Q 01/05

Who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence?

A) Thomas Jefferson

B) John Adams

C) Benjamin Franklin

D) George Washington

Answer · why

A) Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson wrote the draft in June 1776; Congress then cut about a quarter of it, including his attack on the slave trade.

Q 02/05

Instead of 'The British are coming', what did Paul Revere reportedly warn on his ride?

A) The redcoats are coming

B) The Regulars are coming out

C) The King's men are abroad

D) To arms, to arms

Answer · why

B) The Regulars are coming out

The Regulars are coming out is what a sentry heard him say; most colonists still thought of themselves as British, so the famous cry would have meant ...

Q 03/05

Which treaty formally ended the American Revolutionary War in 1783?

A) Jay Treaty

B) Treaty of Paris

C) Treaty of Ghent

D) Treaty of Alliance

Answer · why

B) Treaty of Paris

The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783; on the same day Britain made peace with France and Spain in separate treaties signed at Versaille...

Q 04/05

Which British act imposed a direct tax on printed materials in the American colonies?

A) Sugar Act

B) Townshend Acts

C) Stamp Act

D) Intolerable Acts

Answer · why

C) Stamp Act

The Stamp Act of 1765 required that newspapers, legal documents and even playing cards be produced on stamped paper from London, fuelling 'no taxation...

Q 05/05

When Congress made George Washington commander-in-chief in 1775, what did he refuse to accept?

A) A land grant

B) A salary

C) A bodyguard

D) A fixed term

Answer · why

B) A salary

A salary: Washington turned down the $500 a month Congress had voted, saying he wanted no profit from the post, and asked only that his expenses be re...