Deck 5: The American Revolution

Question 1

During the American Revolution, the Iroquois Confederacy officially

A)declared its neutrality.
B)allied itself with the colonists.
C)allied itself with the British.
D)refused to ally with either combatant until France entered the war.
E)disbanded and withdrew to the west.

Answer 1

declared its neutrality.

Question 2

In the Battle of Bunker Hill,

A)the Patriots suffered light casualties and won the battle.
B)the British suffered heavy casualties.
C)Benedict Arnold was wounded.
D)the British surrendered their main forces to the Patriots.
E)the Patriots refused to withdraw and were all killed.

Answer 2

the British suffered heavy casualties.

Question 3

In the final phase (1778-81) of the American Revolution, the British

A)mounted its largest military assault against the Continental Army.
B)badly overestimated the support of American Loyalists.
C)made a focused effort to win public support in the northern colonies.
D)concentrated its efforts on capturing individual Patriots.
E)began a policy of "total war" that resulted in several cities being burned to the ground.

Answer 3

badly overestimated the support of American Loyalists.

Question 4

As commander of the Continental Army, George Washington

A)had no shortage of Americans willing to volunteer to fight the British.
B)had no previous actual military experience.
C)was an early critic of independence.
D)saw Congress leave all important military decisions up to his judgment.
E)was admired, respected, and trusted by nearly all Patriots.

Question 5

Among the following, who was NOT a British general during the American Revolution?

A)Thomas Gage
B)William Howe
C)John Burgoyne
D)Horatio Gates
E)Barry St.Leger

Question 6

The war effort by American colonists would be financed primarily by

A)spending hard currency.
B)printing paper money.
C)borrowing from abroad.
D)selling bonds.
E)melting down jewelry into specie.

Question 7

Published in January 1776, Common Sense was written by

A)Thomas Jefferson.
B)Tom Paine.
C)James Madison.
D)Ben Franklin.
E)James Otis.

Question 8

When George Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night, 1776, he was intent on surprising

A)American Loyalists.
B)Indians.
C)Hessians.
D)British regulars.
E)William Howe.

Question 9

The Declaration of Independence

A)borrowed heavily from previously published colonial documents.
B)was never formally approved by the Second Continental Congress.
C)avoided making any direct criticism of the King.
D)called for the formation of a two-party democracy.
E)originally recommended that all slaves be freed.

Question 10

In 1775, as conflicts with England intensified, American colonists

A)made extensive efforts to prepare themselves for war.
B)were deeply divided about what they were fighting for.
C)believed England was not willing to engage in military operations against them.
D)saw their larger population as a key advantage over England.
E)considered arming slaves to help build up the colonial army.

Question 11

Which of the following took place during the first phase (1775-76) of the Revolutionary War?

A)British troops evacuated Boston.
B)American troops captured Quebec.
C)The British won a significant victory in North Carolina.
D)American troops took Nova Scotia.
E)British troops under William Howe captured Philadelphia.

Question 12

After the Battle of Saratoga, British Prime Minister Lord North responded to the colonies with

A)an offer of a British surrender if the Americans would remain part of the empire.
B)an offer to return to the pre-1763 British policies if the colonies would quit the war.
C)an offer of complete colonial home rule within the empire if they would quit the war.
D)a threat to destroy all American forces if they refused to negotiate a peace treaty.
E)a threat to foment a slave rebellion in the South if the American forces did not quit the war.

Question 13

During the second phase (1776-78) of the American Revolution, British military efforts were hampered by

A)a series of tactical blunders and misfortunes.
B)a severe shortage of new soldiers coming from England.
C)an American blockade of British ships.
D)the American capture of the commanding British general.
E)American alliances with Native American tribes in the region.

Question 14

The author of Common Sense

A)sought to concentrate colonial anger on unpopular parliamentary measures.
B)was an American who had never been to England.
C)sold very few copies of his pamphlet until after the war was won.
D)was arrested by British officials and charged with treason.
E)considered the English constitution to be the greatest problem facing the colonists.

Question 15

In early 1778, France

A)refused to recognize the United States as a sovereign nation.
B)expelled the colonies' diplomats, including Benjamin Franklin, from Paris.
C)agreed to give the Americans money and supplies but withheld its soldiers.
D)declared war on both England and Spain.
E)worried that the United States would quit the war against the British.

Question 16

At the start of the Revolution, American advantages over the British included a

A)greater commitment to the war.
B)larger number of troops.
C)better equipped navy.
D)more coherent military command structure.
E)better relationship with Native American tribes.

Question 17

Financing the Revolution was difficult for the American side because

A)hard currency was scarce.
B)the printing of paper money was illegal.
C)foreign nations refused to loan money for its war effort.
D)bonds were not yet in use.
E)the colonists' wealth had all been kept in London.

Question 18

The British military campaigns of 1777 saw

A)General William Howe stay in camp when he was supposed to have moved south.
B)General John Burgoyne suffer a major defeat at Saratoga.
C)a major American victory at Philadelphia.
D)the British surround and lay siege to George Washington's army at Valley Forge.
E)the British retake Boston and set it afire.

Question 19

Which of the following nations opposed England during the American Revolution?

A)Belgium
B)Canada
C)the Netherlands
D)Portugal
E)Sweden

Question 20

As the fighting in the final phase (1778-81) of the American Revolution carried into communities previously isolated from the war,

A)local criticism of Patriots increased.
B)American armies engaged in more large, open-field battles.
C)support for independence greatly increased.
D)large segments of the American population became war refugees.
E)more Loyalists began actively helping the British.

Question 21

During the American Revolution, Loyalists

A)were forced to leave the colonies soon after the war began.
B)were nearly all office holders in the English government.
C)were forbidden by the Patriots to move to England until the war had ended.
D)constituted perhaps as many as one-third of the white colonial population.
E)freed their slaves to help augment British forces in the colonies.

Question 22

Following the American Revolution, as the Republic took shape in the 1780s, greater social importance was attached to women in the role of

A)wives.
B)feminists.
C)citizens.
D)nurses.
E)mothers.

Question 23

The prominent eighteenth-century essayist Judith Sargent Murray placed her greatest emphasis on the right of women to

A)vote.
B)own property.
C)divorce.
D)an education.
E)serve in combat.

Question 24

In the thinking of most American political leaders, the success of their new republican governments depended on

A)a strong defense of civil liberties.
B)the development of industries.
C)westward expansion.
D)the creation of a strong military.
E)independent landowners.

Question 25

Which of the following statements regarding Benedict Arnold is FALSE?

A)Arnold was an American military hero early in the war.
B)During the war, Arnold grew convinced the American cause was hopeless.
C)Arnold conspired with the British to betray a Patriot stronghold at West Point, New York.
D)Arnold had previously foiled the advance of Barry St.Leger into the Mohawk Valley.
E)Arnold spent the last years of the Revolution as a prisoner of war.

Question 26

The principal Americans who negotiated the peace terms with the British were

A)Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.
B)Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, and John Adams.
C)John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, and Samuel Huntington.
D)Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.
E)Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay.

Question 27

As a result of the American Revolution, the Anglican Church in America was

A)weakened.
B)banned in most colonies.
C)made the official religion of Virginia.
D)praised by Patriots for its support of independence.
E)tried for aiding and abetting the British.

Question 28

For most Revolutionary American political thinkers, the concept of equality meant

A)there should be equality of opportunity.
B)there should be equality of rights regardless of race, sex, or property.
C)there should be equality of condition.
D)there should be equality of opportunity and of condition.
E)there should be equality of rights and of condition.

Question 29

Under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1783,

A)the United States gained formal British recognition of American independence.
B)Spain received Gibraltar from the English.
C)the United States received all territory east of the Rocky Mountains.
D)France received Canada from the English.
E)England was forced to pay reparations to the new American nation.

Question 30

In regards to the status of women, the effect of the American Revolution

A)was minimal and short-term.
B)was to dismantle the patriarchal legal system.
C)was to end the traditional cultural concepts of the female role in society.
D)generally weakened the position of women in society.
E)led some women to question their position in society.

Question 31

Which of the following was the scene of a substantial British victory in the final phase (1778-81) of the American Revolution?

A)Cowpens
B)Charleston
C)Yorktown
D)Guilford Court House
E)Saratoga

Question 32

Following the American Revolution, the first state to make slavery illegal was

A)New York.
B)New Hampshire.
C)South Carolina.
D)Rhode Island.
E)Pennsylvania.

Question 33

During the American Revolution, female "camp followers"

A)assisted in the support of regular troops.
B)played traditional female roles and were not involved in combat.
C)served to maintain traditional gender distinctions.
D)were prostitutes.
E)often inadvertently betrayed the position of Washington's army.

Question 34

Which of the following statements regarding the American Revolution and Native Americans is FALSE?

A)The outcome of the war largely weakened the position of Indians.
B)Indians generally had better relations with the British than the Americans.
C)Most Indian tribes ultimately chose to fight on the side of the British.
D)American Patriots had generally tried to persuade Indians to be neutral in the war.
E)Some Indians took advantage of the conflict to launch attacks of their own.

Question 35

Post-Revolution American trade commerce was strengthened by

A)favorable trade agreements with England.
B)an English desire to protect American vessels.
C)the closing of British ports to American trade.
D)British abandonment of impressments.
E)the flood of immigration after the war.

Question 36

During the American Revolution, enslaved African Americans in the colonies

A)joined the British army in large numbers to fight against their American masters.
B)were assisted by the British to escape as a way to disrupt the American war effort.
C)were offered their freedom by Americans if they fought against the British.
D)tried to help Loyalists escape to Canada in exchange for their freedom.
E)were not significantly affected by the conflict.

Question 37

Which of the following statements regarding General Nathaniel Greene is FALSE?

A)He led American forces to victory in the battle at Yorktown.
B)He divided his forces into fast-moving contingents to confuse and exasperate Cornwallis.
C)He was one of the most effective commanders in the American army.
D)He replaced Horatio Gates as commander of the southern forces in the Continental army.
E)He was forced to withdraw at Guildford Court House after inflicting heavy losses.

Question 38

The battle at Yorktown involved

A)the most bloody battle of the war.
B)the suicide of the commanding British general.
C)evidence that the British were executing prisoners of war.
D)a combined French and American army and navy.
E)treachery on the part of Benedict Arnold.

Question 39

In colonial America, under English common law a married woman

A)could not own property.
B)had more legal rights than unmarried women.
C)had legal authority over her children.
D)could not earn wages greater than her husband.
E)could only initiate divorce in case of adultery.

Question 40

In 1776, Abigail Adams was an advocate for

A)full gender equality in the new postwar nation.
B)a woman's right to vote.
C)new protections against abusive and tyrannical men.
D)support for impoverished war widows.
E)temperance.

Question 41

The 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers

A)forced the Miami Indians into negotiations with the United States.
B)saw the United States forces suffer a significant defeat.
C)led the United States to temporarily evacuate from the Ohio Valley.
D)resulted in the death of General Anthony Wayne.
E)represented the last major military victory for Indians against the US.

Question 42

Under the Articles of Confederation, in 1777 there was a federal

A)congress.
B)judiciary.
C)executive.
D)bureaucracy.
E)All the answers are correct.

Question 43

In 1786, a treaty negotiated between the United States and Spain

A)secured complete American access to the Mississippi River.
B)was strongly opposed by the New England states.
C)gave the United States control of Florida as a territory.
D)was never ratified by Congress, thus weakening the nation's global prestige.
E)gave the United States control of Texas.

Question 44

The beginning of hostilities in 1775 found the colonies generally unprepared for war.

Question 45

The Virginia Statute of Religious Liberty of 1786

A)was written by James Madison.
B)called for a complete separation of church and state.
C)gave all religious denominations special privileges within the state.
D)only applied to Christian denominations.
E)All the answers are correct.

Question 46

Under the Articles of Confederation

A)each state had one vote in Congress.
B)all states had to approve any important measure.
C)there could be no amendments to the Articles.
D)no legislation could be passed without all states voting on the issue.
E)the executive had the power to veto legislative decisions.

Question 47

The Declaration of Independence borrowed heavily from previously written colonial documents.

Question 48

In the early 1790s, the efforts of Little Turtle represented an attempt by Indians to

A)accommodate white settlers.
B)maintain their lands given through treaties.
C)resist white expansion by military force.
D)negotiate the sale of Indian lands.
E)encourage England to mediate a settlement between Indians and the new nation.

Question 49

As leaders of a tax rebellion the 1780s, Daniel Shays and his supporters demanded

A)the nation's capital be moved to New England.
B)an end to paper currency.
C)a moratorium on debt collection.
D)renewed trade agreements with England.
E)the right to vote for all white men, regardless of property holdings.

Question 50

Shortly after signing the Treaty of Paris of 1783, the British government

A)evacuated its forts in America.
B)made restitution to slaveholders for slaves the British army had freed during the war.
C)attempted to purchase Florida.
D)restricted American access to British markets.
E)declared war on Spain to take its New World colonies away.

Question 51

One effect of Shays's Rebellion was it

A)temporarily brought a halt to the new American government.
B)led the federal government to adopt the gold standard.
C)led to the downfall of the state government in Massachusetts.
D)contributed to the growing belief the national government needed reform.
E)encouraged Massachusetts to adopt gradual emancipation.

Question 52

The Articles of Confederation were adopted when states gave up their

A)power to regulate trade.
B)power to make war.
C)claims to western lands.
D)right to levy their own taxes.
E)plans for emancipation.

Question 53

The 1795 Treaty of Greenville

A)allowed the Miami Indians navigation rights to the Mississippi.
B)compelled the Miami Indians to move out of the Ohio Valley.
C)was never signed by any Indian leaders.
D)removed all restrictions to white settlement of the Ohio Valley.
E)led the United States to recognize the sovereignty of Indian nations.

Question 54

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787

A)created a single territory out of the lands north of Ohio.
B)guaranteed freedom of religion throughout the affected areas.
C)prohibited slavery within the affected areas.
D)abandoned the system created in the 1784 Ordinance.
E)All the answers are correct.

Question 55

The Ordinances of 1784 and 1785 represented an attempt to

A)eliminate slavery in the western states.
B)compromise on the question of slavery expanding into the territories.
C)enhance the power of the central government.
D)gain redress from the English at the expense of Native Americans.
E)provide for the admission of new states into the union.

Question 56

Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government had the power to

A)regulate trade.
B)draft troops.
C)borrow and issue money.
D)levy direct taxes on the people.
E)override state laws.

Question 57

In 1780, Massachusetts sought to revise the power of the governor by

A)allowing the legislature to set his salary.
B)having him elected directly by the people.
C)taking away his authority to veto legislation.
D)permitting him to sit in the legislature.
E)granting him the power to tax.

Question 58

During the 1780s, in every new state constitution

A)state legislatures were to be chosen by a direct popular vote.
B)governors were prevented from holding a seat in the legislature.
C)property requirements for voting were relaxed or eliminated.
D)women were denied the right to vote.
E)governors were given the authority to tax.

Question 59

During the 1780s, most state governments

A)moved to limit popular power.
B)were notable for their stability.
C)found it difficult to revise their constitutions.
D)remained strongly elitist.
E)got rid of property requirements for voters.

Question 60

In the 1780s, which statement about slavery in America was TRUE?

A)In no state was it illegal.
B)Many southern states prohibited the importation of slaves from abroad.
C)Although a slaveholder, George Washington became an outspoken critic of slavery.
D)The strongest forces against slavery were found in the western colonies.
E)Many whites believed blacks should be integrated into American society as equals.

Question 61

The influence of the Anglican Church in the United States was strengthened as a result of the Revolutionary War.

Question 62

The Revolutionary War increased already deep internal divisions among Native American tribes.

Question 63

Few Loyalists were so disaffected as to leave the United States as a result of their opposition to the Revolutionary War.

Question 64

France was an American ally during the Revolutionary War, but it did not provide the Americans with significant amounts of money or munitions.

Question 65

Both American Baptists and Catholics tended to support the Patriot cause during the Revolutionary War.

Question 66

To Tom Paine it made "common sense" to break from Parliament, but not from the king.

Question 67

When George Washington took command of the Continental Army, he did not have a great deal of public confidence.

Question 68

The United States never negotiated a formal alliance with France during the Revolutionary War.

Question 69

Cornwallis's defeat at Yorktown led not only to the resignation of Lord North as prime minister, but to public outcries in England against continuing the war.

Question 70

During the Revolutionary War the Iroquois Confederacy was united in its allegiance to Great Britain.

Question 71

By the end of the Revolutionary War, the position of Native Americans in and near the United States had been strengthened by their support of the Patriot cause.

Question 72

One effect the Declaration of Independence had was individual colonies were motivated to reconstitute themselves as "states."

Question 73

The Battle of Saratoga (1777) was both a turning point in the Revolutionary War and a victory for the colonists.

Question 74

Loyalist sentiment was thought to be stronger in the South than in the North.

Question 75

For some African Americans, the Revolution meant an increased exposure to the concept of liberty.

Question 76

The Americans violated their alliance with France by negotiating a peace with Great Britain without informing the French.

Question 77

Following Lexington and Concord, it is safe to say that most Americans now saw that they were fighting for independence from Great Britain.

Question 78

In composing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson borrowed heavily from the political theories of Thomas Hobbes.

Question 79

Women, sometimes by choice, but more often by necessity, flocked to the camps of the Patriot armies during the Revolutionary War.

Question 80

Both Congress, under the Articles of Confederation, and the various state legislatures had the power to tax individual Americans.