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Practice Test Colonial America 1500-1783
1. The fact that the English settlers in America retained their rights and privileges as English
subjects was significant because (A) it helped strengthen the idea of self government in
the colonies (B) the King held absolute control over his subjects (C) it led to the signing of
the Magna Carta (D) all of these.
2. Indentured servants were settlers who paid for their passage to the New World by (A)
working without wages for a period of time (B) working as part of the crew aboard ship
(C) serving in the colonial militia (D) all of these.
3. A colony which was actually owned by one person was called (A) royal colony (B) self
governing colony (C) proprietary colony (D) maritime colony.
4. Which pair of colonies had the greatest degree of religious tolerance? (A) New York and
Virginia (B) Maryland and Rhode Island (C) Massachusetts and Connecticut (D) New
Jersey and Delaware.
5. The French and Indian War, which started in 1754, began over conflicting claims in the (A)
Tennessee Valley (B) St. Lawrence Valley (C) Hudson Valley (D) Ohio Valley.
6. As a result of the French and Indian War, (A) Great Britain gained all of North America east
of the Mississippi River except New Orleans (B) France lost most of its overseas
possessions (C) Spain gained control over New Orleans (D) all of these.
7. The Navigation Acts were intended to promote a policy of (A) feudalism (B) laissez faire (C)
communism (D) mercantilism.
8. The colonial system of trading rum for slaves in Africa, then trading the slaves in the West
Indies for sugar and molasses, was known as (A) mercantilism (B) triangular trade (C)
manufacturing (D) exporting and importing.
9. Before 1763, the Navigation Acts and other laws which regulated colonial commercial
activity did not greatly affect the colonies because (A) the colonies were self-sufficient (B)
the British followed a policy of salutary neglect (C) everything the colonists wanted came
from Great Britain (D) the colonists agreed with these laws.
10. A famous victory for freedom of the press was won in a case involving (A) William
Berkeley (B) Benjamin Franklin (C) Phyllis Wheatley (D) John Peter Zenger.
11. Which of the following did not contribute to the near failure of the Jamestown colony? (A)
the location of the colony (B) the type of settlers (C) the time spent hunting for gold (D)
the leadership of John Smith.
12. Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson helped establish the principle of (A) freedom of the
press (B) representative government (C) freedom of religion (D) free public education.
13. The colonies that contained people with the greatest variety of occupations and
backgrounds were the (A) Middle colonies (B) New England colonies (C) Royal colonies
(D) Southern colonies.
14. In most of the thirteen colonies, the settlers gained experience in self-government by (A)
choosing governors to administer colonial affairs (B) sending representatives to the
British Parliament (C) electing members of colonial assemblies (D) regulating their trade
with Great Britain.
15. The Salem Witchcraft Trials were evidence of (A) democratic progress (B) cultural
improvement (C) superstition and intolerance (D) England’s violation of the right of selfgovernment.
16. The decisive victory in the French and Indian War was the capture of (A) Quebec (B)
Louisburg (C) Montreal (D) Fort Duquesne.
17. On the eve of the American Revolution the colonists (A) were poor oppressed peasants
much like the serfs of Russia (B) the American people as a group were probably the most
free people in the world (C) the colonists were virtually independent, having attained the
status of a Commonwealth (D) none of these.
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19. The purpose of the Townshend Acts was to (A) raise revenues to pay colonial judges and
governors (B) control trade between the colonies and the West Indies (C) pay for colonial
military defense (D) help reduce the debt from the French-Indian War.
20. Which of the following colonial victories brought France into the Revolutionary War on the
side of the Americans? (A) Oriskany (B) Kings Mountain (C) Trenton (D) Saratoga.
21. The “Great Awakening” of the 18th century was (A) an intellectual and philosophical
movement in America similar to the Enlightenment of Europe (B) the process by which
Americans started to see the advantages of independence from Great Britain (C) the
beginning of the first substantial American contribution to the fields of art and literature
(D) a major religious revival.
22. Which of the following was not one of the Intolerable Acts? (A) Declaratory Act
(B) Quebec Act (C) Quartering Act (D) Boston Port Act .
23. Which of the following was not one of the colonial South’s cash crops? (A) indigo (B) rice
(C) flour (D) tobacco.
24. During the Revolutionary War, Loyalists would be least numerous among (A) the
Anglican clergy (B) South Carolina planters (C) Pennsylvania Quakers (D) New
Englanders.
25. OMIT
26. The “shot heard around the world” was fired at (A) Bunker Hill (B) Brandywine (C)
Boston (D) Lexington.
27. Which of the following was true of the Stamp Act Congress? (A) it was the first unified
government for all the American colonies (B) it provided an important opportunity for
colonial stamp agents to discuss methods of enforcing the act (C) it rejected the assertion
that the colonies ought to protest acts of Parliament deemed to be unconstitutional (D) it
provided an opportunity for colonial leaders to meet and establish ties with one another.
28. One of the purposes of the Tea Act of 1773 was to (A) prevent over-consumption of tea
in America (B) lower the price of tea in Great Britain by decreasing the demand for it in
America (C) save the British East India Company from financial ruin (D) create a longterm shift in wealth from Britain’s North American colonies to its colony in India.
29. During the 1760s and 70s the most effective American tactic in gaining the repeal of the
Stamp and Townshend Acts was (A) tarring and feathering British tax agents (B) sending
petitions to the King and Parliament (C) boycotting British goods (D) destroying private
property on which taxes had been levied.
30. During the first half of the 18th Century, colonial assemblies frequently used “the power
of the purse” to (A) check royal governors (B) encourage political union among the
colonies (C) obtain money from England (D) extend suffrage in the frontier settlements.
31. "These are the times that try men's souls" is found in a pamphlet by(A) Thomas Paine (B)
Thomas Jefferson's (C) Bob Cobb (D) Patrick Henry
32. The Sons of Liberty were patriots who (A) opposed violent means (B) believed in the
concept of passive resistance (C) secretly supported the British cause (D) willingly used
violence to gain their ends.
33. The Boston Tea Party led immediately to which of the following sequence of events: (A)
the meeting of the Boston Tea Congress and the passage of the Coercive Acts (B)
passage of the intolerable Acts and the calling of the First Continental Congress (C) the
meeting of the Second Continental Congress and the writing of the Declaration of
Independence (D) the passage of the East Indies Tea Act and the Intolerable Acts.
34. The Declaratory Act was a statement defining (A) Parliament's right to legislate colonial
affairs (B) the rights of the colonials (C) the King's relationship to the colonies (D) the
colonies' relationship to the Indians.
35. The Townshend Acts prompted a response known as "Letters from a Farmer" in (A)
Pennsylvania (B) Virginia (C) South Carolina (D) North Carolina.
36. The Stamp Act of 1765 called for taxation on (A) income (B) newspapers (C) all imports
(D) all exports.
37. The significance of the Stamp Act Congress was that (A) it was a colonies-wide meeting
to address grievances (B) the various colonies could not agree (C) the southern colonies
successfully outvoted the New England colonies for the first time (D) the southern
colonies hosted an all-colonial meeting for the first time.
38. Virtual representation meant that (A) every member of Parliament represented every
citizen of the Empire (B) every member of Parliament was elected by a designated area
and represented the interests of that area only (C) the colonial empire had no
representation in Parliament (D) every member of Parliament represented a designated
continent upon which Britain had colonies.
39. Americans were furious over the Proclamation Act of 1763 because they saw it as (A) a
means to exterminate the Indians (B) structuring the future legislatures of the colonies (C)
a restriction of court sanctions in the colonies (D) a restriction of their expansion.
40. The colonists learned that their strongest weapon against unpopular British tax measures
was (A) the boycott of British goods (B) nonviolent public demonstration (C) violent public
demonstration (D) disapproval of the measures by the colonial assemblies.
41. During the period 1765-1770, the Patriots who opposed British policy (A) denied the
authority of King George III over the colonists (B) denied the right of Parliament to
regulate colonial trade (C) demanded that the colonists be granted direct representation
in Parliament (D) argued that power to tax the colonies should remain with the colonial
legislatures (E) called for a renewal of war with the French in Canada.
42. The American Revolution had all of the following effects except (A) It contributed to the
immediate or gradual abolition of slavery in all of the northern and middle states before
1830 (B) It led to the total separation of church and state in America (C) It opened up the
trans-Appalachian West for settlement (D) It provided slaves with expanded political and
civil rights.
43. In the Treaty of Paris of 1783, the United States obtained all of the following except (A)
the acquisition of West Florida (B) independence from Great Britain (C) the right to fish
along the coast of Canada (D) the acquisition of the land between the Appalachian
Mountains and the Mississippi River (E) the right of navigation on the Mississippi River.
44. In response to the Coercive Acts, the First Continental Congress (A) approved the
Declaration of Independence (B) approved the use of force against British troops (C)
rejected all further allegiance to the King of England (D) approved only a non importation,
non-consumption, and non exportation agreements against Great Britain.
45. Between 1778 and 1781 the British strategy in the Revolutionary War concentrated on
the (A) capture of Boston and New York City (B) seizure and control of the Hudson River
Valley (C) capture of Philadelphia (D) capture of southern cities and the control of the
southern states (E) destruction of George Washington’s army.
46. When the British Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, it (A) resumed the policy of
internal taxation that it had inaugurated with the Stamp Act (B) exempted the New
England colonies from the new taxes (C) levied new colonial import taxes on tea and
several other products (D) levied a new colonial import tax on tea only (E) closed the port
of Boston.
47. The main goals of the Albany Congress of 1754 were to promote colonial unity and (A)
secure the allegiance of the Iroquois Confederation (B) prepare for an expected attack by
the Iroquois Confederation (C) protest new taxes levied by Parliament (D) plan for an
attack on Spanish colonies (E) protest against the Navigation Acts.
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51. Which of the following statements about the Loyalists is true? (A) Most left the US after
the signing of the Declaration of Independence (B) They tended to be Anglican in religion
in each region of the colonies (C) Massachusetts produced more of them than any other
colony (D) Most lived west of the Appalachians (E) Most were executed after the signing
of the Declaration of Independence
52. The major result of England’s attempts to tighten the enforcement of its mercantilist
policies in America after the French and Indian War was to (A) increase England’s
prosperity (B) increase the amount of revenue collected in the colonies (C) increase
England’s control of the colonial governments (D) encourage French colonization in North
America (E) push the colonists toward open resistance to English rule.
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55. American resistance to Parliament’s Townshend Acts led directly to the (A) Boston
Massacre (B) Boston Tea Party (C) First Continental Congress (D) Declaratory Act (E)
battles of Lexington and Concord.
56. OMIT
57. The primary American objection to the Stamp Act was that (A) it was an internal tax,
whereas Americans were prepared to accept only external taxes (B) it was the first tax of
any kind ever imposed by Britain on the colonies (C) its proposed tax rates were so high
as to have crippled the colonial economy (D) it was a measure for raising revenue from
the colonies but it had not been approved by the colonists through their representatives
(E) it constituted an unwarranted interference with the colonial economy in a manner that
would have greatly restrained free trade.
58. In seeking diplomatic recognition from foreign powers during the War for Independence
the American government found it necessary to (A) make large financial payments to the
governments of France, Spain, and Holland (B) promise to cede large tracts of American
territory to France upon a victorious conclusion of the war (C) demonstrate its financial
stability and self-sufficiency (D) demonstrate a determination and potential to win
independence (E) agree to grant France a specially favored trading status.
59. OMIT
60. During the American War of Independence, the battle of Saratoga was most significant
because it (A) left the British with inadequate resources to carry on the war (B) prevented
the British from ever mounting another successful invasion of American territory (C)
allowed American forces to seize large portions of Canada (D) persuaded France to
begin supporting the Americans openly (E) caused Holland to delay its decision to enter
the war on the side of the British.
61. The major result of England’s attempts to tighten the enforcement of its mercantilist
policies in America after the French and Indian War was to (A) increase England’s
prosperity (B) increase the amount of revenue collected in the colonies (C) increase
England’s control of the colonial governments (D) encourage French colonization in North
America (E) push the colonists toward open resistance to English rule.
62. Parliament claimed the right to tax and legislate for England’s American colonies
whenever it desired, without direct American representation in Parliament, through
passage of (A) the Declaratory Act (B) the Proclamation of 1763 (C) the Townshend Acts
(D) the Intolerable Acts (E) the Currency Act.
63. Which Revolutionary War battle is considered the “turning point” in the War because it led
to direct French assistance for the Americans? (A) Trenton (B) Bunker Hill (C) Princeton
(D) Yorktown (E) Saratoga.
64. The primary reason for French aid to the American colonists was (A) French belief in the
ideals for which the American revolution stood (B) English attacks against French naval
vessels along the French coast (C) American promises to restore Louisiana and Quebec
to French control in return for French aid (D) French desires for revenge against England
and hopes to regain much of the territory lost to the British in the Seven Years’ War (E)
French belief that aid to the Americans would force Britain to consider forming a
confederation with France, allowing them to jointly dominate European affairs.
65. On March 5, 1782, the House of Commons authorized King George III to make peace
with the American colonies as a result of General Charles Cornwallis’ defeat at (A)
Saratoga (B) Guilford Courthouse (C) Yorktown (D) King’s Mountain (E) Charleston.
66. General The Lord Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown resulted largely from the (A) failure
of the British to capture and hold Charleston as a base of operations (B) French fleet
winning control of the Chesapeake Bay (C) mass desertion of Hessians from the British
army (D) arrival of fresh Spanish soldiers to reinforce Washington’s army (E) the
defection of Benedict Arnold at West Point.
67. OMIT.
68. According to the Olive Branch Petition, the colonies (A) were ready to declare their
independence from Great Britain (B) remained loyal to King George III (C) demanded that
British troops immediately leave the colonies (D) agreed to raise a common army to
defend themselves (E) accepted the Stamp Act if they were allowed to elect members of
Parliament.
69. Which of the following describes the major grievance of American patriots from 1764 to
the outbreak of the Revolution? (A) The Stamp Act taxes raised costs to a level that
seriously weakened domestic commerce in the colonies (B) The Sugar Act prohibited the
importation of sugar and thereby ruined the rum industry (C) High import duties made it
very difficult for the average colonist to buy tea (D) English taxation policies were being
used to undermine the independence of colonial legislatures (E) New taxes were
destroying American wealth.