Enlightenment Ideas and American Revolution

The video explores events leading to the American Revolution, focusing on British attempts to assert authority through taxes like the Stamp Act and Tea Act. It discusses colonial reactions, including boycotts and the formation of Congresses, leading to the Boston Tea Party and the Intolerable Acts. The video highlights key figures like Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, and the influence of Enlightenment ideas and Thomas Paine's Common Sense on the independence movement. It concludes with a recap of the major acts and justifications for resistance.

What was the primary reason Britain sought to impose taxes on the American colonies after the Seven Years War?

• To fund new colonial ventures

• To pay off war debts

• To expand the British navy

• To build new infrastructure in the colonies

Which of the following was a direct result of the Stamp Act of 1765?

• The Boston Massacre

• The formation of the Stamp Act Congress

• The signing of the Declaration of Independence

• The Boston Tea Party

What was the main colonial grievance against the Townsend Acts?

• They imposed military rule in the colonies

• They restricted colonial trade with other nations

• They taxed essential goods like tea and glass

• They banned colonial assemblies

The Boston Tea Party was a protest against which British policy?

• The Intolerable Acts

• The Stamp Act

• The Tea Act

• The Quartering Act

What was the purpose of the Intolerable Acts according to the British government?

• To punish the colonies for the Boston Tea Party

• To reduce taxes on imported goods

• To grant more autonomy to the colonies

• To establish a new colonial government

Which of the following was NOT a goal of the First Continental Congress?

• To organize a boycott of British goods

• To return to a state of salutary neglect

• To address colonial grievances

• To declare independence from Britain

Which Enlightenment thinker influenced the idea of 'consent of the governed'?

• John Locke

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Voltaire

• Thomas Hobbes

Who was the author of 'Common Sense', a pamphlet that urged American independence?

• John Adams

• Thomas Paine

• Benjamin Franklin

• Thomas Jefferson

What was a key argument in Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense'?

• The British Parliament should have more power

• Monarchies are the best form of government

• The colonies should seek reconciliation with Britain

• A small island should not govern a large continent

Which document formally announced the American colonies' break from Britain?

• The Articles of Confederation

• The Declaration of Independence

• The Bill of Rights

• The Constitution