Answer Key Chapter Imperial Reforms and Colonial Protests, 1763-1774

Answer Key Chapter: Imperial Reforms and Colonial Protests, 1763-1774 1. Which of the following was a cause of the British National Debt in 1763? a. drought in Great Britain b. the French and Indian War c. the continued British military presence in the American colonies d. both B and C 2. What was the main purpose of the Sugar Act of 1764? a. It raised taxes on sugar. b. It raised taxes on molasses. c. It strengthened enforcement of molasses smuggling laws. d. It required colonists to purchase only sugar distilled in Great Britain. 3. What did British colonists find so onerous about the acts that Prime Minister Grenville passed? 4. Which of the following was not a goal of the Stamp Act? a. to gain control over the colonists b. to raise revenue for British troops stationed in the colonies c. to raise revenue to pay off British debt from the French and Indian War d. to declare null and void any laws the colonies had passed to govern and tax themselves 5. For which of the following activities were the Sons of Liberty responsible? a. the Stamp Act Congress b. the hanging and beheading of a stamp commissioner in effigy c. the massacre of Conestoga in Pennsylvania d. the introduction of the Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions 6. Which of the following was not one of the goals of the Townshend Acts? a. higher taxes b. greater colonial unity c. greater British control over the colonies d. reduced power of the colonial governments 7. Which event was most responsible for the colonies’ endorsement of Samuel Adams’s Massachusetts Circular? a. the Townshend Duties b. the Indemnity Act c. the Boston Massacre d. Lord Hillsborough’s threat to dissolve the colonial assemblies that endorsed the letter 8. What factors contributed to the Boston Massacre? 9. Which of the following is true of the Gaspée affair? a. Colonists believed that the British response represented an overreach of power. b. It was the first time colonists attacked a revenue ship. c. It was the occasion of the first official death in the war for independence. d. The ship’s owner, John Hancock, was a respectable Boston merchant. 10. What was the purpose of the Tea Act of 1773? a. to punish the colonists for their boycotting of British tea b. to raise revenue to offset the British national debt c. to help revive the struggling East India Company d. to pay the salaries of royal appointees 11. What was the significance of the Committees of Correspondence? 12. Which of the following was decided at the First Continental Congress? a. to declare war on Great Britain b. to boycott all British goods and prepare for possible military action c. to offer a conciliatory treaty to Great Britain d. to pay for the tea that was dumped in Boston Harbor 13. Which colony provided the basis for the Declarations and Resolves? a. Massachusetts b. Philadelphia c. Rhode Island d. New York Critical Thinking Questions 14. Was reconciliation between the American colonies and Great Britain possible in 1774? Why or why not? 15. Look again at the painting that opened this chapter: The Bostonians Paying the Excise-man, or Tarring and Feathering. How does this painting represent the relationship between Great Britain and the American colonies in the years from 1763 to 1774? 16. Why did the colonists react so much more strongly to the Stamp Act than to the Sugar Act? How did the principles that the Stamp Act raised continue to provide points of contention between colonists and the British government? 17. History is filled with unintended consequences. How do the British government’s attempts to control and regulate the colonies during this tumultuous era provide a case in point? How did the aims of the British measure up against the results of their actions? 18. What evidence indicates that colonists continued to think of themselves as British subjects throughout this era? What evidence suggests that colonists were beginning to forge a separate, collective “American” identity? How would you explain this shift? Answer Key 1. d. both B and C 2. c. It strengthened enforcement of molasses smuggling laws. 3. British colonists found Prime Minister Grenville's acts onerous because they felt they were being unfairly taxed without representation in the British Parliament. 4. d. to declare null and void any laws the colonies had passed to govern and tax themselves 5. b. the hanging and beheading of a stamp commissioner in effigy 6. b. greater colonial unity 7. c. the Boston Massacre 8. Factors contributing to the Boston Massacre included tensions between colonists and British soldiers, economic hardships, and misunderstandings that escalated into violence. 9. a. Colonists believed that the British response represented an overreach of power. 10. c. to help revive the struggling East India Company 11. The Committees of Correspondence were significant for facilitating communication and coordination among the colonies, allowing them to share information, organize resistance efforts, and establish a sense of unity in opposition to British policies. 12. b. to boycott all British goods and prepare for possible military action 13. a. Massachusetts Critical Thinking Questions: 14. Reconciliation between the American colonies and Great Britain was becoming increasingly unlikely in 1774 due to growing tensions, grievances, and mutual distrust between the two sides. The British government's refusal to address colonial grievances and its continued attempts to assert control over the colonies only fueled colonial resentment and desire for independence. 15. The painting represents the deteriorating relationship between Great Britain and the American colonies, depicting an act of colonial resistance and defiance against British authority. It reflects the growing tensions and conflicts between the colonists and the British government in the years leading up to the American Revolution. 16. Colonists reacted more strongly to the Stamp Act than to the Sugar Act because the Stamp Act directly taxed a wide range of printed materials used by colonists in their daily lives, while the Sugar Act primarily affected merchants involved in the trade of sugar and molasses. The principles raised by the Stamp Act, particularly the issue of taxation without representation, continued to provide points of contention between colonists and the British government, as they challenged colonial autonomy and sparked debates over colonial rights. 17. The British government's attempts to control and regulate the colonies during this era often resulted in unintended consequences, such as widespread colonial resistance, increased resentment towards British authority, and ultimately, the outbreak of the American Revolution. Despite their aims to assert control and maintain order, British measures often exacerbated tensions and contributed to the breakdown of colonial loyalty to the British crown. 18. Colonists continued to think of themselves as British subjects throughout this era, as evidenced by their appeals to British legal rights and traditions, their references to British political principles and ideals, and their ongoing participation in British institutions. However, there were also signs of a burgeoning American identity, reflected in the growing sense of unity among the colonies, the development of colonial political institutions, and the articulation of distinctively American grievances and aspirations for self-governance. This shift towards a separate American identity was fueled by experiences of colonial self-governance, cultural distinctiveness, and shared experiences of resistance to British policies.