GOV CH 2-3 INDEPENDENCE

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Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

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.

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

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

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

The First Continental Congress was held in _____ and _____ colonies sent representatives.

a.	Philadelphia - 12	c.	Boston - 12
b.	Boston - 13	d.	Philadelphia - 13

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

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

The British saw the actions of the First Continental Congress as a hopeful sign of possible peace.

True

False

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.

The Colonial army was make-up of _____

a.	experienced Indian fighters	c.	citizen soldiers
b.	experienced soldiers	d.	professional soldiers

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.

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.

10.

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

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.

11.

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

12.

Who wrote the Resolution of Independence in the Second Continental Congress?

a.	Thomas Jefferson	c.	Samuel Adams
b.	Thomas Paine	d.	Richard Henry Lee

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.

13.

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

14.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. We can tell from the passage above that he was an egotistical man who could not compromise.

True

False

15.

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

16.

The Declaration of Independence was written and adopted in the

a.	First Continental Congress	c.	Constitutional Convention
b.	Second Continental Congress	d.	Declaration Congress

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.

17.

According to the Declaration of Independence, which is most important?

a.	the government	c.	the individual citizen
b.	the society	d.	the states

18.

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

19.

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

20.

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.