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The Patriots funded their rebellion against Britain with loans from France and Holland, but also with
a. silver or gold borrowed from ordinary Americans b. gold that had been discovered in what later became Kentucky
c. stock certificates sold in London d. Washington, Jefferson, and Patrick Henry sold their land
1. Which is NOT true of the 13 colonies in the mid 1750s?
a. median American farm size was getting smaller b. more & more Americans owned no land at all and were renters
c. family size was decreasing to 4 children or less per mother d. a lot of people were coming to America
e. there were numerous riots of poor people against landlords all over America
2. Which groups were involved in conflict in the Ohio River Valley in the 1750s?
a. the French and Indians and Americans b. the French and Indians and African slaves
c. the French, Indians, Americans, and the English d. (a and b)
3. Which is NOT a big reason many poor Americans wanted to go west, into the Ohio Country?
a. cheap, even free land b. love of tourism c. soil exhaustion in the east d. no slaves to compete against
4. Which did NOT happen during the 7 Years’ War of 1755-1763?
a. England got into a HUGE, debt–with interest b. Native Americans got messed up, lost access to the French
c. England got control of Canada and India d. New England’s and Boston’s economies boomed–temporarily
e. George Washington already showed himself to be a great commander, winning the battle of Quebec
5. As a result of massive borrowing, the English government did what after the 7 Years’ War?
a. gave Canada back to the French and cancelled its debts b. returned India to the Indians, and Canada to the Natives
c. immediately cut spending and increased taxes d. sold the Ohio Country native lands, in order to make money
6. Why was it impossible, unthinkable, for the English government to cancel, walk away from this huge debt?
a. because politicians are very honest people b. because England mostly owed the debt to France
c. because the debt was owed to George Washington d. because the debt was owed to influential Englishmen
7. How did the huge English debt and France’s defeat in the 7 Years’ War affect many Native Americans?
a. the English stopped giving gifts to save money, and the French were no longer around to help
b. the English debt and the French defeat in the & Years’ War had almost no effect on the Native Americans
c. the English government seized all the Native American lands
d. the English started taxing Native American homes and furs
8. Why did the economic depression that followed the boom of the 7 Years’ War hit Boston especially hard?
a. Boston’s economy was more based on ships, with wage-workers rather than land-owning farmers
b. heavy loss of life due to fighting Natives and the French had decimated the population
c. when Canada became British, large numbers of Bostonians left for Montreal
d. Boston had borrowed heavily from southern colonies like Virginia
9. England passed the Stamp Act, the Sugar Act, and other taxes
a. raise money to pay debts from the 7 Years’ War b. punish Americans for the Boston Tea Party
c. subsidize the East India Company d. reverse the trade imbalance between Britain and the colonies
What is NOT true about the taxes on Americans that came after the 7 Years’ War?
a. the English paid far, far higher taxes than the Americans b. the money from the taxes helped pay for the defense of America
c. the taxes were on income, food, and housing–affecting great numbers of people directly
d. the taxes were pretty low and were on things like paint, newspapers, contracts, or playing cards that not everybody bought
10. As profits from tobacco went down, some leading southern planters
a. sold their plantations to pay off their debts b. returned to England c. tried to get land on the frontier to resell
d. moved to the rich ‘sugar islands’ of the Caribbean e. switched to industry and trade
11. Two reasons Virginia planters like Washington and Jefferson may have supported independence were
a. debts owed to the British and western land deals b. idealism and desire for a protective tariff
c. desire for protection from the Indians and lower taxes d. competition from Jamaica and fear of French attack
12. The heavy costs of the 7 Years’ War and Pontiac’s Rebellion caused the British government to
a. attack and conquer the lands of the Natives in the Ohio River Valley
b. return the Ohio River territory to French control c. forbid American settlement in the Ohio River Valley
d. focus their attention on attacking Spanish possessions in the Caribbean instead
13. In Boston, in 1770, there was friction between some Bostonians and British soldiers because
a. Americans had read books that explained that having a king was unfair and that democracy was better
b. in a deep economic depression desperately poor Americans and British soldiers competed for work
c. Bostonians believed that it was unfair that they should be taxed without having representation
d. the British soldiers were badly mistreating Native American tribes in Massachusetts
The Somerset legal case of 1772, was a ruling by the Supreme Court of England that
a. it was legal for the English government to tax America b. it was illegal for the English government to tax America
c. Americans did have the right to take land from Native Americans d. the slave Somerset was freed, and slavery was illegal
14. Before 1773, when some Americans complained and protested taxes, the British usually
a. sent troops to enforce tax collection b. reduced or cancelled the taxes c. increased the taxes
d. invited American representatives to London
15. The ‘Boston Tea Party’ happened because
a. the British taxed tea very heavily b. the British lowered the price of tea a lot
c. the British were encouraging people to drink coffee rather than tea
d. the British were taxing all other beverages, forcing Americans to drink tea
16. Rich merchant John Hancock supported and sponsored the Boston ‘Tea Party’ because
a. he wanted to keep tea prices low, because he loved tea so much
b. he loved freedom and democracy c. he owned shares in the British East India Company
d. he smuggled tea and if it were too cheap, there would be no point in smuggling
17. Why did some poor Bostonians help John Hancock do the ‘Tea Party’?
a. because they hated tea b. because they worked for him c. because he threatened them
d. because they agreed with the political theories of John Locke
18. As poor, unemployed, and homeless people rioted around Boston, a group of Americans met
at Philadelphia, in 1774, they called themselves the ‘Continental Congress’ and they were
a. mostly middle-class people chosen by an election b. mostly rich people chosen by the King of England
c. mostly rich people chosen by rich people d. mostly middle class people from the western parts
The Declaration of Independence was passed by the Patriots in 1776 because
a. very large numbers of all kinds of Americans voted b. 60 rich people decided to vote for it
c. representatives of all professions, poor, middle-class, farmers, workers voted for it
d. the King of England had declared war on all Americans
19. What’s strange about Jefferson’s fine statement in the Declaration of Independence of 1776, t
hat ‘All men are created Equal’?
a. he bought, used, and sold humans as if they were chickens b. he actually plagiarized that phrase
c. the British Constitution said the same thing d. the statement was later taken out
e. he was actually referring to a sugar substitute
20. Saratoga in 1777 was a big victory for the American patriots because
a. it proved Washington’s great leadership b. the French decided to support American independence
c. Native Americans were intimidated and stopped fighting d. Britain’s heavy losses caused it to end the war
21. The Americans who supported independence in the Revolutionary War were around
a. 90% b. 55% c. 15% d. 95% e. 35%
22. The many Americans who did NOT support independence were called
a. loyalists b. firebrands c. federalists d. monarchists e. Republicans
23. Which is NOT a reason why some Americans supported England during the ‘Revolutionary War’?
a. they wanted to take over Native lands in the Ohio River Valley b. they wanted English military protection
c. they wanted to sell to the English market d. they felt England was their ‘Mother Country’
24. France’s help to America during the ‘Revolutionary War’ was
a. naval power b. loans c. guns d. soldiers e. all these
25. Most Native Americans during the ‘Revolutionary War’
a. supported the Americans because they also hated George III b. supported the French
c. supported the British because they wanted to remain part of the Empire
d. fought against the Americans to save their lands
26. A majority of slaves during the ‘Revolutionary War’
a. joined the British because they loved Britain b. fought for independence, hoping for freedom after the war
c. escaped to join the Indians in the Florida Everglades d. remained enslaved and had no change in status
27. Which of these did NOT happen during the ‘Revolutionary War’?
a. the new American money became worthless, causing huge inflation
b. some Americans took advantage, got very rich by selling food at high prices c. American soldiers were often unpaid
d. many people switched sides e. the Patriots offered to free all American slaves
28. The key victory of the American patriot side at the final battle of Yorktown in 1781 was mostly due to:
a. superiority of American weapons over English weapons b. French navy cutting off English supplies
c. greater courage of highly motivated American patriots d. genius of George Washington
29. During the war and for several years after Yorktown, the America was governed by
a. George Washington b. the Stamp Act Congress c. the Philadelphia Convention d. the Articles of Confederation
30. Shays’ Rebellion in 1786 was caused by
a. high British taxes b. high American taxes c. Hamilton’s taxes d. the English embargo
31. What is NOT a reason why the economy of the new, independent USA was bad after the war ended?
a. the huge loss of life during the fighting reduced consumer demand b. spending for war was cut back
c. USA lost access to British markets & capital d. newly independent state governments taxed Americans
32. What personal benefit did Ohio Country speculators like George Washington get after
England lost the war, and allowed American independence?
a. England could no longer stop them from taking over huge amounts of land
b. the price of slaves really went down c. the price of tobacco really went up d. they could free their slaves
33. What happened to many Americans who had lent their hard-earned gold and silver to the Patriot cause?
a. the British government generously accepted the bonds at face value b. they sold the bonds to natives
c. short of money or scared, they sold them for a fraction of their value to speculators
d. they all kept their bonds and eventually tripled their money
34. Veteran Patriot soldier Daniel Shays picked up his gun and fought against Massachusetts because
a. he was secretly a supporter of King George and Great Britain
b. he was a federalist and was angered by the chaos following American independence
c. unable to pay taxes, his farm was taken and sold to pay off bonds held by rich city merchants
d. sad over the cut-off of Canadian Justin Bieber MP3s, he went crazy
35. Which of these is NOT true of the Articles of Confederation, the United States of Americas original government?
a. it had no powerful President b. it had no power over the people’s money c. it had a big army
d. it couldn’t take money—it had to ASK for it e. it couldn’t chase escaped slaves or indentured servants across states
36. Washington and rich men from different states were meeting together in 1786 to cooperate on the
Potomac River because
a. to improve access to their new properties in the Ohio Country b. to help build the new American navy
c. to encourage fishermen to move to Virginia d. to build watermills for industry
37. Rich men like Washington and Knox exchanged letters about Shays’ Rebellion because
a. they suspected Shays was working for the French b. they wanted a strong government to control the poor
c. they saw that it was a natural outgrowth of freedom and democracy
d. they felt that it was so far away from Virginia that it did not matter
38. The majority of the people who wrote the US Constitution were
a. middle class farmers b. soldiers c. lawyers d. printers e. priests
39. Which of these is NOT true of the original US Constitution
a. George Mason said he would rather cut off his hand than sign it b. it guaranteed the existence of slavery
c. it guaranteed 20 more years of slave trade d. it guaranteed that escaped slaves must be returned
e. it guaranteed freedom of speech
40. The US Constitution became law because
a. for the first time ALL Americans could vote b. Native Americans were threatening to attack
c. the British Parliament supported it d. influential merchants and landowners supported it
T 41. Transforming the secret plan (the Constitution) into law by voting in the 13 states was
made easier by all of these factors EXCEPT:
a. anti-Federalist groups were large, disorganized and surprised
b. Federalist groups were small, rich, organized and united
c. Federalists agreed to add the Bill of Rights to the Constitution
d. slowing down the voting process as much as possible
e. Federalists controlled or influenced the newspapers
42. In Rhode Island, the only state where larger numbers of people were allowed to vote on the Constitution,
the result of the vote was
a. 10 times more people voted AGAINST it than FOR it b. a HUGE victory FOR the Constitution
c. a tie d. Snooki was elected (in a close race with Lady Caca)
43. The US Constitution allowed men (if they were rich enough) to vote directly for
a. the President only b. senators, representatives, and the President c. representatives only d. senators only
44. The first US presidential election is curious because
a. fewer than 1 out of 100 people voted b. voter participation was quite high
c. there were many different candidates d. women were allowed to vote for the first time
45. The Federalists were a political party that wanted
a. strong national control by a small elite b. no taxes of any kind c. peace with France d. slavery e. free trade
46. Federalist merchants such as John Hancock liked the Constitution because
a. it created equality between Americans, regardless of wealth
b. it allowed the central government to block cheap British goods
c. it meant that poor Americans could get inexpensive land on the frontier
d. it would mean an alliance between the US and France against Britain
47. Hamilton paid off depreciated bonds at 100%, establishing the USA’s credit (and enriching Hamilton’s rich friends)
and the government would get the money by
a. taxing whiskey and forcing American consumers to pay higher prices for domestic goods (by taxing foreign goods)
b. utilizing the large quantities of gold and silver mined in the Appalachian mountains
c. taking out a huge high interest loan in London (basically paying off one ‘credit card’ with another ‘credit card’)
d. establishing a graduated income tax where rich people paid a higher percentage than poor Americans
48. Why was Hamilton’s whiskey tax a source of anger for so many Americans?
a. because it reminded them of the English tax on tea b. because many Americans drank a lot whiskey
c. because many Americans made whiskey d. (a and b) e. (b and c)
49. In 1794, the US government raised taxes and sent a 13,000 man army (bigger than any American army
used against the British during the ‘revolution’) against
a. the British who had re-started the war b. the Seminole native tribe of Florida
c. American frontier farmers d. French military forces near New Orleans
50. Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury, believed that national debt was good because
a. the Federal government was rich and had no problem paying its bills
b. paying back debt would build US credit, ‘glue’ the nation together
c. the Federal government would simply refuse to pay it back
d. the British government would be forced to pay the debts instead
Solution Preview
The Patriots funded their rebellion against Britain with loans from France and Holland, but also with
- silver or gold borrowed from ordinary Americans b. Gold that had been discovered in what later became Kentucky
- stock certificates sold in London d. Washington, Jefferson, and Patrick Henry sold their land
- Which is NOT true of the 13 colonies in the mid 1750s?
- median American farm size was getting smaller b. more & more Americans owned no land at all and were renter
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