American Revolution — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The Sugar Act of 1764 taxed molasses and sugar imported into the colonies.
The Sugar Act of 1764 was one of the earliest British tax laws that angered colonists because it raised the cost of imported goods like molasses and sugar.
2. Colonists organized boycotts to stop buying British goods as a form of protest.
Boycotts meant colonists refused to purchase British products, which hurt British merchants and pressured Parliament to repeal unfair tax laws.
3. The Quartering Act required colonists to house and feed British soldiers.
The Quartering Act forced colonists to let British soldiers stay in their homes and provide them with food, which colonists saw as a violation of their rights.
4. Samuel Adams was a leader of the Sons of Liberty in Boston.
Samuel Adams helped organize colonial resistance to British taxes and was one of the key voices calling for independence long before the war began.
5. The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774.
Delegates from twelve colonies gathered in Philadelphia to discuss how to respond to the Intolerable Acts and to organize a united protest against Britain.
6. The Boston Massacre of 1770 killed five colonists and increased anti-British feeling.
British soldiers fired into a crowd of angry colonists, killing five people. Colonists called it a massacre to show how unfairly Britain was treating them.
7. Crispus Attucks was one of the first people killed in the Boston Massacre.
Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Native American heritage, is remembered as one of the first people to give his life in the cause of American freedom.
8. The Committees of Correspondence helped colonies share news about British actions.
The Committees of Correspondence were letter-writing networks that let colonies quickly share information and coordinate their responses to British laws.
9. Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called "Common Sense" that urged independence.
Common Sense used plain, powerful language to argue that it was only logical for the colonies to break free from British rule, and it convinced many colonists to support independence.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Stamp Act
→ Taxed printed materials like newspapers
Forced colonists to house British soldiers
Tea Act
→ Gave one company control of tea trade
Punished Massachusetts after the Tea Party
Quartering Act
→ Forced colonists to house British soldiers
Taxed printed materials like newspapers
Intolerable Acts
→ Punished Massachusetts after the Tea Party
Gave one company control of tea trade
Each act targeted colonists differently: the Stamp Act taxed printed materials; the Tea Act gave one company a monopoly on tea sales; the Quartering Act made colonists shelter British soldiers; and the Intolerable Acts punished Massachusetts for the Tea Party.