American Revolution

Thomas Jefferson, a fiery young Patriot, is given credit for drafting the Declaration of Independence. One of the main reasons for drafting the Declaration was because -

• many settlers wanted to have their feelings about remaining loyal to King George written down in a document

• they were upset with the economic policies passed by Britain following the French and Indian War

• the colonists were upset with their elected representatives in Parliament for passing the Proclamation of 1763

• after the victory at Saratoga the Continental Congress was wanting to influence other European countries to aid in the cause

I Battles of Lexington and Concord

II Stamp Act

III Intolerable Acts

IV Signing of the Declaration of Independence

Determine the correct sequence of the events above

• II, III, IV, I

• I, II, IV, III

• III, II, I, IV

• II, III, I, IV

In 1776 the 13 Colonies were at a crossroads. Two years prior the colonists in Massachusetts had struggled with the closure of Boston Harbor and had been stripped of their right to self-govern. The following year the Crown had sent troops into Lexington and Concord and then had taken over Boston at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Events such as these contributed to the decision to -

• seek to ask George Washington to accept the position as General of the Continental Army

• authorize Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to sign the Treaty of Paris with France

• have the 2nd Continental Congress draft and adopt a resolution of independence from Britain

• have the Constitutional Convention author the document to restructure the federal government

“Everything that is right or reasonable pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, 'TIS TIME TO PART. Even the distance at which the Almighty hath placed England and America is a strong and natural proof that the authority of the one over the other, was never the design of heaven.

Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776

Which answer best explains the impact Thomas Paine’s Common Sense had on the American colonists?

• It informed the colonists that the King had no intention of allowing them to be independent.

• It encouraged many colonists to seek independence from Great Britain

• It taught them that England and America relied heavily on each other for trade

• It demonstrated that King George and Parliament were making laws that were hurting the colonists.

“He served admirably during our Revolution and should be an example to succeeding generations around the world as a call to arms and international conflicts involving principles of human rights and liberties. He was the most distinguished foreign volunteer to the American army, providing legitimacy for their side."

The excerpt above serves to honor -

• Haym Salomon

• George Washington

• Marquis de Lafayette

• Thomas Jefferson

· Born in Boston, Massachusetts

· Leader of the Sons of Liberty

· Signer of the Declaration of Independence

· Governor of Massachusetts 1794-1797

The points above best describes the accomplishments and contributions of –

• Samuel Adams

• Thomas Paine

• Benjamin Franklin

• John Adams

“But Britain is the parent country, say some. Then the more shame upon her conduct. Even brutes do not devour their young, nor savages make war upon their families . . .O ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth!”

In the above excerpt who is the individual that is referred to as the tyrant?

• Lord Cornwallis

• George Washington

• King George III

• Lord North

Explain what issue led to General Cornwallis’s surrender at the Battle of Yorktown.

• The Marquis de Lafayette had trained Washington’s men through the winter at Valley Forge.

• The French fleet had arrived and cut off Cornwallis’s escape to the sea.

• Cornwallis had been under siege and was running out of food and clean drinking water.

• Bernardo de Galvez had successfully defended the Mississippi River from the British.

Burgoyne’s surrender marked a turning point in the war. Before the victory at , the American cause had looked hopeless to most of the world. Now the Americans had shown they could stand up to a British army and win, other countries took note of this victory.

• Concord

• Yorktown

• Saratoga

• Bunker Hill

“Stand your ground, don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war let it begin here.”

-Captain John Parker

The quote above describes the events that happened at

• Saratoga

• Yorktown

• Bunker Hill

• Lexington