Multiple Choice Identify the choice that
best completes the statement or answers the question.
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![nar001-1.jpg](gov_ch_2-3_independ_files/nar001-1.jpg)
Carpenters Hall, Philadelphia
| The First Continental Congress The parliamont in England passed the
Intolerable acts which said that England could pass any laws for the colonies and the
Americans had nothing to say about it.
In response to the Intolerable Acts, Rhode Island,
Pennsylvania, and New York proposed that a colonial congress be held. The Massachusetts House of
Representatives requested that all colonies select delegates to send to Philadelphia for such a
congress. The First Continental Congress was held at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia on
September 5, 1774. Of the thirteen colonies, only Georgia did not send delegates. The First
Continental Congress decided that the colonies should send a petition to King George III to
explain their grievances. Other resolutions were passed to continue the boycott of British goods and
to require that each colony start an army. Almost immediately after receiving the petition, the
British government condemned the congress's actions as open acts of rebellion. The congressional
delegates declared that each county and city in the colonies should form a committee to spy on
people's actions and to report to the press the names of those who violated the trade boycott
against Britain. The list of names would then be printed in the local papers. Over the next several
months, all colonial legislators supported this and other actions taken by the First Continental
Congress. | | |
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1.
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What law gave Great Britain the power to take any action they wanted to take to
control the colonies?
a. | Declaration of Independence | c. | Intolerable
Acts | b. | Stamp Act | d. | Commerce Control Act |
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2.
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Why did the First Continental Congress urge the colonies to form committees to
spy on citizens?
a. | Find British spies | c. | Spy on Federalists | b. | Learn who was violating the boycotts against
British goods | d. | Spy on
Anti-Federalists |
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3.
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What was the final act that motivated Americans to call together a congress of
the colonies?
a. | Stationing British troops in New York | c. | Passing the Intolerable
Act | b. | Stationing British troops in Philadelphia | d. | Sending the Olive Branch
Petition |
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4.
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The First Continental Congress was held in _____ and _____ colonies sent
representatives.
a. | Philadelphia - 12 | c. | Boston - 12 | b. | Boston - 13 | d. | Philadelphia -
13 |
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The Second Continental Congress
Britain reacted to the
resolution passed by the First Continental Congress with even more strict and repressive measures. On
April 19, 1775, British soldiers, called Redcoats, fought with colonial citizen-soldiers, called
Minutemen, in the towns of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. These were the first battles of
the American Revolution. The Battle of Concord was later described by the poet Ralph Waldo
Emerson as the "shot heard round the world." Less than a month later, delegates from twelve
colonies (Georgia's delegates did not arrive until the fall) gathered in Pennsylvania for the
Second Continental Congress. The congress immediately assumed the powers of a central government. One
of its main actions was to establish an army. Colonial citizen-soldiers had gathered around Boston,
and the congress declared them an army. It named George Washington-a delegate to the Second
Continental Congress who had some military experience-as the army's commander in
chief
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5.
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What is the main idea of the passage above?
a. | The Second Continental Congress was called to prepare for conflick with
England. | c. | The Second Continental Congress was called to search for a way to make peace with
England | b. | The delegates were afraid of the Minutemen. | d. | The Second Continental Congress was called to
write a new constitution |
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6.
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The British saw the actions of the First Continental Congress as a hopeful sign
of possible peace.
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7.
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George Washington was named general of the Continental army ____________
a. | In the First Continental Congress | c. | until a more experienced person
could be found. | b. | In the Second Continental Congress | d. | even though he said he did not want the
job. |
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8.
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The Colonial army was make-up of _____
a. | experienced Indian fighters | c. | citizen
soldiers | b. | experienced soldiers | d. | professional soldiers |
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Independence
Not all colonists were eager to break ties with
England, but Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense turned the tide of public opinion. He
urged all Americans to create a new and better nation.
Less than a month later,
delegates from twelve colonies (Georgia's delegates did not arrive until the fall) gathered in
Pennsylvania for the Second Continental Congress. The congress immediately assumed the powers
of a central government. One of its main actions was to establish an army. Colonial
citizen-soldiers had gathered around Boston, and the congress declared them an army. It named George
Washington-a delegate to the Second Continental Congress who had some military experience-as the
army's commander in chief. Public debate raged bitterly about the problems with Great Britain,
but the stage was set for independence. One of the most rousing arguments in favor of independence
was presented by a former English corset maker, Thomas Paine, who wrote a brilliant pamphlet
called Common Sense. In that pamphlet, he mocked King George III and attacked every argument that
favored loyalty to the king. He wanted the developing colonies to become a model nation for
democracy, in a world in which other nations were oppressed by strong central governments. None of
Paine's arguments was new. In fact, most of them were commonly heard in tavern debates
throughout the land. The reason that Common Sense was so effective was Paine's ability to put
these arguments together in such a convincing way: A government of our own is our natural right: and
when a man seriously reflects on the precariousness [uncertainty] of human affairs,
he will become convinced, that it is infinitely wiser and safer, to form a constitution of our
own in a cool and deliberate manner, while we have it in our power, than to trust such an interesting
event to time and chance.
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9.
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What is the main idea that the authors are trying to show in the passage
above?
a. | Thomas Paine was responsible for the revolution | c. | The colonists were ready for
independence | b. | Britain and the colonies both wanted peace but events were out of
control. | d. | The American
forces were equal to the British forces. |
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10.
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Thomas Pain’s phamphlet, “Common Sense” can be compared to a
modern day _____
a. | political candidate | c. | News broadcast | b. | movie star | d. | political
advertisement |
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The Resolution of Independence
Many colonists began to call for
independence. Samuel Adams, a patriot from Massachusetts, asked, "Is not America already
independent? Why not then declare it?" In June 1776, after more than a year of fighting, Richard
Henry Lee of Virginia introduced the Resolution of Independence to the Second Continental Congress.
On July 2 of that year, the congress adopted the resolution:
RESOLVED, That
these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent States, that they are
absolved from allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the
state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.
The Resolution
of Independence was not a legally binding document. It was, however, one of the first necessary steps
to establish the legitimacy-legal authority-of a new nation in the eyes of foreign governments. The
new nation required supplies for its armies and foreign military aid. Unless officials of foreign
nations believed that this new land was truly independent from Britain, they would not support its
leaders.
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11.
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Why did Samual Adams and the other colonial leaders believe they needed a
Resolution of Independence?
a. | It was good for business and trade with England | c. | So they could elect George
Washington, president | b. | They did not believe they needed a resolution.
Only Thomas Paine did.
| d. | Foreign leaders had to know that the colonies were really independent from Great
Britain |
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12.
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Who wrote the Resolution of Independence in the Second Continental
Congress?
a. | Thomas Jefferson | c. | Samuel Adams | b. | Thomas Paine | d. | Richard Henry
Lee |
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![nar005-1.jpg](gov_ch_2-3_independ_files/nar005-1.jpg)
The Declaration of
Independence Soon after Richard Henry Lee proposed the Resolution of Independence,
Thomas Jefferson, a tall, redheaded Virginia planter, began writing a draft of the Declaration of
Independence. Jefferson worked alone on the document for the last two weeks in June. On June 28, he
asked John Adams and Benjamin Franklin to look over his work. They made few changes.
Imediately after adopting the Resolution of Independence, the congress was ready to pass
Jefferson's declaration. Some changes were made so that all of the delegates would accept
it. For example, his condemnation of slavery was eliminated to satisfy delegates from Georgia and
North Carolina, where slaves were held on many farms and plantations. On July 4, 1776, one of the
worlds most famous documents, the Declaration of Independence, was adopted.
Further changes
were made in the following two weeks. On July 19, the modified draft became the "unanimous
declaration of the thirteen United States of America." On August 2, the members of the
Continental Congress signed it.
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13.
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Which statement is true about the passage above?
a. | The colonial delegates were careful about the preperation of the Declaration of
Independence | c. | The delegates ignored the Resolution of Independence | b. | The delegates were
in too much of a hurry to get the Declaration written | d. | None of the delegates cared about the welfare
of the slaves |
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14.
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Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. We can tell from the
passage above that he was an egotistical man who could not compromise.
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15.
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The Declaration of Independence was adopted on _____ and signed by the delegates
on _____
a. | July 2, 1776 - July 4, 1776 | c. | July 2, 1776 - August 2,
1776 | b. | July 4, 1776 - August 2, 1776 |
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16.
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The Declaration of Independence was written and adopted in the
a. | First Continental Congress | c. | Constitutional
Convention | b. | Second Continental Congress | d. | Declaration Congress |
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Natural Rights and the Consent of the Governed
The second paragraph of the
Declaration of Independence begins with these words:
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.
The
unalienable-or natural-rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence are the same rights that
John Locke discussed in his political philosophy. Joh Lockes philosophy was the core of the
Enlightenment philosophy. Natural rights are inherent rights. That means they cannot be taken
away from a person, and they are beyond the power of governments to grant or deny.
According
to the Declaration of Independence, government exists to protect individuals' natural rights. In
a democratic society, government derives its power from the consent of the governed. In other words,
the people give government the power to rule. Because government is based on the will of the people,
it can also be abolished by the people. The world's most famous documents, the Declaration of
Independence, was adopted.
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17.
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According to the Declaration of Independence, which is most important?
a. | the government | c. | the individual citizen | b. | the
society | d. | the
states |
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18.
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What is an unalienable right?
a. | rights for aliens | c. | rights that can’t be taken away | b. | rights for
non-aliens | d. | rights for some
citizens, not for others |
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19.
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According to the Declaration of Independence, what is most important in American
society?
a. | The U.S. government | c. | city government | b. | state government | d. | the individual |
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20.
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What is the main purpose of the passage above?
a. | To show the relationship of the individual to the state as outlined in the
Declaration of Independence | c. | To show that the Declaration of Independence was not a radical
document | b. | To explain the Enlightenment Philosophy of John Locke | d. | To show that the Declaration of Independence
was a radical document. |
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