US History Unit 2 Test- Revolutionary War and Creating a New Government
1. What did “no taxation without representation” mean to the colonists?
A.The taxing power of British shopkeepers is represented in Parliament
B.There should be no taxation of British goods entering the colonies
C.Taxation in the colonies should only be for British citizens
D.The colonists should not be taxed without representation in Parliament
2. In response to the Boston Tea Party, the British created the ______which were intended to convince the people of Boston that they should turn in the leaders of the Tea Party.
A. Coercive ActsC. Quartering Act
B. Stamp ActD. Townshend Acts
3. The first fighting of the Revolutionary War took place in the Cities of ______and ______when the British sent
soldiers to capture Sam Adams and John Hancock who were leaders of the Sons of Liberty.
A. Salem and Jamestown
B. Lexington and Concord
C. Charleston and Philadelphia
D. Gettysburg and Antietam
4. To prevent the colonists from taking the high grounds around Boston, the British attacked the colonists in ______, eventually driving the colonists from the hills while losing over 1000 soldiers.
A. The Battle of SaratogaC. The Battle of Lookout Mountain
B. The Battle of CowpensD. The Battle of Bunker Hill
5. The Pamphlet “Common Sense”, by Thomas Paine, encouraged colonists to ______.
A. Declare their independenceC. Remain loyal to King George III of England
B. Move to CanadaD. Boycott all British trade goods
6. All of the following are true of the 2nd Continental Congress except ______.
A. All 13 colonies were representedC. The representatives decided to send the Olive Branch Petition
B. The meeting was in PhiladelphiaD. The representatives created the Declaration of Independence
7. Thomas Jefferson became a national leader when he ______.
A. was elected as leader of the Continental Congress
B. wrote most of the Declaration of Independence
C. Became the first US Secretary of Treasury
D. Wrote the US Constitution
8. The main aspect of the British plan to win the war was to ______.
A. Kill as many colonists as possible
B. Control all of the natural resources in America
C. Destroy the farmland and countryside of the Americans
D. Capture the major cities
9. The main aspect of the American’s plan to win the war was to ______.
A. Capture the major cities
B. Control the rivers and other waterways
C. Keep fighting until the British people got tired of war
D. Train until their army was as powerful as that of the British
10. In the Declaration of Independence, it is claimed that a government’s power comes from ______.
A. The peopleC. God
B. The KingD. The Parliament
11. As leader of the Continental Army, George Washington used guerilla tactics such as the Christmas raid on the ______in Trenton, New Jersey.
A. HessiansC. British
B. IroquoisD. French
12. Saratoga was a key, turning-point battle in the Revolutionary War because ______.
A. It convinced the French to help the Americans because they actually had a chance of winning.
B. Over half of the British army was either killed or captured in the battle
C. It proved to the Americans that they needed no help from anyone and could defeat the British by themselves
D. The British immediately surrendered after the battle was over.
13. The American colonists were able to train and become a truly skilled fighting force during their winter at ______.
A. ArmageddonC. Trenton
B. JamestownD. Valley Forge
14. After moving to the South, the British General, Cornwallis, was put on the defensive when his troops were soundly defeated by the Americans at the battle of ______, in South Carolina
A. CharlestonC. Spartanburg
B. CowpensD. Chicken Coop
15. The Revolutionary war ended when the British General Cornwallis surrendered at ______.
A. Yorktown peninsula after being trapped between American soldiers on land and the French Navy in the water
B. New York City, when the Americans captured General Cornwallis himself
C. Washington DC, when the British troops ran out of ammunition
D. Saratoga, when over half of the British soldiers were either captured or killed.
16. Although fighting had ended two years earlier, the American Revolutionary War didn’t actually end until September of 1793 with the signing of the ______.
A. Treaty of ParisC. Magna Carta
B. Mayflower CompactD. Treaty of Ghent
17. When the Americans first created a new government, their main goal was ______.
A. To make a very weak government that could not take too much power
B. To make a government very similar to the British
C. To establish a Federal system in which the national government and state government had equal power
D. To establish a government that they would need to completely change in about a decade
18. The original government of the United States was described and outlined in a document known as the ______.
A. Virginia House of BurgessesC. Mayflower Compact
B. Articles of ConfederationD. US Constitution
19. All of the following are true of the Articles of Confederation EXCEPT______.
A. The national government could not tax
B. The national government was able to create an army
C. The states could overrule national laws
D. The national government had no currency
20. The Articles of Confederation established the Northwest Territory. In this territory ______.
A. the land around the Mississippi river valley would be divided into the states of Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee
B. any citizen moving from an eastern state could take slaves
C. no soldiers could move without the express consent of the British army
D. territories could apply for statehood once 60,000 people lived in them
21. The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation were shown when ______.
A. Daniel Shays led a farmers’ rebellion against the banks and government of Massachusetts that lasted almost a year
B. The British retook the land of Maine and Vermont in a 1785 war
C. Native Americans were able to terrorize and attack major US cities without consequences
D. George Washington began to demand that he be named king
22. Who came to the Federal Convention of 1787 with a plan to create a new government and completely throw out the Articles of Confederation?
A. James MadisonC. Thomas Paine
B. Thomas JeffersonD. Nathan Hale
23. What is meant by a Federalist system of government?
A. the National government has complete authority over all aspects of life
B. The state governments have the ability to overrule national laws
C. The federal government has complete authority to make laws
D. the National and state governments share in their authority to create laws
24. An early disagreement at the Constitutional Convention was in how each state should be represented in the national government. According to the Virginia plan ______.
A. Representation should be determined by the population of each state
B. Representation should be equal for all states
C. Representation should be redetermined every 20 years
D. Representation should be decided by the physical size of each state.
25. An early disagreement at the Constitutional Convention was in how each state should be represented in the national government. According to the New Jersey plan ______.
A. Representation should be determined by the population of each state
B. Representation should be equal for all states
C. Representation should be redetermined every 20 years
D. Representation should be decided by the physical size of each state.
26. According to the “Great Compromise”, the national legislative branch, as defined in the US Constitution, would consist of
i. two-house (bi-cameral) legislature
ii. House of Representatives whose membership was based on the population of a state
iii. Senate whose membership was based on two Senators per state
- i only
- ii only
- iii only
- i and ii only
- ii and iii only
- all three
27. During the debate over the ratification of the Constitution, Federalists and Anti-Federalist disagreed MOST strongly over the
- division of powers between the national and state governments
- provision for admitting new states to the union
- distribution of power between the Senate and the House of Representatives
- method of amending the constitution
28. The major reason the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution was to
- limit the power of the state governments
- protect individual liberties from abuse by the federal government
- provide for equal treatment of all people
- separate powers between the three branches of government
29. The Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise at the Constitutional Convention were both concerned with
- regulation of interstate commerce
- admission of new states into the Union
- the future of slavery in the United States
- representation in the Congress of the United States
30. The system of checks and balances in the Constitution allows each government branch to
- function independently
- impeach members of the other branches
- make its own laws
- stop other branches from becoming too powerful
31. The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to ______(pick all that apply)
- a fair trial
- free speech
- bear arms
- refuse to testify against themselves
- worship the religion of their choice
II. Who most likely would have said this
- George WashingtonD. CornwallisG. John Hancock
- Thomas PaineE. Daniel ShaysH. King George III
- Thomas JeffersonF. Alexander HamiltonI. James Madison
_____32. How dare those city bankers come and try to take our farms away. We want to pay our debts, and we will. We just can’t right now, and they want to take our tools so we’ll never be able to pay the debts. Let’s march on Springfield and burn it to the ground.
_____33. Commoners can never be expected to run a government. They are uneducated and nothing but mobs. If we are going to set up a new government and give the commoners some power, it should at least be a Republic so the educated upper class can still be the ones making decisions.
_____34. These are the times that try men’s soul. The British continue to interfere with our daily lives and will continue to do so until we stand up against them. It doesn’t take much intelligence…just common sense to see that we should abandon the king and start a new nation of our own.
_____35. I have an idea. Let’s protest these new taxes. Let’s go to the harbor, board the ships, and throw all of the tea overboard!
_____36. How could this rabble of farmers have defeated my army? We are the greatest army ever and I am obviously one of the best generals ever. How could we have lost?
_____37. We must create a government in which all men are indeed created equal. Not only should the rich rule things. Everyone should have a say so in how the government functions. Even the lowliest farmer.
_____38. The Articles of Confederation are horrible, but I have a plan. I think we should create a federal system of government. Yes the individual states will still have power, and there will obviously be limits to all governments, but we must have a national government that is strong enough to do its job…to protect us.
_____39. I have had two great honors in my life so far. First I was given the honor of leading our soldiers in battle for independence against the British. Now I have been chosen to lead this convention in creating a new form of government. Who knows, maybe one day I will actually lead the entire country.
_____40. Americans! Foolish colonists! How dare they defy me? I am the rightful ruler of that land and will fight them and kill their leaders in order to keep the land.