Colonial period and independence
Questions and answers
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The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.
- Freedom
- Political liberty
- Religious freedom
- Economic opportunity
- Escape persecution
The Pilgrims who founded Massachusetts in 1620 wanted to practice their religion freely, while many Jamestown settlers hoped for farmland and gold.
Study guide · The 13 Original Colonies ↗ -
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
- American Indians
- Native Americans
Native Americans, also called American Indians, had lived in the Americas for about 20,000 years in many tribes with their own languages, religions and governments before any European ship arrived.
Study guide · Native Americans ↗ -
What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?
- Africans
- People from Africa
Colonists needed workers for their tobacco and cotton farms, so millions of people from Africa were forced onto ships and sold in the Americas. The first enslaved Africans reached Jamestown in 1619.
Study guide · Slavery in the Colonies ↗ -
What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?
- American Revolution
- The (American) Revolutionary War
- War for (American) Independence
The colonists went to war with Great Britain in 1775, declared independence during the fighting, and Britain accepted the new country in a treaty in 1783.
Study guide · Causes of the American Revolutionary War ↗ -
Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.
- High taxes
- Taxation without representation
- British soldiers stayed in Americans’ houses (boarding, quartering)
- They did not have self-government
- Boston Massacre
- Boston Tea Party (Tea Act)
- Stamp Act
- Sugar Act
- Townshend Acts
- Intolerable (Coercive) Acts
Britain raised taxes on the colonies to pay for its wars but let no colonial representatives vote on them, and then outlawed the colonial congresses when the colonists protested.
Study guide · Causes of the American Revolutionary War ↗ -
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
- (Thomas) Jefferson
Jefferson drafted the statement that announced the break from Great Britain and said everyone has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Study guide · The Declaration of Independence ↗ -
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
- July 4, 1776
The Declaration announced independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, which is why Independence Day falls on the Fourth of July.
Study guide · The Declaration of Independence ↗ -
The American Revolution had many important events. Name one.
- (Battle of) Bunker Hill
- Declaration of Independence
- Washington Crossing the Delaware (Battle of Trenton)
- (Battle of) Saratoga
- Valley Forge (Encampment)
- (Battle of) Yorktown (British surrender at Yorktown)
Fighting stopped in 1781 when the British army surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, though the war officially ended only with the treaty of 1783.
Study guide · Winning the American Revolutionary War ↗ -
There were 13 original states. Name five.
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
When the Declaration was adopted in 1776, the 13 English colonies on the East Coast became the first 13 states, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south.
Study guide · The Declaration of Independence ↗ -
What founding document was written in 1787?
- (U.S.) Constitution
Leaders from all 13 states met in Philadelphia in 1787, eleven years after the Declaration, and wrote the Constitution to replace a government many people were unhappy with.
Study guide · The Constitutional Convention ↗ -
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
- (James) Madison
- (Alexander) Hamilton
- (John) Jay
- Publius
Madison, Hamilton and Jay published essays in newspapers under the shared name Publius to persuade the states to vote for the new Constitution.
Study guide · The Constitutional Convention ↗ -
Why were the Federalist Papers important?
- They helped people understand the (U.S.) Constitution.
- They supported passing the (U.S.) Constitution.
Not everyone wanted the new Constitution, so the essays explained it and argued for passing it while the 13 states were deciding whether to approve it.
Study guide · The Constitutional Convention ↗ -
Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Name one.
- Founded the first free public libraries
- First Postmaster General of the United States
- Helped write the Declaration of Independence
- Inventor
- U.S. diplomat
As a diplomat representing the United States abroad, Franklin negotiated the 1783 treaty in which Britain recognized American independence. He also started the first free libraries and was the first Postmaster General.
Study guide · Winning the American Revolutionary War ↗ -
George Washington is famous for many things. Name one.
- “Father of Our Country”
- First president of the United States
- General of the Continental Army
- President of the Constitutional Convention
After the states approved the Constitution, Washington was elected the first president and served from 1789 to 1797, having earlier led the colonial army in the Revolutionary War.
Study guide · The Constitutional Convention ↗ -
Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one.
- Writer of the Declaration of Independence
- Third president of the United States
- Doubled the size of the United States (Louisiana Purchase)
- First Secretary of State
- Founded the University of Virginia
- Writer of the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom
Jefferson wrote the 1776 statement of freedom from Great Britain. He later became the third president and bought the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803.
Study guide · The Declaration of Independence ↗ -
James Madison is famous for many things. Name one.
- “Father of the Constitution”
- Fourth president of the United States
- President during the War of 1812
- One of the writers of the Federalist Papers
Madison helped shape the new government at the 1787 convention and wrote Federalist Papers to get the Constitution passed, which earned him the title "Father of the Constitution".
Study guide · The Constitutional Convention ↗ -
Alexander Hamilton is famous for many things. Name one.
- First Secretary of the Treasury
- One of the writers of the Federalist Papers
- Helped establish the First Bank of the United States
- Aide to General George Washington
- Member of the Continental Congress
Hamilton pushed for a stronger national government, co-wrote the Federalist Papers and then ran the new nation's finances as the first Secretary of the Treasury.
Study guide · The Constitutional Convention ↗