Americas History Volume 1 9th Edition

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1. Which of the following was an advantage for the English at the outset of the American
Revolution?
A) Fighting a defensive war
B) A more motivated military
C) Outdated weaponry
D) Experienced and well-trained recruits

2. Which of the following statements characterizes the relative military strengths of the
British and Patriot forces during the Revolutionary War?
A) The Patriots could count on more help from Indians than could the British.
B) The Americans relied mostly on a standing army of about 48,000 men.
C) Due to American shipbuilding, American naval strength roughly matched that of
the British Navy.
D) The British could expect support from thousands of Loyalists in the colonies and
many Indian tribes.

3. Which of these events occurred at the Battle of Long Island in August 1776?
A) General Howe and his British troops forced the Americans to retreat to Manhattan
Island.
B) General Washington and the Continental army won their first major victory over
British forces.
C) The Continental troops quickly surrendered and General Washington barely
escaped.
D) Benedict Arnold surrendered a strategic fort to the British, helping them to win the
battle.

4. What was significant about George Washington's leading of his troops across the
Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776?
A) It was the first time Washington had shown decisive leadership and it saved his
job.
B) Washington's action surprised the enemy and gave the Americans their first real
victory.
C) His failed effort to cross the frozen river resulted in the deaths of 200 American
troops.
D) The event allowed the Continental Army to retake New Jersey and most of Long
Island.

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5. Which of the following statements describes British military strategy during the first
two years of the Revolutionary War?
A) The British were content to demonstrate their superior power and tactics in the
hopes of convincing the rebels to surrender.
B) The British harassed the Continental army ruthlessly, but with great luck,
Washington and his troops repeatedly escaped.
C) With the Atlantic standing between them and their country, the British relied on the
Loyalists for supplies.
D) The British used guerrilla tactics instead of conventional warfare, attempting to
outmaneuver the rebels and force their surrender.

6. Which of the following describes the Continental army during the Revolutionary War?
A) Although it grew slowly, the force numbered 75,000 men at its peak.
B) It consisted mainly of yeomen farmers and well-to-do young Patriots.
C) Most of its recruits were poor native-born youths and older foreign-born men.
D) Its morale and discipline exceeded the British army's because it was fighting for a
patriotic cause.

7. Why was the Battle of Saratoga historically significant?

A) It lulled the British into a false sense of security.
B) The victory ensured the French would join in an alliance with the Americans.
C) The British captured more than 5,000 American troops.
D) The loss showed the need for better training for the Patriot troops.

8. Patriot women contributed to the war effort in the 1770s by

A) increasing production of homespun cloth.
B) joining the women's regiment.
C) working as government officials.
D) working in army offices to free men to fight.

9. Which of the following factors posed a major problem for the colonies during the
American Revolution?
A) The absence of allies
B) Slave insurrections
C) The high price and scarcity of goods
D) A depressed economy

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10. Which of the following statements describes the American Revolution's impact on
civilians in areas that saw military conflicts?
A) Wartime violence was limited to the battlefield and nearby civilians were left
unharmed.
B) British troops frequently attacked civilian targets despite Patriots' efforts to protect
them.
C) British troops followed the laws of war, but Americans frequently targeted Loyalist
civilians.
D) Both British and American troops were known to loot farms and harass and rape
civilian women.

11. To finance the war during its first two years, the new American state governments relied
primarily on
A) raising taxes to unprecedented levels.
B) forced requisitions from the wealthy.
C) selling public landholdings.
D) printing large quantities of paper money.

12. Which of the following was a consequence of the large increase in paper currency in
circulation in the states during the Revolutionary War years?
A) Paper currency made it easier for American families to buy goods.
B) It caused many Loyalists to switch their allegiance to the Patriot cause.
C) The printing of additional bills allowed most Americans to become very wealthy.
D) The paper bills quickly fell in value, becoming nearly worthless.

13. How did the finances of the Continental Congress compare to those of the states during
the first two years of the Revolutionary War?
A) While states suffered from the lack of funds, the Continental Congress achieved
financial solvency through tax collection.
B) Like the states, the Continental Congress lacked income and issued paper money in
an effort to sustain itself.
C) The states collected sufficient revenue through tax collection, but the Continental
Congress lacked the authority to tax.
D) Because they benefitted from both land and excise taxes, neither the states nor the
Continental Congress experienced financial burdens at this time.

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14. Which of the following statements characterizes events at Valley Forge in the winter of
1777–1778?
A) The Continental army was ill-equipped, but the British troops in nearby
Philadelphia also struggled to find adequate food and shelter during the harsh
winter.
B) Through the training of Baron von Steuben, the Continental army emerged as a
much tougher and better-disciplined force.
C) Of the 30,000 troops encamped at Valley Forge, one-third deserted and another
third died of malnutrition or disease before the winter was over.
D) The sufferings of the Continental army were largely a myth, disseminated to win
greater sympathy for the Patriot cause.

15. France gave serious consideration to an alliance with the rebel colonies primarily
because it regarded the war as an opportunity to
A) exact revenge on Britain for defeat in the French and Indian War and the loss of
Canada.
B) defend Catholics in Maryland and Quebec against the potentially hostile Protestant
Patriots.
C) annex Maine and regain the province of Quebec that it had lost during the Great
War for Empire.
D) persuade the Americans to accept King Louis XVI's younger brother as their new
constitutional monarch.

16. The Treaty of Alliance that the French and Americans signed in 1778 included which of
the following stipulations?
A) American generals would not interfere with French troops' weekly Catholic mass
attendance.
B) The French would aid the Americans but refrain from seeking new territory in the
West Indies.
C) If the Americans won, they would never interfere with French territory west of the
Mississippi.
D) Neither side would sign a separate peace that failed to recognize American
independence.

17. How did the British respond after their loss at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777?
A) The British doubled the size of its army in the colonies.
B) They tried to broker a negotiated settlement with the Americans.
C) Britain attempted to bolster its forces by a military alliance with Spain.
D) The British retreated to ships in New York Harbor to consider their options.

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18. What spurred the British Parliament to repeal the Tea Act in 1778?
A) The British East India Tea Company had resurged and the American market was
no longer needed.
B) British tea merchants finally succeeded in convincing members of Parliament that
they needed the American market.
C) The British blockade of the Atlantic coast prevented trade and the Tea Act was no
longer necessary.
D) Parliament hoped it would aid Britain's efforts to seek a negotiated peace with the
Continental Congress.

19. The British strategy in its military campaign in the South in 1778 relied on which of the
following factors?
A) A plan to use Loyalists to fight backcountry Patriots
B) Their refusal to exploit racial divisions, fearing that such a strategy might backfire
C) A plan to use Loyalists to administer the territories they expected to capture
D) Quick and easy victory in Virginia, which they viewed as the most important
southern colony

20. Through which of the following actions did Sir Henry Clinton launch his southern
campaign in 1778?
A) Capturing Savannah, Georgia, and mobilizing hundreds of blacks
B) Advancing his troops from Philadelphia toward Virginia to entrap Washington's
army
C) Issuing the Philipsburg Proclamation, promising freedom to rebel slaves
D) Fortifying his position at Philadelphia and daring Washington to attack him

21. Which event turned the tide of the war after Britain's series of victories in the South in
the late 1770s?
A) The American troops' seizure of Augusta, Georgia, in 1779
B) French troops' arrival in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1780
C) King Louis XVI's decision to embrace republican ideas
D) British troops' accidental killing of a group of slaves seeking refuge

22. Which of the following battles marked the end of the American Revolution in 1781?
A) Saratoga
B) New York
C) Yorktown
D) Quebec

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23. Which of the following factors made a critical contribution to the outcome of the Battle
of Yorktown in 1781?
A) The long-awaited arrival of Admiral Rochambeau's fleet in the Chesapeake Bay
B) Americans' discovery, capture, and execution of the traitor Benedict Arnold
C) Washington's feigned attack on Manhattan while French troops set out for Virginia
D) The arrival of General Nathanael Greene's Patriot troops from South Carolina

24. Why did the British surrender to the Americans in the Battle of Yorktown in 1781?
A) The British were outnumbered and cut off from reinforcement or retreat by sea.
B) The army was depleted after sending reinforcement troops to General Benedict
Arnold.
C) General Cornwallis had already suffered a number of defeats as his army moved
through Virginia.
D) The British planned to continue the war on the American mainland as soon as they
had additional supplies.

25. Which of the following statements explains the Patriots' successful revolution against
Great Britain?
A) British officers were inexperienced in combat and committed an incredible series
of blunders.
B) Guerrilla fighters in the Patriot militias wore down British troops, even though the
Continental army rarely won a battle.
C) About one-third of the population strongly supported the war and was willing to
finance the fighting through inflation.
D) The number of Loyalists and Indians who supported the British was never large
enough to provide critical support.

26. Which of the following factors explains George Washington's success as an American
military leader?
A) His ability to maintain the support and morale of the Continental Congress, state
governments, and the Continental army.
B) His strong personality, which enabled him to keep persistent pressure on the
Continental Congress to supply the army.
C) The advanced military training he gained during his years fighting with the British
Navy in the North Atlantic.
D) His willingness to overlook the actions of discontented soldiers, which endeared
him to his troops.

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27. Why did British and American diplomats take nearly two years to conclude a peace
treaty after the British surrendered at Yorktown?
A) American negotiators sought delays so that state governments could coordinate
their demands.
B) France and Spain stalled, hoping for some major naval victory or territorial
conquest before the official peace.
C) Members of Parliament could not reach agreement on the concessions that they
were willing to make.
D) The lengthy periods necessary for transatlantic travel and communications required
a long process.

28. Despite the favorable terms Americans achieved in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, they could
not ultimately secure which of the following?
A) The lands between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River
B) Rights to fish off the coast of British Newfoundland
C) Britain's formal recognition of the thirteen colonies' independence
D) Forgiveness of their debts to British merchants

29. Which of the following statements characterized Pennsylvania's democratic constitution

of 1776?
A) Patriots greatly admired it, but they also expressed reluctance to adopt all of its
features.
B) It reflected the ideas John Adams articulated in his book, Thoughts on Government.
C) Its radicalism went unnoticed by leading Patriots in other states, whose attention
was focused on local concerns.
D) Many leading Patriots found its radically democratic elements quite alarming.

30. Why was Abigail Adams a notable figure in the Revolutionary era?
A) She publicly denounced most Patriot leaders as tyrants because they held power
over women.
B) Adams was married to the Patriot John Adams and helped him with his work.
C) She criticized Patriots like her husband John and insisted on equal legal rights for
married women.
D) She became the only woman to take part in the deliberations of the Continental
Congress.

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31. Although women made few gains in the eighteenth century, they did achieve a degree of
progress in 1790 when they won which of the following?
A) Suffrage in New York State
B) Equal access to public education in Massachusetts
C) The right of entry into college in Virginia
D) The right to hold office in Rhode Island

32. What happened to the property of Loyalists during the Revolution?

A) The Continental Congress auctioned off most Loyalists' lands to pay for war debts.
B) State governments seized Loyalist lands and redistributed them among Patriot
landowners.
C) Most of the lands of wealthy Loyalists were seized by local governments and
redistributed among Patriot tenant farmers.
D) Most Loyalist property was not seized because doing so would have violated
America's republican principles.

33. Which of the following was true under the Articles of Confederation?
A) Bills required a unanimous vote to become laws.
B) Congress could tax the states and individuals, if necessary.
C) Amendments could be passed with a majority of states approving.
D) Most of the power remained with the states.

34. Why did it take the Continental Congress several years to ratify the Articles of
Confederation?
A) Fighting the war was a higher priority than creating a new national government.
B) Many Patriots feared that any national government, no matter how weak, would
eventually abuse its power.
C) There was disagreement over how many votes each state should have in the new
Congress.
D) Disputes over western land claims led some states to block ratification.

35. Why was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 significant?

A) The land ordinance recognized the newly organized states of Kentucky and
Tennessee as members of the Confederation.
B) The ordinance mandated the forced removal of Native Americans from the
Confederation's new western lands.
C) It prohibited slavery in the territory and earmarked funds from land sales for public
schools.
D) It created the Bank of North America and charged it with overseeing the sales of
western lands.

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36. Why were the land ordinances of the 1780s considered a great accomplishment of the
Confederation Congress?
A) The ordinances provided for orderly settlement and created a fair process for those
areas to eventually become fully equal states.
B) The laws funded the building of roads and canals to encourage white settlement
throughout the old Northwest.
C) They prevented the formation of larger western states that might one day dominate
smaller eastern states.
D) Ordinances limited foreign immigration to the West, ensuring that those areas
retained a traditional American culture.

37. Which of the following statements characterizes postwar trends in American trade?
A) The war had crippled American shipping, which reduced the export of tobacco and
other farm goods.
B) In the absence of British trade restrictions, the production of tobacco boomed.
C) Domestic industries supplied products unavailable from Britain during the war and
flourished after the war's end.
D) Economic growth spurred by western land sales stimulated American
manufacturing and increased exports.

38. Which of the following issues formed the basis for the major political and economic
challenges that faced postrevolutionary state governments in the 1780s?
A) Conflicts between property owners and those who had nothing
B) Plentiful but worthless paper currency and big debts
C) Wealthy citizens' demands for low taxes and the repudiation of state debts
D) Poor citizens' demands for government assistance in finding jobs

39. What did Shays's Rebellion, which took place in Massachusetts in the winter of
1786–1787, demonstrate to American political leaders?
A) The institution of slavery posed a threat to the American republic.
B) A stronger national government was needed to solve the nation's monetary
problems.
C) Patriots in Massachusetts had always been more radical than those in the other
states.
D) Unless they gained the right to vote, propertyless men would destroy the American
republic.

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40. For this question, refer to the following map, “Land Division in the Northwest
Territory.”

This map best serves as evidence of

A) the creation of new settlements in the West, with distinctive backcountry cultures.
B) the enactment of policies that began to encourage orderly incorporation of new
territories into the nation.
C) the challenges that the United States faced in safeguarding its borders from
European powers.

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D) states manifesting republican fears of both centralized power and excessive popular
influence.

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41. For this question, refer to the following map, “Land Division in the Northwest
Territory.”

The map above reflects most directly which of the following continuities in U.S.
history?
A) The concept of Manifest Destiny and the sense of a unique national mission
B) The tendency to cling to regional identities
C) Debates over the proper relationship between the federal and state governments

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 D) The failure to define precisely the relationship between American Indian tribes and
the national government

42. The Great Compromise led to which of the following outcomes?

A) A bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives and a Senate
B) The separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches
C) A division of powers between the states and the national government
D) Interstate and foreign trade controlled by the national government

43. The three-fifths compromise dealt with which of the following issues?
A) Interstate trade
B) Presidential terms
C) Slavery
D) Voting qualifications

44. The Constitution, as completed on September 17, 1787, gave the national government
which of the following?
A) Powers equal to those that were granted to the states
B) A weak chief executive with carefully limited powers
C) Fewer powers than those reserved to the states
D) Broad powers over taxation, military defense, and commerce

45. American Antifederalist Patrick Henry opposed the ratification of the Constitution for
which of the following reasons?
A) Henry objected to provisions that protected the interests of slaveholders.
B) He feared high taxes, a large bureaucracy, and a standing army.
C) As an American from Virginia, he objected to provisions that ran counter to the
interests of slaveholders.
D) He was concerned that it would deprive the central government of necessary
powers.

46. In Federalist No. 10, James Madison maintained that the constitutional government
would accomplish which of the following ends?
A) Eliminate the need for political parties
B) Protect the rights of individual states against abuses by the central government
C) Prevent any one faction from becoming dominant
D) Bring focus and order to American foreign policy

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47. To persuade Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York to ratify the Constitution, leading
Federalists promised that
A) George Washington would become the first president.
B) a bill of rights would be added to the Constitution.
C) New York City would be the national capital.
D) New York and Virginia would regain their former western claims.

48. For this question, refer to the following excerpt.

Mr. Martin proposed to vary article 7, sect. 4 so as to allow a prohibition or tax on the
importation of slaves. . . . [He believed] it was inconsistent with the principles of the
Revolution, and dishonorable to the American character, to have such a feature
[promoting the slave trade] in the Constitution. . . .
Mr. [Oliver] Ellsworth [of Connecticut] was for leaving the clause as it stands. Let every
state import what it pleases. The morality or wisdom of slavery are considerations
belonging to the states themselves. . . .
Col. [George] Mason [of Virginia stated that] this infernal trade originated in the avarice
of British merchants. The British government constantly checked the attempts of
Virginia to put a stop to it. The Western people are already calling out for slaves for
their new lands, and will fill that country with slaves, if they can be got through South
Carolina and Georgia. Slavery discourages arts and manufactures. The poor despise
labor when performed by slaves. They prevent the immigration of whites, who really
enrich and strengthen a country. . . .
Every master of slaves is born a petty tyrant. They bring the judgment of Heaven on a
country. As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, they must be in
this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sins by
national calamities. . . . He held it essential, in every point of view, that the general
government should have power to prevent the increase of slavery. . . .
Gen. [Charles C.] Pinckney [argued that] South Carolina and Georgia cannot do without
slaves. . . . He contended that the importation of slaves would be for the interest of the
whole Union. The more slaves, the more produce to employ the carrying trade; the more
consumption also; and the more of this, the more revenue for the common treasury. . . .

The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787

Which of the following resulted most directly from the debate described in the passage
above?
A) Property qualifications were established for voting and citizenship.
B) Greater political democracy was called for in new state and national governments.
C) A solution to the slave issue was postponed, setting the stage for recurring
conflicts.
D) The ideals set forth in the excerpt had reverberations in France, Haiti, and Latin
America, inspiring future rebellions.

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49. For this question, refer to the following excerpt.

Mr. Martin proposed to vary article 7, sect. 4 so as to allow a prohibition or tax on the
importation of slaves. . . . [He believed] it was inconsistent with the principles of the
Revolution, and dishonorable to the American character, to have such a feature
[promoting the slave trade] in the Constitution. . . .
Mr. [Oliver] Ellsworth [of Connecticut] was for leaving the clause as it stands. Let every
state import what it pleases. The morality or wisdom of slavery are considerations
belonging to the states themselves. . . .
Col. [George] Mason [of Virginia stated that] this infernal trade originated in the avarice
of British merchants. The British government constantly checked the attempts of
Virginia to put a stop to it. The Western people are already calling out for slaves for
their new lands, and will fill that country with slaves, if they can be got through South
Carolina and Georgia. Slavery discourages arts and manufactures. The poor despise
labor when performed by slaves. They prevent the immigration of whites, who really
enrich and strengthen a country. . . .
Every master of slaves is born a petty tyrant. They bring the judgment of Heaven on a
country. As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, they must be in
this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sins by
national calamities. . . . He held it essential, in every point of view, that the general
government should have power to prevent the increase of slavery. . . .
Gen. [Charles C.] Pinckney [argued that] South Carolina and Georgia cannot do without
slaves. . . . He contended that the importation of slaves would be for the interest of the
whole Union. The more slaves, the more produce to employ the carrying trade; the more
consumption also; and the more of this, the more revenue for the common treasury. . . .

The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787

The passage above best serves as evidence of

A) continued debates about the proper balance between liberty and order.
B) an increased awareness of the inequalities in society.
C) the ways in which U.S. policies encouraged western migration.
D) debates leading to the creation of political parties.

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50. For this question, refer to the following excerpt.

Mr. Martin proposed to vary article 7, sect. 4 so as to allow a prohibition or tax on the
importation of slaves. . . . [He believed] it was inconsistent with the principles of the
Revolution, and dishonorable to the American character, to have such a feature
[promoting the slave trade] in the Constitution. . . .
Mr. [Oliver] Ellsworth [of Connecticut] was for leaving the clause as it stands. Let every
state import what it pleases. The morality or wisdom of slavery are considerations
belonging to the states themselves. . . .
Col. [George] Mason [of Virginia stated that] this infernal trade originated in the avarice
of British merchants. The British government constantly checked the attempts of
Virginia to put a stop to it. The Western people are already calling out for slaves for
their new lands, and will fill that country with slaves, if they can be got through South
Carolina and Georgia. Slavery discourages arts and manufactures. The poor despise
labor when performed by slaves. They prevent the immigration of whites, who really
enrich and strengthen a country. . . .
Every master of slaves is born a petty tyrant. They bring the judgment of Heaven on a
country. As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, they must be in
this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sins by
national calamities. . . . He held it essential, in every point of view, that the general
government should have power to prevent the increase of slavery. . . .
Gen. [Charles C.] Pinckney [argued that] South Carolina and Georgia cannot do without
slaves. . . . He contended that the importation of slaves would be for the interest of the
whole Union. The more slaves, the more produce to employ the carrying trade; the more
consumption also; and the more of this, the more revenue for the common treasury. . . .

The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787

The excerpt quoted above would be most useful to historians analyzing

A) the series of compromises worked through to form a national government.
B) how calls for greater guarantees of rights resulted in the addition of the Bill of
Rights.
C) the debates among American political leaders about politics and society, religion,
and governance.
D) why difficulties over trade, interstate relations, and internal unrest led to calls for a
stronger central government.

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Answer Key
1. D
2. D
3. A
4. B
5. A
6. C
7. B
8. A
9. C
10. D
11. D
12. D
13. B
14. B
15. A
16. D
17. B
18. D
19. C
20. A
21. B
22. C
23. C
24. A
25. C
26. A
27. B
28. D
29. D
30. C
31. B
32. D
33. D
34. D
35. C
36. A
37. A
38. B
39. B
40. B
41. D
42. A
43. C
44. D

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45. B
46. C
47. B
48. C
49. B
50. A

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