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Declaration of Independence

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 10mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Aside from Thomas Jefferson, who else was on the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence?


click all that apply

a)

John Adams

b)

Benjamin Franklin

c)

Roger Sherman

d)

George Washington

2.

What overall announcement does Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence make?

a)

The colonists share news of the war with Great Britain.

b)

The colonists refuse to pay unfair taxes to Great Britain.

c)

The colonists declare a separation from Great Britain.

d)

The colonists sign new agreements with Great Britain.

3.

What was the quartering act?

a)

Act that said it was illegal for British soldiers to search your home without a warrant

b)

Act that said the colonists must house British soldiers

c)

Act that allowed the King to tax tea by 25%

d)

An act that made it illegal to draw and quarter tax collectors

4.

April 19, 1775 is a day that will be remembered for the event that signaled the beginning of the Revolutionary War. What event was it?

a)

The Boston Massacre

b)

The signing of the Declaration of Independence

c)

The Boston Tea Party

d)

The Battles at Lexington and Concord

5.

The ____________Acts were passed to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party

a)

Stamp

b)

Intolerable

c)

Tea

d)

Terrible

6.

What are unalienable rights?

a)

Rights the King grants you

b)

Rights you are born with and can't be taken away

c)

the rights listed in the Bill of Rights

d)

Rights listed in the Magna Carta

7.
Why did Thomas Jefferson say that King George III was an unfit ruler?
a)
He was not born in Great Britain.
b)
He denied the colonists their rights.
c)
He was not elected by Parliament.
d)
He lived far away from the colonies.
8.
According to Jefferson, the power to rule comes from
a)
God.
b)
the king.
c)
Parliament.
d)
the citizens.
9.
To Great Britain, the signing of the Declaration of Independence was
a)
an act of loyalty.
b)
an act of treason.
c)
an act of bravery.
d)
an act of insanity.
10.

Idea that government must protect people's rights, and that people choose their elected leaders:

a)

Natural Rights

b)

Social Contract

c)

Limited Government

d)

Divine Right of Kings

11.

Government cannot take these away from people because they are born with them:

a)

Natural Rights

b)

Divine Rights

c)

Limited Rights

d)

Socially Contracted Rights

12.

Who was the main author of the Declaration of Independence?

a)

Charles Cornwallis

b)

Andrew Jackson

c)

George Washington

d)

Thomas Jefferson

13.

Type of government that is ruled by a King or Queen

a)

Democracy

b)

Monarchy

c)

Theocracy

d)

Oligarchy

14.

Which legislative body asked Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence?

a)

1st Continental Congress

b)

2nd Continental Congress

c)

3rd Continental Congress

d)

4th Continental Congress

15.

Why was Thomas Jefferson asked to write the Declaration of Independence?

a)

He was wealthy

b)

He was a skilled writer & intelligent

c)

He was a skilled lawyer

d)

He had a good relationship with King George

16.

Which "era" contributed many ideas that would later appear in the Declaration of Independence?

a)

Industrial Revolution

b)

Progressive Era

c)

Enlightenment

d)

Revolutionary Era

17.

The Boston Tea Party was...(select all true answers)

a)

a protest by the Patriots

b)

a protest by the Loyalists

c)

protesting high taxes on tea

d)

a major gathering of politicians to write the Declaration of Independence

18.

Who would mostly likely say, "Our taxes are too high. Why does the King think this is fair? We don't have any say in the British government!"

a)

The Loyalists

b)

The Patriots

19.

What is another word for grievances?

a)

sadnesses

b)

abolishments

c)

lamentations

d)

complaints

20.

The Sons of Liberty led the opposition to British policies in Boston by

a)

sending a list of grievances and demands to Britain

b)

using violence and intimidation to protest taxation

c)

appealing to France to become an ally

d)

attacking Native Americans in Western Massachusetts