Name __________________________________________________ Date ______________________________

The Declaration of Independence Test Intro-Summary

Building Vocabulary
Use words from the Word Bank to complete each sentence.

Word Bank

Declaration of Independence Founding Fathers militia

Minuteman Second Continental Congress

1. ____________________ were people who were trained to be ready to fight at any moment.

2. A body of soldiers who did required military service was called a(n) ____________________.

3. Leaders from different states met in Philadelphia in 1775 for the ____________________.

4. The group of leaders who helped establish the new American Nation are called the
____________________.

5. The ____________________ is the document that announced that the American were
breaking away from Great Britain.

6. An important task facing the Second Continental Congress was to

A. organize the colonies for war.
B. shut down the Continental army.
C. find ways to make the king happy.
D. make treaties with American Indian tribes.
7. The purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to
A. put an end to slavery.
B. offer the king one last chance.
C. ask for money to solve problems.
D. explain why the colonies should be free.

8. Colonists rang bells and lit bonfires for the Declaration because they were
A. angry.
B. excited.
C. worried.
D. surprised.

9. Which of these ideas was in the Declaration of Independence?

A. Women and men are equal.
B. All rights can be taken away.
C. Great Britain has ruled the colonies unfairly.
D. People should obey governments even when they are unfair.

10. The organized military created by the Second Continental Congress was called the
__________.
A. militia
B. Minutemen
C. Continental army
D. Continental coast guard

11. Who did the Second Continental Congress place in charge of the new Continental army?
A. John Adams
B. Benjamin Franklin
C. Thomas Paine
D. George Washington

12. Which statement about the delegates selected by the Second Continental Congress is
true?
A. The delegates were all ready to declare independence.
B. The delegates wanted to all remain part of Great Britain.
C. The delegates were split over whether to declare independence.
D. The only delegate ready to declare independence was John Adams.

13. The time when people in Europe were exploring new ideas about science, governments,
and human rights is called the Age of __________.
A. Revolutions
B. Enlightenment
C. Renaissance
D. New Thinking
14. What was the main idea in Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense?
A. The people should rule themselves rather than be ruled by a king.
B. The people should realize how good they have it and stop complaining.
C. The colonies would be better off if they made peace with Great Britain.
D. The colonists should make alliances with American Indians against the British.

15. Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense impacted the nation because it
A. convinced many more people to support independence.
B. persuaded many colonists to stop fighting against Britain.
C. had very little impact, because few people actually read it.
D. encouraged many people to make peace with American Indians.

16. Who wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence?

A. John Adams
B. Benjamin Franklin
C. Thomas Jefferson
D. George Washington

17. What did Benjamin Franklin mean when he said, “We must all hang together, or
assuredly we shall all hang separately”?
A. The delegates must work together, or independence would never happen.
B. The delegates must sign the Declaration neatly, so they would get credit for helping
create it.
C. The delegates must succeed at their task, or the people would be outraged.
D. The delegates must stay united because signing the Declaration was an act of
treason.

18. What rights did the Declaration of Independence state that all people must have?
A. the freedoms of speech, religion, and the press
B. the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
C. the right to bear arms, assemble peacefully, and start riots
D. freedom from unlawful search, seizure, and excessive bail

19. The Declaration states, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just
powers from the consent of the governed.” What does this mean?
A. The power to govern comes from God.
B. The colonies are now free from Great Britain.
C. The government gets its power from the people.
D. The people receive their rights from the government.

20. What is the first excerpt of the Declaration saying: "When in the Course of human
events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have
connected them with another . . . a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires
that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
A. When we break away to form our own nation we need to explain why we are leaving.
B. We think that the government should have all the power.
C. We think Great Britain has taxed the colonies too much and we need a new king.
D. We think the king is a tyrant and should be hanged for treason.
21. When and where was the Declaration of Independence signed?

22. What city did the Second Continental Congress meet in?
A. Philadelphia
B. Virginia
C. Maryland
D. Massachusetts

23. Thomas Jefferson's statement that "all men are created equal", did not include who
during this time period?
A. Women
B. Enslaved People
C. American Indians
D. All of the above

24. What are the group of leaders who helped establish the new American nation called?

A. Minutemen
B. militia
C. Founding Fathers
D. Congress