US History Quiz 1A - The 13 Colonies (15 Questions)

The following is a quiz with the Colonial America based questions.

Take this quiz as often as you would like. You goal for this exam should be 60% or higher.

1 Base your answer on the following passage and on your knowledge of social studies.

"... We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness..."

Source: Declaration of Independence, 1776

Which statement best describes the development in the United States of the "unalienable rights" mentioned in this quote?

	The original Constitution guaranteed these rights to all men born in the United States, and the Nineteenth Amendment extended them to include all women.
	In order to protect these rights, the signers of the Declaration of Independence also called for the abolition of slavery.
	The Bill of Rights ensured that Native Americans received the same protections under the law as other citizens.
	Only a small portion of the U.S. population received these rights at first, but access to these rights has gradually increased over centuries.

2 What is a principle of government that is stated in the Declaration of Independence that is also found in the US Constitution?

	Federal laws must be subject to state approval.
	The power of government comes from the people.
	The right to bear arms shall not be infringed.
	All men and women are created equal.

3 Base your answer to the question on the following engraving and on your knowledge of social studies.

Source: Congress voting the Declaration of Independence, Robert Edge Pine and Edward Savage, engraving, 1800

Which statement best describes the significance of the event in this illustration?

	It created a federal government with three branches.
	It guaranteed freedom of speech and religion.
	It set up a central government with a unicameral legislature.
	It justified the creation of the United States of America.

4 Base your answer to the question on the engraving and on your knowledge of social studies. The event in this illustration was influenced most directly by which of the following?

	artistic accomplishments of the Renaissance
	civic ideals of the Enlightenment
	economic theories of mercantilism
	innovations of the Scientific Revolution

5 The Declaration of Independence contributed to the development of democracy in that it

	guaranteed trial by jury to all men
	allowed women to take part in government
	suggested that the people are the source of power
	provided for Presidential elections every 4 years

6 The basic principle underlying the United States Constitution is that

	the executive branch should be free to determine the type of government the administration will have
	the interests of the state take precedence over those of the citizens
	government has the duty to maintain law and order by whatever means necessary
	the people are the ultimate source of power

7 Base your answer to the question on the following political cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.

Source: Philip Dorf, Our Early Heritage: Ancient and Medieval History, Oxford Book Company (adapted)

A historian could best use this cartoon to study which of the following?

	effects of mercantilism on Native American communities
	differences in diet between British royalty and American colonists
	diplomatic relations between Great Britain and the United States after the American Revolution
	reasons for the creation of the American colonies

8 Base your answer to the question on the following political cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.

Source: Philip Dorf, Our Early Heritage: Ancient and Medieval History, Oxford Book Company (adapted)

Which development most significantly changed the relationship between "Mother Country" and "Colonies" in North America shown in this cartoon?

	signing of the Declaration of Independence
	adoption of the Mayflower Compact
	founding of the Jamestown colony
	British enforcement of the Navigation Acts

9 Base your answer to the question on the following political cartoon and on your knowledge of social studies.

Source: Philip Dorf, Our Early Heritage: Ancient and Medieval History, Oxford Book Company (adapted)

The main idea of this cartoon resulted most directly in which of the following?

	adoption of the Articles of Confederation
	expansion of trade between the American colones and French Canada
	creation of the Atlantic slave trade
	British support for increased manufacturing in the American colonies

10 European Enlightenment writers of the 17th and 18th centuries such as John Locke influenced America's colonial development by providing

	justification for state-supported churches
	a defense of the slave trade
	arguments for monarchy and rule by divine right
	ideas about self-government and political rights

11 The social contract theory as applied to the Declaration of Independence most directly reflects the ideas of

	John Locke
	Thomas Hobbes
	Baron de Montesquieu
	Adam Smith

12 Which heading best completes the partial outline below?

	Early Colonial Documents
	Limits on Representative Government
	Contributions of the Enlightenment
	Foundations of American Democracy

13 The Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights were significant influences on United States constitutional development because they

	provided suffrage for all men and women
	placed limits on the powers of the government
	called for the abolition of slavery
	supported the development of federalism

14 Base your answer on the following passage and on your knowledge of social studies.

"... The Jury withdrew, and in a small time returned, and being asked by the clerk, whether they were agreed of their verdict, and whether John Peter Zenger was guilty of printing and publishing the libels in the information mentioned? They answered by Thomas Hunt, their foreman, Not Guilty. Upon which there were three huzzas [cheers] in the hall which was crowded with people, and the next day I was discharged from my imprisonment."

Source: John Peter Zenger, 1734.

A historian could best use this quote to study which of the following?

	types of publications in the American colonies
	views on slavery among American colonists
	criminal charges brought against British soldiers after the Boston Massacre
	civil liberties in the American colonies

15 In colonial America, geography most directly influenced

	religious practices
	voter eligibility
	economic activities
	family structure

---