Road to Revolution: Colonial America PDF

**1. The Sugar Act (1764): A Bitter Start** After the French and Indian War, Britain faced a massive debt and turned to the colonies for revenue. The Sugar Act taxed sugar, molasses, and other goods imported into the colonies. It also strengthened enforcement against smuggling by colonial merchants...

**1. The Sugar Act (1764): A Bitter Start** After the French and Indian War, Britain faced a massive debt and turned to the colonies for revenue. The Sugar Act taxed sugar, molasses, and other goods imported into the colonies. It also strengthened enforcement against smuggling by colonial merchants. Colonists were outraged, arguing they had no representatives in Parliament to approve such taxes. This gave rise to the slogan "No taxation without representation." Smuggling became widespread as merchants avoided paying the tax, and colonial assemblies sent protests to Parliament. **Questions** 1. What was the main purpose of the Sugar Act?\ A. To limit trade between the colonies\ B. To raise money for Britain after the French and Indian War\ C. To increase the price of British goods\ D. To punish colonists for smuggling 2. How did many colonists respond to the Sugar Act?\ A. By accepting it without protest\ B. By boycotting all imported goods\ C. By smuggling goods to avoid the tax\ D. By sending petitions to King George III **2. The Stamp Act (1765): Stamping Out Freedom?** The Stamp Act was the first direct tax on the colonists, requiring them to buy special stamped paper for newspapers, legal documents, playing cards, and more. Colonists reacted with anger, forming groups like the Sons of Liberty, who organized protests and intimidated tax collectors. In some towns, tax officials were burned in effigy, and offices were ransacked. The widespread refusal to buy British goods---known as a boycott---hurt British businesses, forcing Parliament to repeal the act in 1766. However, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act the same year, asserting its authority to make laws for the colonies \"in all cases whatsoever.\" **Questions** 1. What did the Stamp Act require colonists to do?\ A. Pay taxes on all imports\ B. Purchase stamped paper for documents and printed items\ C. Stop smuggling goods from other countries\ D. House British soldiers in their homes 2. How did the colonists successfully protest the Stamp Act?\ A. They refused to pay the tax and attacked tax collectors.\ B. They sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III.\ C. They boycotted British goods, hurting British merchants.\ D. They formed the First Continental Congress to demand repeal. **3. The Townshend Acts (1767): More Taxes, More Trouble** The Townshend Acts placed taxes on everyday items like glass, paper, paint, and tea. British officials hoped these taxes would seem less direct, but they still angered colonists. Colonial leaders organized widespread boycotts, refusing to buy British goods. Women, often referred to as the Daughters of Liberty, helped by weaving homemade cloth and producing goods to replace imports. Tensions escalated as British troops were sent to enforce these laws, leading to increased friction between soldiers and colonists. **Questions** 1. Which items were taxed under the Townshend Acts?\ A. Tea, stamps, and sugar\ B. Glass, paper, paint, and tea\ C. Molasses, cloth, and legal documents\ D. Imported weapons and ammunition 2. What role did the Daughters of Liberty play in protesting the Townshend Acts?\ A. They smuggled goods into the colonies.\ B. They encouraged the use of British goods.\ C. They produced homemade goods to replace imports.\ D. They sent letters of protest to the king. **4. The Boston Massacre (1770): A Bloody Night** Tensions between British soldiers and colonists in Boston had been rising for months. On March 5, 1770, a crowd of angry colonists confronted British soldiers, throwing snowballs and rocks. The soldiers, confused and frightened, fired into the crowd, killing five colonists. Among the dead was Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Native American descent. The event became a rallying cry for colonial resistance. Paul Revere created an engraving that depicted the incident as a deliberate attack by British soldiers, spreading anger across the colonies. **Questions** 1. What happened during the Boston Massacre?\ A. British soldiers opened fire on a crowd of colonists, killing five people.\ B. British officials seized weapons stored in Boston.\ C. Colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor.\ D. British troops forced colonists to house them in their homes. 2. How did Paul Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre influence public opinion?\ A. It made people sympathize with British soldiers.\ B. It portrayed the event as an unprovoked attack by the British.\ C. It showed colonists attacking British soldiers first.\ D. It convinced colonists to remain loyal to the king. **5. The Tea Act (1773): Brewing a Rebellion** The Tea Act allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies at a lower price, bypassing colonial merchants. However, the act still included a tax, and many colonists saw it as an attempt to force them to accept British authority. In December 1773, members of the Sons of Liberty, disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded British ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea into the water. This event, known as the Boston Tea Party, infuriated the British government and led to severe punishment for Boston. **Questions** 1. Why did the Tea Act anger colonists?\ A. It forced colonists to drink only British tea.\ B. It imposed a high tax on all tea imports.\ C. It allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to colonists, bypassing merchants.\ D. It banned the consumption of tea in the colonies. 2. What was the result of the Tea Act in Boston?\ A. Colonists boycotted all British goods.\ B. Colonists destroyed British tea during the Boston Tea Party.\ C. The First Continental Congress was formed.\ D. British officials repealed the tax on tea. **6. The Intolerable Acts (1774): Punishment for Boston** In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, which colonists called the Intolerable Acts. These laws closed Boston Harbor until the destroyed tea was paid for, banned town meetings, and required colonists to house British soldiers in their homes. Colonists across America rallied to Boston\'s aid by sending food and supplies. The harshness of these laws convinced many colonists that Britain was determined to strip them of their rights, leading to calls for a stronger united response. **Questions** 1. What was one of the Intolerable Acts?\ A. Closing Boston Harbor until the destroyed tea was paid for\ B. Taxing sugar, molasses, and other goods\ C. Allowing the colonies to govern themselves independently\ D. Requiring the colonies to form militias 2. How did the colonies respond to the Intolerable Acts?\ A. They stopped all protests and accepted British rule.\ B. They sent petitions to King George III, asking for their repeal.\ C. They united in support of Boston by sending food and supplies.\ D. They allowed British troops to occupy their homes. **7. The First Continental Congress (1774): Colonies Unite** Colonial leaders from 12 colonies met in Philadelphia to discuss how to respond to Britain's actions. Delegates debated whether to seek reconciliation or prepare for war. They decided to continue boycotting British goods and encouraged colonies to organize militias. The Congress also sent a letter to King George III, known as the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, asking for the repeal of the Intolerable Acts. The colonies were starting to act as one, setting the stage for further unity. **Questions** 1. What did the First Continental Congress accomplish?\ A. They declared independence from Britain.\ B. They organized a boycott of British goods and prepared militias.\ C. They repealed the Intolerable Acts.\ D. They formed an army to fight the British. 2. Why was the First Continental Congress significant?\ A. It was the first time the colonies acted together to challenge Britain.\ B. It convinced King George III to repeal the Stamp Act.\ C. It replaced colonial governments with a unified government.\ D. It led directly to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. **8. The Olive Branch Petition (1775): A Last Attempt for Peace** Even as tensions escalated, many colonists hoped to avoid war with Britain. The Second Continental Congress, meeting in 1775, sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III. The petition expressed loyalty to the king and asked him to address colonial grievances and restore peace. However, King George III refused to read the petition. Instead, he declared the colonies in rebellion and ordered his troops to crush the uprising. This rejection pushed many colonists toward the idea of independence, as it became clear that peaceful resolution was unlikely. **Questions** 1. What was the purpose of the Olive Branch Petition?\ A. To declare war on Britain\ B. To express loyalty to King George III and request peace\ C. To demand immediate independence from Britain\ D. To organize a colonial boycott of British goods 2. How did King George III respond to the Olive Branch Petition?\ A. He repealed the Intolerable Acts.\ B. He declared the colonies in rebellion and ordered troops to suppress them.\ C. He agreed to negotiate with colonial leaders.\ D. He ignored the petition and focused on other British territories. **9. The Shot Heard \'Round the World (April 1775): Lexington and Concord** On April 19, 1775, British soldiers marched from Boston to Concord to seize weapons and arrest colonial leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock. In Lexington, they were met by about 70 colonial minutemen. Shots were fired---no one knows which side fired first---but the British opened fire, killing eight minutemen. The British continued to Concord, where they encountered hundreds of armed colonists. Using guerrilla tactics, the colonists forced the British to retreat to Boston, firing on them from behind trees and stone walls. This marked the start of the American Revolution. **Questions** 1. What was the British goal at Concord?\ A. To negotiate peace with colonial leaders\ B. To seize weapons and arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock\ C. To convince the minutemen to stop fighting\ D. To enforce the Tea Act in the colonies 2. What happened after the fighting at Lexington and Concord?\ A. The British captured all colonial leaders.\ B. The colonists forced the British to retreat to Boston.\ C. The colonies immediately declared independence.\ D. The Olive Branch Petition was sent to King George III.