the soil.
D) builders of sturdy homes and well-kept farms.
E) loyal supporters of the Catholic church.

Question 7

All of the following are reasons the thirteen Atlantic seaboard colonies sought independence except

A) distinctive social structures.
B) distinctive economic structures.
C) distinctive political structures.
D) distinctive religious structures.
E) the appearance of a recognizably American way of life.

Question 8

As a result of the rapid population growth in colonial America during the eighteenth century,

A) the balance of power between the colonies and the mother country shifted.
B) the British government was pleased that more workers would be available to fill an increasing need for laborers in Britain.
C) the need for slave labor declined.
D) the rate of immigration from Europe slowed.
E) the British government granted greater autonomy to colonial governments.

Question 9

On the eve of the American Revolution, social and economic mobility decreased, partly because

A) some merchants made huge profits as military suppliers.
B) restrictions were placed on admission to the guilds and professions.
C) fewer yeoman farmers were arriving from Europe.
D) the Ivy League colleges became more restrictive in admissions.
E) slavery concentrated wealth in a few wealthy planters' hands.

Question 10

The population of the thirteen American colonies was

A) about evenly divided among Anglo-Saxons, French, Scots-Irish, and Germans.
B) perhaps the most diverse in the world, although it remained predominantly Anglo-Saxon.
C) about one-half non-English.
D) most ethnically mixed in New England.
E) largely German and African American in the South.

Question 11

The most honored profession in early colonial society was

A) medicine.
B) law.
C) the ministry.
D) farming.
E) business.

Question 12

The Scots-Irish tended to belong to which Church?

A) Catholic
B) Presbyterian.
C) Anglican
D) Puritan
E) Lutheran

Question 13

In the mid-1700s, the number of poor people in the American colonies

A) became greater than in all of Europe.
B) had increased to the point of overpopulation.
C) had begun to decline from seventeenth-century levels.
D) remained tiny compared with the number in Britain.
E) was about one-third of the population.

Question 14

One outstanding feature common to all of the eventually rebellious colonies was their

A) relatively equal wealth.
B) economic organization.
C) similar social structures.
D) rapidly growing populations.
E) support of religious freedom.

Question 15

The Scots-Irish

A) were early advocates of temperance.
B) preferred to stay close to urban centers.
C) remained loyal to the crown well into the Revolution.
D) were known for their diplomatic skills and pacifism.
E) often moved into the Appalachian frontier regions, where they continued their tradition of whiskey distilling.

Question 16

The prevalent Scots-Irish attitude toward government was that they

A) showed remarkable willingness to follow authority.
B) displayed great loyalty to Britain.
C) cherished no love for the British or any other government.
D) liked colonial American assemblies better than the British Parliament.
E) identified with American Indians' tribal way of life.

Question 17

The population growth of the American colonies by 1775 is attributed mostly to

A) immigration from Europe.
B) the natural fertility of Native Americans.
C) the importation of slaves from Africa.
D) the anti-birth control teachings of colonial churches.
E) the natural fertility of all Americans.

Question 18

About ____ percent of the people in 1775 lived in rural areas.

A) 50
B) 70
C) 90
D) less than 50
E) none of these

Question 19

All of the following were true of German immigrants in 1775 except

A) they constituted about 6 percent of the total population.
B) they fled from religious persecution, economic oppression, and the ravages of war.
C) in the early 1700s they had settled chiefly in Pennsylvania.
D) most belonged to the Catholic Church.
E) they belonged to several different Protestant groups - primarily Lutheran.

Question 20

By 1775, ____ were the largest non-English ethnic group in colonial America.

A) Africans
B) Germans
C) West Indians
D) Scots-Irish
E) French

Question 21

Most Anglican clergymen, aware of which side their tax-provided bread was buttered on,

A) naturally opposed the king.
B) naturally supported the king.
C) remained neutral with regard to support or opposition to the king.
D) opposed all tax-supported religious institutions.
E) continued to vocally denounce the king's attempt to establish an official religion within the American colonies.

Question 22

The attempt to introduce inoculation against smallpox was opposed by

A) British and American scientists.
B) believers in witchcraft.
C) hospitals.
D) many doctors and clergy.
E) many employers.

Question 23

American colonists sought trade with countries other than Great Britain

A) in order to gain their independence.
B) to diversify their economy.
C) to anger Parliament.
D) to develop friendlier relations with France and Spain.
E) to make money to buy what they wanted in Britain.

Question 24

Of the following, the least important economic activity of colonial Americans was

A) fishing.
B) commerce.
C) farming.
D) manufacturing.
E) slave trading.

Question 25

By the early eighteenth century, religion in colonial America was

A) stronger than at any previous time.
B) holding steadfastly to the belief that spiritual conversion was essential for church membership.
C) committed to a highly intellectual clergy.
D) more tolerant than in the beginning of colonial settlement.
E) becoming less tolerant.

Question 26

The most important economic enterprise in the American colonies was

A) fishing.
B) manufacturing.
C) commerce.
D) agriculture.
E) slave trading.

Question 27

"Yankees" became known around the globe for their

A) sharp skills as merchant traders.
B) domination of the American League.
C) refusal to participate in the slave trade.
D) trade of American manufactured good for fish and grain.
E) knowledge of non-European cultures.

Question 28

Up to the time of the American Revolution, lawyers were generally regarded as

A) valued defenders of colonial liberties.
B) windbags and troublemakers.
C) useful primarily for settling disputes over land.
D) tools of the British government.
E) too narrowly educated by elite colleges.

Question 29

Transportation in colonial America was

A) surprisingly fast for the time.
B) safer by road than by any other means.
C) slow by any of the means available.
D) enhanced by the introduction of the Pony Express.
E) most hazardous on the waterways.

Question 30

In 1775, the ____ churches were the only two established (tax-supported) churches in colonial America.

A) Methodist and Anglican
B) Presbyterian and Congregational
C) Congregational and Anglican
D) Quaker and Catholic
E) Presbyterian and Anglican

Question 31

The triangular trade of the colonial American shipping industry

A) was not that profitable.
B) involved trade among New England, Spain, and Latin America.
C) involved the trading of wheat for clothing and clothing for slaves.
D) saw the Spanish gaining the largest profits.
E) involved the trading of rum for African slaves and slaves for molasses.

Question 32

The major manufacturing enterprise in colonial America in the eighteenth century was

A) iron making.
B) arms and munitions production.
C) lumbering.
D) rum distilling.
E) textiles.

Question 33

Although manufacturing in the colonies was of only secondary importance, they did produce which of the following?

A) rum
B) beaver hats
C) lumber
D) iron
E) all of these

Question 34

As the Revolution approached, Presbyterian and Congregational ministers generally

A) remained neutral.
B) supported the Revolutionary cause.
C) sided with the Anglican clergymen.
D) opposed the idea of revolution.
E) split on the issue of independence.

Question 35

Colonial American taverns were all of the following except

A) frequented mainly by the lower class.
B) another cradle of democracy.
C) hotbeds of agitation for the Revolutionary movement.
D) centers for crystallizing public opinion.
E) places of amusement and gossip.

Question 36

When the British Parliament passed the Molasses Act in 1733, it intended the act to

A) stimulate the colonies' "triangle trade" with Africa and the West Indies.
B) satisfy colonial demands for earning foreign exchange money.
C) inhibit colonial trade with the French West Indies.
D) increase the colonists' standard of living and protect the livelihood of colonial merchants.
E) require Americans to sell their molasses to the British.

Question 37

Which of the following was not considered to be a naval store?

A) tar
B) pitch
C) resin
D) turpentine
E) glass

Question 38

One feature of the American economy that strained the relationship between the colonies and Britain was the

A) British demand to halt the importation of slaves.
B) growing desire of Americans to trade with other nations in addition to Britain.
C) lack of any British regulations regarding trade with foreign nations.
D) strict British enforcement of the Molasses Act.
E) the Americans' unwillingness to trade with the French West Indies.

Question 39

Jonathan Edwards's theology and preaching emphasized

A) the need for greater religious toleration.
B) that good works could get you into heaven.
C) that reason and intellect were opposed to religion.
D) that emotion had no place in religion.
E) righteousness and complete dependence on God's grace.

Question 40

Match each denomination on the left with the region where it predominated.

A) A-2, B-3, C-l
B) A-2, B-1, C-3
C) A-1, B-3, C-2
D) A-3, B-2, C-1
E) A-3, B-1, C-2

Question 41

Trends that weakened the Church of England in the American colonies included.

A) increasing worldliness.
B) a heightened sense of insecurity.
C) impoverished clergy.
D) a lack of qualified clergy.
E) a rapid increase in converts.

Question 42

The first American college not controlled by a religious denomination was

A) Harvard.
B) Yale.
C) The University of Connecticut
D) Brown University.
E) The University of Pennsylvania.

Question 43

All of the following are achievements of Benjamin Franklin except

A) the lightning rod.
B) author of Poor Richard's Almanack.
C) bifocal glasses.
D) a highly efficient stove.
E) writing The Life of Washington.

Question 44

In colonial elections,

A) most eligible voters zealously exercised their right to vote.
B) the right to vote was reserved for property holders.
C) only a small landed elite had the right to vote.
D) average citizens were usually elected to office.
E) slavery came to be a dominant issue.

Question 45

Colonial schools and colleges placed their main emphasis on

A) mathematics and natural sciences.
B) practical subjects like agriculture and forestry.
C) modern languages.
D) history and philosophy.
E) religion and classical languages.

Question 46

The Scots-Irish

A) were Irish Catholics who had first migrated to Scotland.
B) settled largely on the American frontier.
C) were generally hostile to all authority, especially the British government.
D) were generally pacifists.
E) advocated doctrines of temperance and antislavery.

Question 47

One political principle that colonial Americans came to cherish above most others was

A) the property qualification for voting.
B) one man, one vote.
C) the separation of powers.
D) self-taxation through representation.
E) restricting the right to vote to men only.

Question 48

By the mid-eighteenth century, Britain's North American colonies shared all of the following qualities except

A) some degree of ethnic and religious toleration.
B) they were largely English-speaking.
C) they were primarily Protestant in religion.
D) opportunity for social mobility.
E) universal free public education.

Question 49

In 1775, most of the population in the American colonies

A) lived east of the Allegheny Mountains.
B) lived in rural areas.
C) was under twenty-five years of age.
D) was of predominantly English stock.
E) was of non-English stock.

Question 50

The jury's decision in the John Peter Zenger case was significant because

A) it closely adhered to the judge's instructions.
B) it showed the power of investigative journalism.
C) it pointed the way toward open public discussion and partial freedom of the press.
D) the ruling displayed British officials' arbitrary power over the colonists.
E) it allowed the press to print irresponsible criticisms of powerful people.

Question 51

By 1775, most governors of the American colonies were

A) appointed by colonial proprietors.
B) appointed by the king.
C) elected by popular vote.
D) elected by the vote of colonial legislatures.
E) appointed by the British Parliament.

Question 52

Match each individual on the left with his or her profession.

A) A-2, B-1, C-3
B) A-1, B-3, C-2
C) A-3, B-2, C-1
D) A-1, B-2, C-3
E) A-2, B-3, C-1

Question 53

The person most often called the "first civilized American" was

A) Thomas Jefferson.
B) John Trumball.
C) John Winthrop.
D) Phillis Wheatley.
E) Benjamin Franklin.

Question 54

The Great Awakening

A) undermined the prestige of the learned clergy in the colonies.
B) split colonial churches into several competing denominations.
C) led to the founding of Princeton, Dartmouth, and Rutgers colleges.
D) was the first spontaneous mass movement of the American people.
E) all of these.

Question 55

For most of their early history, Americans accepted the English idea that education was

A) essential training for citizenship.
B) possible only at Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
C) reserved for an aristocratic few.
D) unimportant for leaders.
E) reserved for lawyers and the clergy.

Question 56

By 1775, population growth in the American colonies

A) was beginning to slow down.
B) was causing the population to double about every twenty-five years.
C) was attributable more to reproduction than to immigration.
D) made the American colonies more populous than England.
E) led to greater dependence on England.

Question 57

Colonial legislatures were often able to bend the governors to their will because

A) the governors often had a greater sense of loyalty to their colony than to the king.
B) the governors were usually chosen by colonial legislatures and could be removed from office by the legislatures.
C) the king generally held the views of colonial legislators in higher regard than those of the governors.
D) colonial legislatures controlled taxes and expenditures that paid the governors' salaries.
E) they regularly threatened to use the power of impeachment.

Question 58

The "new light" preachers of the Great Awakening

A) delivered intensely emotional sermons.
B) rarely addressed themselves to the matter of individual salvation.
C) reinforced the established churches.
D) were ultimately unsuccessful in arousing the religious enthusiasm of colonial Americans.
E) emphasized the necessity of an educated clergy.

Question 59

Culture in colonial America

A) was enthusiastically backed by wealthy southerners.
B) was generally ignored and unappreciated.
C) was most original in music.
D) looked to Latin America for inspiration.
E) reflected the individualism and creativity of the frontier.

Question 60

In colonial America, education was most zealously promoted

A) in the South.
B) in New England.
C) on the frontier.
D) in the middle colonies.
E) in those areas controlled by Spain.

Question 61

Benjamin Franklin

A) was the author of Poor Richard's Almanack.
B) celebrated the virtues of thrift, hard work, and common sense.
C) was a severe critic of the Great Awakening.
D) was John Peter Zenger's defense lawyer.
E) was a scientist.

Question 62

Generally, in the eighteenth-century American colonies

A) most people had sufficient food to stay healthy.
B) only a minority of homes had bathtubs and running water.
C) lotteries were a common source of funds for education and religion.
D) Christmas was the most widely celebrated holiday.
E) labor was heavy and constant.

Question 63

In colonial New England, education was primarily

A) for boys.
B) designed to promote good citizenship.
C) intended largely for religious instruction.
D) provided to foster independent thinking and aesthetic appreciation.
E) aimed at preparing students for college.

Question 64

To what extent did differences in wealth and status in the colonies increase or diminish from 1700 to 1775? Explain.

Question 65

Colonial America was not a world of equality or universal political democracy, yet many immigrants poured in, seeing America as a land of opportunity.What features of American life attracted them? Why were they largely undeterred by the growing class differences in the colonies?

Question 66

How did the presence of so many non-English (Scottish and Irish) and non-British (German, Dutch, French, African, and so forth) settlers affect the character of Britain's North American colonies? What were its particular effects on politics, culture, religion, and social structure?

Question 67

Summarize the key features of the American population in the early eighteenth century.Consider its sources, size, location, diversity, and mobility.

Question 68

By the mid-eighteenth century, Britain's North American colonies were similar in which of the following ways?

A) considerable opportunities for social mobility
B) basically Protestant in religion
C) some measure of self-government
D) family structure and economic organization
E) basically English in language and custom

Question 69

How did the Great Awakening's emphasis on "voluntary" religious belief and its formation of competitive churches strengthen the role of religion in American society? How did this approach differ from the Puritans' vision or from that of the established government-sponsored churches?

Question 70

Write your definition of democracy.Then use this definition to argue that colonial politics had or had not become democratic by 1760.

Question 71

Leaders of the Great Awakening endorsed the concepts of

A) salvation through "good works."
B) divine omnipotence.
C) the Half-Way Covenant.
D) predestination.
E) Arminianism.

Question 72

Colonial newspaper printer John Peter Zenger

A) was charged with seditious libel against the royal governor of New York.
B) was found innocent of the charges brought against him.
C) laid the foundations for a critical press in a diverse society.
D) had his case dismissed on a legal technicality.
E) was responsible for temporary restrictions on the free press.

Question 73

Explain how the Great Awakening, an intensely religious movement, contributed to the greater unity of Americans across colonial lines as well as the separation of church and state.