UNIT 2 TEST DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PAPER
1. One change in colonial policy by the British government that helped precipitate the American Revolution involved
a.removing British troops from American soil.
b.beginning a war with Spain.
c.removing the majority of the British navy from American waters.
d.compelling the American colonists to shoulder some of the financial costs of the empire.
e.all of the above.
2. The American colonial exponents of republicanism argued that a just society depends on
a.a powerful central government.
b.a weak army.
c.a strong aristocratic tradition.
d.support for hierarchical institutions.
e.the willingness of all citizens to subordinate their private interests to the common good.
3. The “radical whigs” feared
a.too much democracy.
b.a written constitution.
c.the arbitrary power of the monarchy.
d.a too powerful parliament.
e.all of the above.
4. The first Navigation Laws were designed to
a.help colonists get the best possible price for their trade goods.
b.eliminate Dutch shippers from the American carrying trade.
c.foster a colonial economy that would offer healthy competition with Britain’s.
d.encourage agricultural experimentation in the colonies.
e.support the mapping of the Atlantic trade routes.
5. The British Parliament enacted currency legislation that was intended primarily to benefit
a.Virginia tobacco planters.
b.British merchants.
c.New England merchants.
d.backwoods farmers.
e.the Crown.
6. Match each act below with the correct description.
A.Sugar Act1.first British law intended to raise
B.Stamp Actrevenues in the colonies
C. Declaratory Act2.asserted Parliament’s absolute power
over the colonies
3.required colonists to lodge British troops
in their homes
4.generated the most protest in the
colonies.
a.A-3, B-2, C-l
b.A-1, B-4, C-3
c.A-1, B-4, C-2
d.A-4, B-1, C-2
e.A-2, B-1, C-4
7. First law ever passed by Parliament for raising tax revenues in the colonies for the crown was the
a.Stamp Act.
b.Declaratory Act.
c.Townshend Acts.
d.Quartering Act.
e.Sugar Act.
8. Arrange the following events in chronological order: (A) Sugar Act, (B) Declaratory Act,
(C) Stamp Act, (D) repeal of the Stamp Act.
a.A, C, D, B
b.C, A, D, B
c.C, B, A, D
d.B, A, C, D
e.A, B, D, C
9. When colonists shouted “No taxation without representation,” they were
rejecting Parliament’s power to
a.legislate for the colonies in any matter whatsoever.
b.levy revenue-raising taxes on the colonies.
c.enforce the old Navigation Laws.
d.regulate trade in the empire.
e.choose colonial legislators who would pass taxes.
10. Actions taken by the colonists that helped them unite include
a.the Stamp Act Congress.
b.nonimportation agreements.
c.spinning bees.
d.the making and wearing of homemade woolen goods.
e.all of the above.
11. The First Continental Congress was called in order to
a.consider ways of redressing colonial grievances.
b.become a legislative body.
c.write the Declaration of Independence.
d.decide which of Parliament’s taxes the colonies would and would not pay.
e.help implement provisions of the Quebec Act.
12. All of the following were weaknesses of the British military during the War
for Independence except
a.second-rate officers.
b.soldiers who were incapable of fighting effectively.
c.the need to keep many soldiers in Europe in case of trouble.
d.the long supply lines.
e.brutal treatment of their soldiers.
13. Perhaps the most important single action of the Second Continental Congress was to
a.select George Washington to head the army.
b.draft new appeals to the king.
c.adopt measures to raise money.
d.postpone an immediate demand for independence.
e.support independence.
14. The Olive Branch Petition
a.was passed by Parliament.
b.was an expression of King George III’s desire for peace.
c.promised no treason charges if colonists stopped fighting.
d.was an attempt by the colonists to gain support of Native Americans.
e.professed American loyalty to the crown.
15. One purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to
a.warn other nations to stay out of the Revolution.
b.ask for an end to slavery.
c.appeal for fairer treatment by Parliament.
d.explain to the rest of the world why the colonies had revolted.
e.condemn Parliament for its actions.
16. Thomas Paine argued that all government officials
a.were corrupt.
b.should derive their authority from popular consent.
c.should be part of a “natural aristocracy.”
d.need not listen to the voice of the uneducated.
e.should not be paid for their service.
17. The resolution that “These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states…” was introduced into the Second Continental Congress by Virginia delegate
a.Patrick Henry.
b.Thomas Jefferson.
c.Richard Henry Lee.
d.Thomas Paine.
e.John Adams.
18. Which individual privately advocated equality for women?
a.Betsy Ross
b.Thomas Jefferson
c.Martha Washington
d.Benjamin Franklin
e.Abigail Adams
19. Some Indian nations joined the British during the Revolutionary War because
a.the British threatened them with destruction if they did not help.
b.they believed that a British victory would restrain American expansion West.
c.the British hired them as mercenaries.
d.they were bound by treaties.
e.none of the above.
20. The world’s first antislavery society was founded by
a.Thomas Jefferson.
b.Quakers in Philadelphia.
c.Puritans in New England.
d.Catholics in Maryland.
e.the Congregational church.
21. The economic status of the average American at the end of the Revolutionary War was
a.better than before the war.
b.probably worse than before the war.
c.about the same as before the war.
d.more closely tied to Britain than before the war.
e.more closely tied to France than before the war.
22. The Articles of Confederation left Congress unable to
a.organize development of the western lands.
b.deal with foreign affairs.
c.apportion state representation equally.
d.enforce a tax-collection program.
e.establish a postal service.
23. Shays’s Rebellion was provoked by
a.fear that the Articles of Confederation had created too strong a national government for the United States.
b.efforts by wealthy merchants to replace the Articles with a new constitution.
c.a quarrel over the boundary between Massachusetts and Vermont.
d.foreclosures on the mortgages of backcountry farmers.
e.the government’s failure to pay bonuses to Revolutionary War veterans.
24. The issue that finally touched off the movement toward the Constitutional Convention was
a.control of public lands.
b.control of commerce.
c.Indian policy.
d.monetary policy.
e.foreign threats to our independence.
25. The “large-state plan” put forward in the Constitutional Convention
a.ultimately provided the framework of the Constitution.
b.was proposed by Patrick Henry.
c.favored states such as New Jersey.
d.favored southern states over northern states.
e.based representation in the House and Senate on population.
26. The Great Compromise at the Constitutional Convention worked out an acceptable scheme for
a.regulating commerce.
b.levying taxes.
c.apportioning congressional representation.
d.electing the president.
e.choosing Senators.
27. Under the Constitution, the president of the United States was elected by a majority vote of the
a.general public.
b.Senate.
c.Electoral College.
d.House of Representatives.
e.state legislatures.
28. As part of the egalitarian movement of the American Revolution,
a.several northern states abolished slavery.
b.most states outlawed the overseas trade in indentured servants.
c.many states repealed laws against interracial marriage.
d.some southern states passed legislation for the gradual abolition of slavery.
e.laws against interracial marriage were eliminated.
29. The Founding Fathers failed to eliminate slavery because
a.they did not truly believe in democracy.
b.a fight over slavery might destroy national unity.
c.they were more concerned with securing equality for women.
d.the North began to rely more heavily on slave labor.
e.economic conditions would not allow such a loss.
30. As written documents, the state constitutions were intended to
a.represent a fundamental law superior to ordinary legislation.
b.be subordinate to state laws.
c.grant the governor more power than the legislature.
d.keep the government in the hands of the well-to-do.
e.reaffirm states’ rights.
31. In a republic, power
a.comes from the aristocrats.
b.comes from a select few based on religion.
c.comes from the people themselves.
d.resides in property owners.
e.belongs only to the educated.
32. Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense
a.was published before any fighting took place between the colonists British.
b.remained unpopular for several years before being accepted by the public.
c.called for a democratic republic.
d.called on the British people to overthrow the king.
e.led to Paine’s arrest.
33. Examples of colonial experience with self-governance, which prepared Americans for a republic, included all of the following except
a.New England town meetings.
b.committees of correspondence.
c.the absence of a hereditary aristocracy.
d.the relative equality of landowning farmers.
e.militia service.
34. Americans who opposed independence for the colonies were labeled ___ or , and the independence-seeking Patriots were also known as .
a.Tories, Whigs, Loyalists
b.Loyalists, Tories, Whigs
c.Whigs, Tories, Loyalists
d.Loyalists, Whigs, Tories
e.Sons of Liberty, Tories, Whigs
35. The local committees of correspondence organized by Samuel Adams
a.promoted his bid to become governor of Massachusetts.
b.promoted independent action in each colony to support the British.
c.kept opposition to the British alive, through exchange of propaganda.
d.served as a precursor to the United States Postal Service.
e.led the Boston Massacre.
36. The most drastic measure of the Intolerable Acts was the
a.Quartering Act.
b.Quebec Act.
c.Sugar Act.
d.Courts Act.
e.Boston Port Act.
37. As a result of Parliament’s rejection of the petitions of the Continental Congress,
a.Americans reluctantly obeyed the British laws.
b.fighting and bloodshed took place, and war began.
c.Sam Adams and John Hancock were arrested.
d.America sent new petitions to Parliament.
e.Ben Franklin returned to the colonies since his efforts failed.
38. The one valuable resource in New France was
a.fish.
b.gold.
c.trees.
d.corn.
e.beavers.
39. The climactic clash between Britain and France for control of the North American continent sprang from their rivalry for control of
a.Cape Breton Island.
b.the Ohio River Valley.
c.the Mississippi River.
d.the Great Lakes.
e.the St. Lawrence River.
40. The French and Indian War was also known in Europe as
a.the War of Jenkins’s Ear.
b.the Seven Years’ War.
c.the War of Austrian Succession.
d.King William’s War.
e.Queen Anne’s War.