People's History, Founding Myths, and the American Revolution

 

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  How well do you know your history? Test your knowledge of the “revolution” behind the American Revolution. For answers, see link at the bottom of this page.

1. Who first said that Samuel Adams triggered the American Revolution by stirring up the Boston “mob”?
A. John Adams, Samuel’s cousin
B. Samuel Adams himself
C. Boston’s Tories
D. Boston’s patriots
E. The Daughters of the American Revolution

2. Who wrote the speech that ended with “Give me liberty, or give me death!”?
A. Samuel Adams, 1773
B. Patrick Henry, 1775
C. Nathan Hale, 1776
D. Tom Paine, 1776
E. William Wirt, 1817

3. Who spread the word that the British were headed toward Lexington and Concord?
A. Paul Revere, who saw two lanterns in the Old North Church
B. Paul Revere and William Dawes, who alerted the people of Concord
C. Samuel Adams, who knew in advance the British were on their way
D. Sybil Ludington, a female messenger who passed through the British guard undetected
E. Joseph Warren and hundreds of others, who had been expecting the event

4. During the time of the Revolutionary War, who was Boston’s most honored patriot?
A. Paul Revere
B. Joseph Warren
C. Samuel Adams
D. John Adams
E. Abigail Adams

5. When and where did patriots first depose British-appointed officials?
A. Boston, December 16, 1773
B. Great Barrington, Massachusetts, August 16, 1774
C. Richmond, Virginia, March 23, 1775
D. Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775
E. Philadelphia, July 4, 1776

6. The first British fort seized by the patriots in the American Revolution was
A. Fort William and Mary, 1774
B. Fort Ticonderoga, 1775
C. Fort Quebec, 1776
D. Fort Washington, 1776
E. Fort Sumpter, 1861

7. Where was the patriots’ resistance so strong that the British dared not attack?
A. New York City
B. Philadelphia
C. Worcester, Massachusetts
D. Salem, Massachusetts
E. Concord, Massachusetts

8. Who wrote that “all men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent natural rights”?
A. Samuel Adams, December, 1773
B. Patrick Henry, March, 1775
C. Thomas Paine, January, 1776
D. George Mason, June, 1776
E. Thomas Jefferson, July, 1776

9. Which body of patriots first suggested that the patriots set up their own government, without British approval?
A. Boston Town Meeting, December, 1773
B. Virginia House of Burgesses, June, 1774
C. Worcester Town Meeting, October, 1774
D. First Continental Congress, November, 1774
E. Second Continental Congress, July, 1776

10. The Declaration of Independence was
A. Signed by all members of the Continental Congress who were present on July 4, 1776.
B. Signed by all members of the Continental Congress who were present on August 2, 1776.
C. Signed by fourteen members of the Continental Congress who were not present on July 4, 1776.
D. Approved by thirteen states on July 2, 1776.
E. Approved by thirteen states on July 4, 1776.

11. Mary Hayes, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania
A. Carried water in a pitcher to thirsty soldiers at the Battle of Monmouth.
B. Took her husband’s place at a cannon at the Battle of Monmouth.
C. Was given a medal by George Washington.
D. All of the above.
E. Was exhumed from her grave a century after the Battle of Monmouth and declared to be “Molly Pitcher.”

12.The most famous female patriot at the time of the American Revolution was
A. Mary Hayes, the beloved “Molly Pitcher.”
B. Margaret Corbin, the celebrated “Captain Molly.”
C. Deborah Sampson, female soldier
D. Abigail Adams, who asked her husband John to “Remember the Ladies.”
E. Martha Washington, wife of George Washington

13.The coldest winter during the Revolutionary War (and for 400 years of recorded on the East Coast of the United States) was
A. 1775-1776 (the siege of Boston)
B. 1776-1777 (crossing the Delaware)
C. 1777-1778 (winter camp at Valley Forge)
D. 1779-1780 (winter camp at Morristown)
E. 1781-1782 (Washington’s headquarters at White Plains)

14. At Valley Forge, soldiers satisfied their hunger by
A. Praying for George Washington
B. Training with Baron Von Steuben
C. Receiving supplies from the French
D. Pillaging from local farmers
E. Petitioning Congress for more food

15. “Tarleton’s Quarter” was a
A. Brothel at Valley Forge
B. Continental coin issued briefly in 1780, which quickly devalued
C. Patriots’ rallying cry
D. British command post in New York City
E. Notorious British prison in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina

16. What were you most likely to do if you were drafted into the Continental Army and you didn’t want to fight?
A. Hire a substitute, if you could afford it
B. Flee to Canada
C. Get a religious exemption from your minister
D. Organize a draft resisters’ league
E. You had to serve anyway, or you’d get tarred and feathered

17. Of the soldiers who died in the American Revolution, most perished
A. In battle
B. In prison
C. While marching
D. From disease
E. At Valley Forge

18. As a percent of the nation’s population at the time, there were more American deaths in the Revolutionary War than in any other war except
A. War of 1812
B. Civil War
C. World War I
D. World War II
E. Vietnam War

19. Which of these statements is not true of Loyalists in the American Revolution
A. They accounted for one-third of the population.
B. Many poor Loyalists sided with the Crown in order to oppose rich patriots.
C. Loyalists, unaided by British soldiers, fought many battles against patriots in the South.
D. 80,000 – 100,000 Loyalists emigrated from the United States during or after the war.
E. Suspected Loyalists were hung by their thumbs from a walnut tree in Judge Lynch’s yard until they shouted “liberty forever!”

20. Dunkers and Schwenkfelders were
A. Religious pacifistic sects
B. Hessian serfs forced to fight in the American Revolution
C. Artillery adapted for the siege of forts
D. Secret fraternal organizations, which included many patriot leaders
E. Secret “cells” of the Committees of Correspondence

21. In terms of expense, manpower, and planning, the largest American offensive in 1779 was
A. George Roger Clark’s conquest of the West
B. General Sullivan’s campaign against Iroquois farms and villages
C. General Greene’s march through the South
D. Washington’s crossing of the Delaware
E. The Conquest of Quebec

22. Which of the following sided with white patriots in the Revolutionary War?
A. Senecas
B. Mohawks
C. Mingos
D. Catawbas
E. Chickasaws

23. American patriots told the Delaware Indians that if they fought against the British, they could expect to
A. Receive gold coins for each member of the tribe
B. Have a state named after them
C. Join the union as a fourteenth state
D. Keep their land for the next ten years
E. Keep their land forever

24. During the American Revolution, twenty of George Washington’s slaves left Mount Vernon
A. To fight in the Continental Army
B. To fight in the Virginia Militia
C. To seek freedom with the British
D. To seek freedom with the French
E. Because they were freed by Martha Washington

25. Which nation was not at war with Britain during the American Revolution?
A. United States
B. France
C. Spain
D. Holland
E. Russia

26. At which location was Britain not at war with a foreign power when the Americans won the Battle of Yorktown?
A. West Indies
B. Iraq
C. Gibraltar
D. Cape of Good Hope
E. India

27. After Cornwallis’s surrender of 7,000 soldiers at Yorktown, how many of the King’s troops remained stationed in British-controlled American posts, ready for battle?
A. None — the war was over
B. 3,000
C. 7,000
D. 12,000
E. 47,000

28. After Yorktown, who insisted that the war was not yet over?
A. Lord North and Lord Rockingham
B. Benedict Arnold and Major Andre
C. Tom Paine and Thomas Jefferson
D. George Washington and King George III
E. Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams

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