Ch. 2 Americans Declare their Independence

Which grievance contributed to the American colonists' desire for independence?

• British policies had made frontier lands too expensive.

• The King had denied the colonists their freedom of religion.

• The British government had been too generous to the Indian tribes.

• The British government had taxed the colonists without their consent.

Answer explanation

Remember "Taxation without representation," the colonists did not receive representation in Parliament where they were passing laws to tax the colonists to pay for the French and Indian War (7 years war).

What was the main purpose of the tar-and-feathering shown in the British caricature of the colonists?

• to protest their being taxed without their consent

• to protest the high cost of British manufactured goods

• to protest British involvement in the French and Indian War.

• to protest the quartering of troops in colonists' own homes.

Answer explanation

Think about that the cartoon is displaying. . .the colonist are torturing the tax collector working for the British. Also look at the colonist making the tax collector drink from the large teapot, what are they protesting?

The diagram below describes events leading to the Declaration of Independence. Which event completes the diagram?

• British give up the attempt to tax the colonists.

• British apply armed force against the colonists.

• British agree to give the colonists their independence.

• British grant the colonists representation in Parliament.

Answer explanation

Think about the only choice that would make sense in this question. We know that the colonists were never granted representation and with each action of the colonists the Parliament would vote in a new way to tax the colonists. This caused the colonists to become even more enraged and demanding their rights. In response to each action the British would send more troops and require the colonists to house those troops (quartering troops).

In the 1760s, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act, Townshend duties, Tea Act, and Intolerable Acts. What was the impact of these British policies?

• Indian tribes were able to keep their lands.

• Colonists began to think of becoming independent.

• The British government was able to pay off its debts.

• The French were defeated in the French and Indian War.

Answer explanation

If you are examining the choices, think about the order of events. We know that the Proclamation Act occurred after the French and Indian War. . .stated that the colonists could not expand west on Native American territory. King George thought this would appease the Native Americans after the war. We also know that the British could not pay off the debts because the colonists protested all of these acts. The French and Indian War occurred before the tax acts and was the cause Britain's debt. All of these could not be possible answers.

Which complaint against King George II is stated in the Declaration of Independence?

• He had quartered his troops among the colonists.

• He had forced the colonists to accept the practice of slavery.

• He had required the colonists to trade with French merchants.

• He had failed to defend the colonists in the French and Indian War

Answer explanation

Going back to Ch. 1 think about what all of these influences had on our DOI and constitution.

Magna Carta: Limited power of the government

English Bill of Rights: Limited power of the government as well as listed several natural rights that should be guaranteed.

The Mayflower Compact: established self-government in the colonies

John Locke's social contract: stated people should reject their government if natural laws were not being followed. This idea also inspired Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Paine's pamphlet encouraged people to reject the ruling of King George.

Which document publicized the concept of "natural rights," later found in the Declaration of Independence?

• Magna Carta

• The English Bill of Rights

• The Mayflower Compact

• John Locke's explanation of Social Contract

Answer explanation

When you think about Natural Rights and social contract think John Locke :)

According to the Declaration of Independence, what was an "unalienable right" that all governments should protect?

• the right to social equality

• the right to personal liberty

• the right to religious equality

• the right to elect government officials

Answer explanation

This is the part of the Declaration that declares the rights to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

The passage above comes from the Declaration of Independence(1776). Which section of the Declaration contained this passage?

• its list of colonial grievances

• its justification of the conduct of the colonists

• its theory of government base on a social contract

• its announcement of American independence from Britain

Answer explanation

This section is taken from the list of grievances that the colonists were declaring that were acted upon them from King George and the British Parliament.

Which statement best describes the role of government according to the Declaration of Independence?

• "The main purpose of government is to expand and glorify the state."

• "The main purpose of government is to protect the unalienable rights of individuals."

• "The main purpose of government is to protect the rights and privileges of His Majesty, the King."

• "The main purpose of government is to promote the general welfare of the community by taking steps toward social equality."

Answer explanation

At the time the Declaration was written social equality was not the goal but to lay the groundwork to making America independent from Britain based on: natural laws, grievances with the King, and justification of the acts of the colonists. Later the DOI will be used to argue for rights of equality between all humans.

The passage above comes from the Declaration of Independence. According to this passage, what is the principal role of government?

• To promote greater social equality

• To protect the natural rights of citizens

• To glorify the ruler in the eyes of the Creator

• To help individuals cooperate against the forces of nature

Answer explanation

Here again we see the phrase influenced by John Locke, "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." These natural rights are influenced from Locke's social contract theory and lays out the government's responsibility to protect natural rights of citizens. Citizens give powers to government by "consenting to be governed."