America's Founding Fathers and Enlightenment Thinkers

In what ways did Europe's Enlightenment thinkers inspire America's Founding Fathers?

• By providing military strategies

• By influencing them to create a government by the people, for the people

• By encouraging them to maintain the status quo

• By teaching them agricultural techniques

What did Thomas Jefferson believe was the duty of the people if the government takes away their liberty?

• To adapt to the new rules

• To protest and demand change

• To leave the country

• To replace the government with a monarchy

What action did the colonists take when they were tired of paying taxes without having any voice in government?

• They asked for a peaceful negotiation

• They continued to pay taxes

• They declared war on Great Britain

• They declared their freedom from Great Britain

Who was the main author of the Declaration of Independence?

• Benjamin Franklin

• John Adams

• Thomas Jefferson

• John Locke

What was one of the key phrases Thomas Jefferson included in the Declaration of Independence?

• "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

• "All men are created equal."

• "Government of the people, by the people, for the people."

Which English philosopher's ideas did Thomas Jefferson study that influenced his version of the Declaration of Independence?

• Isaac Newton

• Francis Bacon

• John Locke

• John Adams

What idea did Locke and Jefferson share about the government's duty to its citizens?

• The government should protect the citizens' natural rights.

• The government should increase taxes to fund public happiness.

• The government should control all aspects of citizens' lives to ensure happiness.

• The government should not interfere with the citizens' pursuit of happiness.

According to the passage, what happens if a government becomes destructive to the ends of securing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?

• The government should be left unchanged to maintain stability.

• The people have the right to alter or abolish it and institute new government.

• The government should impose stricter laws to regain control.

• The people should seek happiness elsewhere.

Who is known as the "Father of the Constitution" for his work at the Constitutional Convention?

• Thomas Jefferson

• Benjamin Franklin

• John Locke

• James Madison

What did Benjamin Franklin invent that is related to electricity?

• The electric car

• The lightning rod

• The electric motor

• The battery