Question | Answer |
Why was the Declaration written? | To tell the world (and the King of England) why the colonies wanted to separate from Britain |
What are the 3 basic rights, according to the Declaration? | Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness |
Was the slavery clause kept in or taken out? | The slavery clause was taken out because the Southern states wouldn't sign the Declaration if slavery were abolished. |
Who was the main author of the Declaration of Independence? | Thomas Jefferson |
Why did Cornwallis surrender (give up)? | Cornwallis was outnumbered and surrounded by the French soldiers who helped the Americans. |
Why did America win the Revolutionary War? | 1. Better Leadership, 2. Motivation, 3. Knowledge of the Land, 4. Foreign Aid |
What does it mean that the Americans had better leadership? | George Washington learned from his mistakes and never gave up. |
What does it mean that Americans were motivated? | They wanted to win the war more than the British because their lives and dreams of freedom were at risk. |
What does it mean that the Americans had knowledge of the land? | They knew distances between places, valleys that could protect them, woods and rivers that might be difficult, locations |
What foreign aid did Americans receive? | France and Spain loaned money to the Americans. France sent boats and soldiers, too. |
Who was the president of the Continental Congress? | John Hancock |
Why did Thomas Jefferson think independence was necessary? | To tell the world what was happening in the colonies and to convince other countries to help them. |
What are the unalienable rights? | Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness |
Why did the British sign the Intolerable Acts? | To punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party |
What are the 3 parts of the Declaration? | 1. the Rights of the colonists, 2. the wrongs of the king, 3. the colonists are going to make a new country separate from Britain |
Who won the French and Indian war? | The British |
What did the British get in the French and Indian war? | The land west of the Appalachian mountains |
What treaty ended the Revolutionary War? | The Treaty of Paris |
What were the Writs of Assistance | THey gave permission for British soldiers to search colonists' homes for smuggled goods |
What does "unanimous" mean? | Everyone agrees |
What does "anonymous" mean? | a person who is unknown. |
Name three ways the Continental Congress raised money for the war | 1. Foreign aid from France and Spain (borrowed)
2. Asked for help from colonists (begged)
3. Printed their own money and took stuff from Loyalists (stole) |
Why didn't the Continental Congress just tax the colonists to raise money? | They didn't want to be just like Britain. The colonists were fighting the Revolutionary War because they DID NOT want to pay TAXES. |
Why didn't slavery end with the Declaration? | The South needed slaves to keep making money, and the Southern representatives would not sign the Declaration if Slavery were ended. The congress needed a unanimous vote to keep going with the Declaration |
Why was Common Sense so important to the Patriots' cause? | It was a short book that gave good reasons for declaring independence. He asked: how can an island rule an entire continent? how can a king rule from so far away? |
What are two reasons FOR independence? | 1. freedom to trade with other countries 2. No more unreasonable taxes from King George |
What are two reasons AGAINST independence | 1. Colonists would not have the protection of Great Britain 2. Colonists could never win a war against a huge empire. they don't have the men or the money |
What is a loyalist? | A loyalist is a colonist who supported King George and Britain. |
What is a patriot? | A patriot is a colonist who wanted American Independence- colonies should be free from Britain |