American Revolution Study Guide-Answer Key

Question 1

Treaty

Answer 1

a formal peace agreement between two nations

Question 2

Thomas Jefferson

Answer 2

author of the D.O.I.

Question 3

Thomas paine

Answer 3

wrote a 47 page pamphlet called common sense

Question 4

George Washington

Answer 4

commander and chief of the Continental Army

Question 5

Treaty of Paris 1783

Answer 5

the peace agreement in which Great Britain recognized the
independence of the U.S.

Question 6

Enlightenment

Answer 6

a period of time when European philosophers believed that
reason could improve human society

Question 7

Marquis de Lafayette

Answer 7

Frenchman who was inspired by the ideas of the American
Revolution

Question 8

Primary source

Answer 8

someone or something was there during an event

Question 9

Secondary source

Answer 9

something that was written after the event occurred

Question 10

John Locke

Answer 10

believed that certain rights are undeniable to all citizens

Question 11

Mercantilism

Answer 11

controlling trade for the economic benefit of the mother country

Question 12

Common Sense

Answer 12

document written by Thomas Paine which stated citizens should
make the laws

Question 13

Loyalists

Answer 13

people who remained devoted to Great Britain

Question 14

Minutemen

Answer 14

members of the civilian volunteer militia

Question 15

Declaration of Independence

Answer 15

document that formally announced the colonies’
break from Great Britain

Question 16

Hessians

Answer 16

mercenaries from the German state of Hesse who fought for the British

Question 17

Mercenaries

Answer 17

foreign soldiers who fought not out of loyalty, but for pay

Question 18

Francis Marion

Answer 18

Patriot leader who perfected guerilla warfare tactics

Question 19

Yorktown

Answer 19

the last major battle of the American Revolution

Question 20

Treason

Answer 20

betrayal of one’s country

Question 21

Patriots

Answer 21

colonists who chose to fight for independence

Question 22

Paul Revere

Answer 22

warned the Patriots that the British were marching toward Concord

Question 23

Thomas Jefferson wrote “all men are created equal”, how does this
contradict Jefferson’s own life?

Answer 23

He owned slaves

Question 24

Why did fighting shift from the North at the beginning of the war to the
South?

Answer 24

Large loyalists populations in Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia; British
planned to free slaves and have them fight

Question 25

Why did the British march on Lexington and Concord?

Answer 25

To seize militia weapons stored in Concord

Question 26

What was the purpose of the Second Continental Congress?

Answer 26

It created a Continental Army for defense, while pursuing peace with Great Britain

Question 27

Why did Great Britain pass the Sugar Act?

Answer 27

To help pay for the French and Indian War and to support an army in the colonies

Question 28

Why were the Patriots defeated in New York?

Answer 28

They were outnumbered and the British were better trained and equipped

Question 29

Name two battles where the Patriots were defeated.

Answer 29

Canada, New York, Bunker Hill

Question 30

What battle is often referred to as the turning point of the war?

Answer 30

Saratoga

Question 31

How are Abigail Adams concerns about representation similar to the colonists concerns in Chapter 3 (all the Acts)?

Answer 31

The colonists were not represented in Parliament. She wrote that women are not represented in the Declaration and not bound by it.

Question 32

What are some examples of causes of the revolution? (at least four)

Answer 32

Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Tea Act, Townshend Act, Intolerable Acts

Question 33

Explain, in detail, what happened at the Battle of Trenton. On Christmas night of 1776 the Continental Army decided to attack the Hessians at Trenton.

Answer 33

Washington decided to cross the Delaware River with an inexperienced army. The Continental Army had no deaths or wounded soldiers.

Question 34

The British Parliament felt that men who signed the Declaration of Independence committed treason. Why?

Answer 34

The British considered the colonies under their control

Question 35

Which battle convinced the French to assist the Continental Army in their fight against the British?

Answer 35

Saratoga

Question 36

What was another name for the Intolerable Acts?

Answer 36

Coercive Acts

Question 37

Why were Massachusetts and Rhode Island colonized? (review from last unit)

Answer 37

For religious freedom

Question 38

Why was the Battle of Bunker Hill a costly victory?

Answer 38

The British lost double the amount of men

Question 39

What was one of the main arguments in the Declaration of Independence as far as what all men possess?

Answer 39

Life , liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

Question 40

Name three ways that women helped the Patriot cause.

Answer 40

Ran farms and businesses, raised money, made clothing, messengers, nurses, spies

Question 41

What was Thomas Paine’s argument in the document Common Sense?

Answer 41

That citizens, not monarchs, should make the laws

Question 42

Explain what happened at the Boston Massacre. How many were killed?

Answer 42

An argument between a British soldier and a colonist led to the shooting deaths of three men

Question 43

Name two reasons why the British army moved to Yorktown.

Answer 43

Harassment from the Continental Army and to maintain communications with the British naval fleet

Question 44

Name five Patriot leaders, except for Washington, who helped fight for independence.

Answer 44

Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Henry Knox, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Richard Montgomery, Marquis de Lafayette, Baron von Steuben, Bernardo de Galvez, John Paul Jones, George Rogers Clark

Question 45

Which Enlightenment idea convinced Congress to declare independence from Britain?

Answer 45

Government should be seen as a contract between the people and their rulers

Question 46

Name three items that were taxed under the Stamp Act.

Answer 46

Paper items, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, pamphlets, and playing cards

Question 47

Why did colonists oppose the Tea Act?

Answer 47

Colonial merchants feared the British East India Company’s cheap tea would put them out of business

Question 48

What was the last major battle of the American Revolution?

Answer 48

Yorktown

Question 49

What group of people was responsible for helping the Patriots win the battle?

Answer 49

The French

Question 50

What was the name of the British general who surrendered?

Answer 50

cornwallis

Question 51

Why did the British surrender?

Answer 51

They were outnumbered and surrounded

Question 52

How many more years did the American Revolution continue even after this battle?

Answer 52

Two years