1. The two political philosophies which motivated American colonists in the mid-eighteenth century leading up to the Revolution included which of the following? a. Theories of free trade offered by the Scottish economist, Adam Smith. b. Ideas on individual liberty advanced by Francois de Voltaire. c. "Republicanism" based on the models of Rome and Greece which stressed voluntary subordination of selfish goals for the common good. d. Concepts of personal liberty proposed by the Huguenots. e. Calvinism with its emphasis upon free will and the rights of the individual. 2. The two political philosophies which motivated American colonists in the mid-eighteenth century leading up to the Revolution included which of the following? a. Theories of free trade offered by the Scottish economist, Adam Smith b. Ideas on individual liberty advanced by Francois de Voltaire, the great French writer and political philosopher. c. Calvinism with its emphasis upon free will and the rights of the individual. d. Concepts of personal liberty proposed by the Huguenots. e. Radical Whigs, a British political group that argued against the arbitrary power of the monarchy and in favor of the authority of an elected Parliament. 3. All of the following were British strengths as the Revolutionary War commenced EXCEPT? a. Britain outnumbered the colonials in population by a factor of 3 to 1. b. Britain could seize colonial cities and choke the colonial economy into submission. c. British wealth and naval power far exceeded anything the colonials could muster. d. George III could hire the assistance of foreign mercenaries, especially Germans. e. 40,000 American Loyalists supported the side of the Crown. 4. All of the following were American strengths as the Revolutionary War commenced EXCEPT? a. Colonists had strong military and diplomatic leadership. b. France would provide covert and later open assistance to the Americans c. American colonies were self-sufficient; a blockade would not weaken them. d. Fighting defensive on lands they understood, the Americans only had to block the British to win. e. Americans possessed the industrial base to provide their own weapons. 5. The selection of Washington as commander of the newly created Continental Army was partially dictated by which of the following factors? a. Washington had promised to serve without pay. b. Wealthy Virginia planters had pledged heavy funding if one of their own became commander. c. Washington had long held the rank of Brigadier General of the King's army. d. Trained at Britain's best military school, Washington knew British military tactics. e. Washington's home, Virginia, was the largest and most populous of the colonies. 6. Early in the Revolution in May 1775 American forces had captured British forts and munitions in New York. Who among the following was one of those American commanders? a. Nathaniel Greene. b. Thomas Paine. c. Richard Montgomery. d. Ethan Allen. e. Patrick Henry. Page 1 of 10
7. The colonials offered the "Olive Branch Petition" professing loyalty and begging the king to end hostilities, but were rejected by George III after which of the following events? a. Capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. b. American attack on Quebec. c. Battle of Bunker (Breed's) Hill. d. Sinking of the HMS Gaspee. e. Appointment of Washington to command Continental Army. 8. The desire of most colonists to remain loyal to George III and avoid declaring for independence was reversed by which of the following events a. Traitorous betrayal of Benedict Arnold at West Point. b. Publication of Common Sense by Thomas Paine. c. "Give me liberty or give me death" speech by Patrick Henry. d. Formation of the Articles of Confederation. e. Appointment of Washington as commander of Continental Army. 9. The resolution by the Second Continental Congress to declare "these United Colonies...free and independent states" was authored by? a. Thomas Jefferson. b. Patrick Henry. c. John Adams. d. Richard Henry Lee. e. Benjamin Franklin. 10. The committee that drafted the formal Declaration of Independence contained three members: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and? a. Benedict Arnold. b. Richard Henry Lee. c. Patrick Henry. d. Benjamin Franklin. e. John Hancock. 11. Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, argued persuasively that independence was required because? a. King George III had violated the natural rights of colonists. b. A great continent like North America ought not be ruled by a small island. c. God had ordained the independence of the American people. d. Heavy bloodshed had made reconciliation with Britain impossible. e. Moral Americans had to leave the evil empire ruled by George III. 12. Which of the following colonial areas or groups were centers of support for the King during the American Revolution? a. New York and Charleston. b. Boston merchants. c. Virginia. d. New England. e. Members of the Congregationalist and Presbyterian church. Page 2 of 10
13. Which of the following methods was quickly adopted by the new state governments as a relatively painless way to finance the American Revolution? a. Lands of fugitive Loyalists were confiscated and sold. b. Revenues from the hated Townshend taxes were diverted to the Revolution. c. Captured Loyalists or British officers were ransomed for funds. d. Privateers were hired to capture British ships and sell their cargoes. e. Taxes were levied upon the production and sale of whiskey. 14. The most important accomplishment of the American victory at Saratoga over General Burgoyne was which of the following? a. Secured French alliance resulting in Treaty of 1778. b. Shattered British army in Canada requiring much time to rebuilt. c. Broke the British-Indian alliance in the Ohio Valley. d. Convinced many colonials that the Revolution was a serious effort. e. Force the collapse of the pro-tory, pro-war administration in London. 15. When the alliance with France was formalized, the Americans were able to gain all of the following except a. Access to large sums of money b. Double the size of their fighting forces c. Avail themselves of French naval strength d. Immense amounts of equipment e. A negotiated peace treaty with the British 16. Who was the American diplomat that negotiated the Model Treaty with France? a. John Adams b. Thomas Jefferson c. Thomas Paine d. Benjamin Franklin e. Patrick Henry 17. Shortly after French troops arrived in America, the resulting improvement in morale staggered when a. America discovered the true reasons motivating France s assistance b. General Benedict Arnold turned traitor c. General Nathanael Greene lost Georgia to the British d. The French began to win battles that the Americans had been unable to win e. The Armed Neutrality league sided with Britain 18. Some Indian nations joined the British during the Revolutionary War because a. The British threatened them with destruction if they did not help b. They believed that a British victory would restrain American expansion into the West c. The British hired them as mercenaries d. They were bound by treaties e. They believed that the British would restore them to their original territorial possessions Page 3 of 10
19. After the British defeat at Yorktown a. The fighting continued for more than a year b. The war ended within a month c. The French withdrew their assistance as it was no longer needed d. King George III decided to end the struggle e. Spain finally entered the war on the U.S. side 20. Britain gave America generous terms in the Treaty of Paris because British leaders a. Realized that hey had been beaten badly b. Wanted to help Spain as well c. Had changed from Whig to Tory d. Were trying to persuade America to abandon its alliance with France e. Feared continued war might lead to a loss of their Latin American colonies 21. The Founders failed to eliminate slavery because a. They did not truly believe in democracy b. A fight over slavery might destroy national unity c. They were more concerned with securing equality for women d. The North, as its industry expanded, began to rely more heavily on slave labor e. Economic conditions would not allow such a loss 22. The economic status of the average American at the end of the Revolutionary War was a. Better than before the war b. Probably worse than before the war c. About the same as before the war d. More closely tied to Britain than before the war e. More closely tied to France than before the war 23. The Articles of Confederation left Congress unable to a. Organize development of the western lands b. Deal with foreign affairs c. Apportion state representation equally d. Enforce a tax-collection program e. Establish a postal service 24. A major strength of the Articles of Confederation was its a. Control over interstate commerce b. Strong judicial branch c. Presentation of the ideal of a united nation d. Ability to coin money e. Strong executive branch Page 4 of 10
25. Match each nation on the left with the correct description of the problem it presented for U.S. foreign relations following the Revolutionary War 26. Britain 27. Threatened American commerce in the Mediterranean 28. France 29. Demanded repayment of wartime loans 30. Spain 31. Occupied a chain of trading forts in the Old Northwest 32. Barbary Coast 33. Controlled important trade routes from the interior of North America a. A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4 b. A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3 c. A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4 d. A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1 e. A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3 34. Shays Rebellion convinced many Americans of the need for a. Lower taxes b. Granting long-delayed bonuses to Revolutionary War veterans c. A vigilante effort by westerners to halt the Indian threat d. A stronger central government e. A weaker military 35. Under the Articles of Confederation, the relationship between the thirteen states a. Improved to the point of total unity b. Was good economically but poor politically c. Led to a single currency d. Convinced many that a stronger central government was needed e. Was good politically but poor economically 36. The debate between the supporters and critics of the Articles of Confederation centered on how to a. Reconcile states rights with strong national government b. Transfer territories to equal statehood c. Abolish slavery yet preserve national unity d. Balance the power of legislative and executive offices of government e. Conduct foreign policy while remaining neutral 37. The Constitutional Convention was called to a. Write a completely new constitution b. Allow the most radical Revolutionary leaders to write their ideas into law c. Weaken the power of the central government d. Revise the Articles of Confederation e. Reassess our foreign alliances 38. The delegate whose contributions to the Philadelphia Convention were so notable that he has been called the Father of the Constitution was a. George Washington b. Benjamin Franklin c. James Madison d. Thomas Jefferson e. Patrick Henry Page 5 of 10
39. Most of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention could best be labeled a. States rightists b. Anti-federalists c. Nationalists d. Ordinary citizens e. Counter-revolutionaries 40. The Great Compromise at the Constitutional Convention worked out an acceptable scheme for a. Regulating interstate commerce b. Levying taxes for raising a militia c. Apportioning congressional representation d. Electing the president e. Choosing Senators 41. The Constitutional Convention addressed the North-South controversy over slavery through the a. Virginia plan b. New Jersey plan c. Three-fifths compromise d. Closing of the slave trade until 1807 e. Northwest Ordinance 42. Probably the most alarming characteristic of the new Constitution to those who opposed it was the a. Creation of a federal district for the national capital b. Creation of a standing army c. Absence of a bill of rights d. Omission of any reference to God e. Creation of the presidency 43. Among other views, The Federalist, written during the ratification debate, argued that it was a. Impossible to safeguard the rights of states from the power of a strong central government b. Possibly to extend a republican form of government over a large territory c. Inevitable that slavery would be abolished in the new republic d. Illegal to replace the Articles of Confederation with a new constitution e. Best to establish a direct democracy 44. Anti-federalists believed that the sovereignty of the people resided in which branch of the central government? a. Executive b. Legislative c. Judicial d. Cabinet e. All of these Page 6 of 10
45. Federalists believed that the sovereignty of the people resided in which branch of the central government? a. Executive b. Legislative c. Judicial d. None of these e. All of these 46. Most of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention were a. Relatively well-to-do b. Appointed by state legislatures c. Elected by vote of property owners in each state d. Experienced at writing constitutions e. Lawyers 47. Which of the following principles of political theory were NOT incorporated into the political philosophy of the Founding Fathers when they drafted the Constitution? a. checks and balances b. political parties c. separation of powers d. civilian control of the military e. equality before the law 48. Alexander Hamilton s vision of a new America called for all of the following EXCEPT: a. transforming the new republic into a manufacturing power b. relying local and state authority to act in the national economic interest c. giving the new government authority to regulate and guide the economy d. forging a productive cooperative partnership with Great Britain e. establishment of a national bank 49. Alexander Hamilton s famous economic plan that he hoped would strengthen the American economy included: a. lowering the tariff b. a free market economy c. a national bank d. the repudiation of the national debt e. revenue-tax sharing with the states on property taxes 50. Thomas Jefferson s vision of the good society included all EXCEPT: a. an agrarian society b. a citizenry of virtuous independent farmers c. a national government with limited powers d. an economy that relied on the national government to provide subsidies e. a society of education, agriculture, and politics Page 7 of 10
51. In his "Farewell Address" in 1796, George Washington warned his fellow citizens about the negative affects of a. an industrial economic policy b. a war with Great Britain c. internal riots and rebellions d. urbanization e. political parties 52. The first Cabinet was formed a. by request of Congress b. under specific Constitutional provision c. by evolution as a part of the unwritten Constitution d. under pressure from the states e. under pressure from the federal judiciary 53. In response to Hamilton s bill to establish the Bank of the United States: a. Washington agreed with Hamilton and singed the bill into law b. Jefferson relied on loose construction in declaring the bank unconstitutional c. Hamilton used a strict interpretation to argue for the national bank d. the Treasury Secretary questioned the morality of public bank e. Jefferson and Madison aggressively pushed into law over Washington s veto 54. In their protests against the Alien and Sedition Acts, Jefferson and Madison a. asked the Supreme Court to declare the laws unconstitutional b. called for the impeachment of President John Adams c. accused Adams of being a tool and a fool of the British d. asserted that states could refuse to enforce the federal law that exceeded the grant of Constitutional government. e. led a political sit-in in Washington D.C. 55. Jay s Treaty a. officially ended the alliance with France b. removed restrictions on American trade with British colonies c. was rejected by the Senate because it gave up too much to Spain d. secured the evacuation of British Troops from the Northwest e. allowed Americans to immigrate to Oregon 56. In the XYZ Affair a. England agreed to abandon the forts in the Northwest b. French officials demanded a bribe to open negotiations with US c. Adams broke with his party and sent a new peace commissioner to France d. the Cherokee Indians were defeated by the Spanish in Florida e. the United States agreed to end the Quasi-War with France 57. The Bill of Rights was intended to protect against the potential tyranny of. a. The prerogatives of Congress, the president b. The army and the navy, the national government c. The South, the northern majority d. Individual liberties, a strong central government e. Civilian authorities, the military Page 8 of 10
58. All of the following are guarantees provided by the Bill of Rights EXCEPT a. The right to vote for all citizens b. Freedom of speech c. Freedom of religion d. Freedom of the press e. Right to a trial by jury 59. Alexander Hamilton believed that a limited national debt a. Would do great harm to the nation s economy b. Might lead to military weakness c. Could persuade individuals and nations not to lend money to the United States d. Was beneficial, because people to whom the government owed money would work hard top make the nation a success e. Could help his economic plans but not his political plans 60. The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 arose in southwestern Pennsylvania when the federal government a. Levied an excise tax on whiskey b. Tried to prohibit the sale of whiskey c. Allowed the import of foreign whiskey d. Halted the export of American whiskey e. Tried to prohibit the manufacturing of whiskey 61. The main purpose of the Alien and Sedition Acts was to a. Capture French and British spies b. Control the Federalists c. Silence and punish critics of the Federalists d. Keep Thomas Jefferson from becoming president e. Provide support for the Democratic-Republican party 62. Hamiltonian Federalists advocated a. Government interference in private enterprise b. A strong central government c. A full-blown democracy d. Strong ties with France e. A low national debt 63. Thomas Jefferson favored a political system in which a. The central government possessed the bulk of the power b. Cities were the primary focus of political activity c. A large standing army ensured peace d. The states retained the majority of political power e. Manufacturing interests dominated Page 9 of 10
64. Thomas Jefferson s Revolution of 1800 was remarkable in that it a. Occurred after he left the presidency b. Moved the United States away from its democratic ideals c. Caused America to do what the British had been doing for a generation regarding the election of a legislative body d. Marked the peaceful and orderly transfer of power on the basis of election results accepted by all parties e. Was in no way a revolution 65. As president, Thomas Jefferson s stand on several political issues that he had previously championed a. Compelled him to repeal the Alien and Sedition Acts b. Remained unchanged c. Was reversed d. Caused him to reject slavery e. Grew even more rigid 66. As chief justice of the United States, john Marshall helped to ensure that a. The political and economic systems were based on a strong central government b. Both the Supreme Court and the president could rule a law unconstitutional c. States rights were protected d. The programs of Alexander Hamilton were overturned e. Aaron Burr was convicted of treason 67. The case of Marbury v. Madison involved the question of who had the right to a. Appoint Supreme Court justices b. Determine the meaning of the Constitution c. Commit the United States to entangling alliances d. Impeach federal officers for high crimes and misdemeanors e. Purchase foreign territory for the United States 68. Thomas Jefferson was conscience-stricken about the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France because a. The Federalists supported his action b. War with Spain might occur c. He feared the British might use it as an excuse to declare war on the United States d. He believed that the purchase was unconstitutional e. He felt that the purchase was not a fair deal for France Page 10 of 10