Posted on 01/13/2010 8:47:26 AM PST by Lucky9teen
National Survey The American Revolution Center commissioned the first national survey to assess adult knowledge of the American Revolution. The results show that an alarming 83 percent of Americans failed a basic test on knowledge of the American Revolution and the principles that have united all Americans. Results also revealed that 90 percent of Americans think that knowledge of the American Revolution and its principles is very important, and that 89 percent of Americans expected to pass a test on basic knowledge of the American Revolution, but scored an average of 44 percent. The survey questions addressed issues related to the Revolutionary documents, people, and events, and also asked attitudinal questions about the respondents’ perception of the importance of understanding the Revolutionary history and the institutions that were established to preserve our freedoms and liberties. The survey results highlight the importance of, interest in, and lack of understanding of our Founding.
1. Is the Bill of Rights part of:
a. the U.S. Constitution
b. the Declaration of Independence
c. the Gettysburg Address
d. the Articles of Confederation
e. Don’t know
2. The most important consequence of the Boston Tea party was:
a. the repeal of the tax on tea
b. the failure of the other colonies to support Boston’s action
c. the opening of negotiations between Britain and Massachusetts
d. the enactment by Parliament of the Coercive Acts
e. Don’t Know
3. Which document outlines the division of powers between the states and the federal government?
a. Declaration of Independence
b. Marshall Plan
c. U.S. Constitution
d. Homestead Act
e. Don’t Know
4. The last major military action of the American Revolution was at:
a. Bunker Hill
b. Trenton
c. Saratoga
d. Yorktown
e. Don’t Know
5. Which of the following rights is not protected by the Bill of Rights?
a. Freedom of Speech
b. Trial by Jury
c. The right to bear arms
d. Right to vote
e. Don’t know
6. Which of the following events most directly encouraged the states to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787:
a. the Whiskey Rebellion
b. the Boston Massacre
c. Bacon’s Rebellion
d. Shays’ Rebellion
e. Don’t know
7. Which of the following was responsible for declaring America’s independence from Great Britain?
a. The Albany Congress
b. The Stamp Act Congress
c. The House of Commons
d. The Second Continental Congress
e. Don’t know
8. Which of the following conflicts most directly led to the Stamp Act?
a. The War of the Roses
b. The War of 1812
c. The Mexican-American War
d. The French and Indian War (aka The 7 Years war)
e. Don’t Know
9. Benjamin Franklin epitomized which movement in colonial America?
a. the Enlightenment
b. the Great Awakening
c. the Loyalist movement
d. the Glorious Revolution
e. Don’t Know
10. Who wrote the influential pamphlet called “Common Sense” which advocated independence from Britain?
a. Patrick Henry
b. Edmund Burke
c. Paul Revere
d. Thomas Paine
e. Don’t Know
11. Who took detailed notes at the Constitutional Convention and is widely regarded as the “Father of the Constitution?”
a. Abraham Lincoln
b. James Madison
c. Winston Churchill
d. George Washington
e. Don’t Know
12. Who was the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court?
a. Alexander Hamilton
b. John Marshall
c. Charles Evans Hughes
d. John Jay
13. Which of the following are the inalienable rights stated in the Declaration of Independence?
a. Life, liberty and property
b. Honor, liberty and peace
c. Life, respect and equal protection
d. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
e. Don’t know
14. The US Constitution establishes which of the following forms of government in the United States?
a. A Direct Democracy
b. A Republic
c. A Confederacy
d. An Oligarchy
e. Don’t know
15. John Locke developed the concept of the “consent of the governed,” an important principle underlying the War for Independence, in a theory known as:
a. Natural Law
b. Law of Relativity
c. Common Law
d. Statutory Law
e. Don’t know
16. Which of the following nations played an important role in helping the colonies defeat the British in the American Revolution?
a. Canada
b. Mexico
c. Denmark
d. France
e. Don’t know
17. Which of the following phrases are the opening words to the US Constitution?
a. When in the course of human events
b. We the People
c. Fourscore and seven years ago
d. I have a dream
e. Don’t Know
18. Which of the following events came BEFORE the Declaration of Independence?
a. Founding of Jamestown, VA
b. The Civil War
c. The Emancipation Proclamation
d. The War of 1812
e. Don’t Know
19. How many children do celebrities “Jon and Kate” have?
a. 4
b. 6
c. 8
d. 10
e. Don’t know
20. How many states were there after the United States won its independence from Britain?
a. 7
b. 13
c. 15
d. 21
e. Don’t Know
21. Who said the following: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”?
a. George Washington
b. Barack Obama
c. Karl Marx
d. Thomas Paine
e. Don’t know
22. Who was the first athlete to win a record 8 gold medals at a single Olympics?
a. Scott Hamilton
b. Kobe Bryant
c. Shannon Miller
d. Michael Phelps
e. Don’t know
23. Who famously sang the songs “Beat it” and “Billie Jean”?
a. Elvis
b. Bruce Springsteen
c. N*SYNC
d. Michael Jackson
e. Don’t know
24. What river did George Washington cross on Christmas Eve in 1776 in a surprise attack on the Hessian troops?
a. Rhine
b. Potomac
c. Delaware
d. Michigan
e. Don’t know
25. Who was the first Secretary of the Treasury?
a. James Monroe
b. Alexander Hamilton
c. Larry Summers
d. John Seward
e. Don’t Know
26. In what state did the Valley Forge winter encampment occur?
a. New York
b. Delaware
c. Ohio
d. Pennsylvania
e. Don’t know
27. When did the American Revolution begin? Was it in the . . .
a. 1770s
b. 1640s
c. 1490s
d. 1800s
e. Don’t know
28. Which side of the American War of Independence did American Indians support?
a. British
b. American
c. Both
d. Neither
e. Don’t know
29. The westernmost military action of the American Revolution took place at:
a. St. Louis
b. Austin
c. Richmond
d. Atlanta
e. Don’t know
30. Who famously implored her husband to “remember the ladies” in drafting laws for the newly independent United States of America?
a. Martha Washington
b. Abigail Adams
c. Molly Pitcher
d. Phyllis Wheatley
e. Don’t know
I didn’t even know you could do it at the site. I wrote my answers on the back of an envelope and checked em after.
18 / 20. I knew I got “shays rebellion” as soon as I clicked it.
Also, who is this Solomon guy?
Took this at the web site and got 20 questions of which I got 17 correct - Missed who was the Slave who spied for US at Yorktown, matched “Life, Liberty ... “ to Constitution (head slap) and what led to the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Not bad but not as good as I would like. If I had gotten 95% I would have been quite satisfied.
I have a bit of studying to do, it appears.
Prove to me that answers 'b', 'c' AND 'd' are FALSE by the question's wording. If you add "immediately" it would have a single answer.
You got 20 of 20 possible points.
Your score: 100%
You have knowledge!
The questions at the site must change because Jon & Kate didn’t show up along with some others.
I attribute my score to the fact that I homeschooled my child for five years and retaught myself all of the history I had brain dumped years ago. I will admit that I took an educated guess at the last Polish immigrant question.
Yea, baby!
by your logic any answer from 13 to 50 would be correct...
Whilst exploring the site, I found this great quote:
“Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.”
~Albert Einstein
Someone buy Congress a clue!
The authors of this test might want to read, The Reformation of Rights, regarding the Reformation’s influence, and Calvin specifically, for the real philosophic basis of our founding. John Locke was only put an “Enlightenment” gloss on points made a century earlier by ardent Christians.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2009/janfeb/17.28.html?start=1
Studied in isolation, you're correct.
However, when you appreciate the whole combination as you study history, then each date, name and location is a piece of the whole that gives you the full story.
Names are people. Knowing who did what can teach you important things. Learning more about important people in history helps you to understand how that person became influential and why.
Dates establish the order of events. They are very important for understanding causation. What happened when is a key to understanding why things are the way they are.
Places are frequently important as well, because your location influences what you see and hear, who your associates are. Where you live influences the way you think. Also, much of history revolves around war. Location is extremely important information when studying war.
History is about understanding why things are the way they are, and how they came to be that way. It's about causes and effects. Choices and their consequences.
If you love the principles embodied in the Constitution, as you have indicated, then you would benefit a great deal from studying how they came to be in there, who put them there and why.
History helps you learn from the successes and failures of others. That's much better than trying to survive all the mistakes yourself.
ML/NJ
Not bad....I’m not much of a history buff....or at least I wasn’t until all this crap started with Obama and his administration:
You got 16 of 20 possible points.
Your score: 80%
Well I missed 9 but one of those were the number of kids Jon and Kate had so it doesn’t count!
I got 19 out of 20 correct.
ML/NJ
Correct [grin] since I did take logic in school and do program computers for correct responses. Only 'seven' is wrong since there were 13 signatory Colonies / States / Commonwealths to the Articles of Confederation [1781] under whom the Continental Congress was authorized and could then create the Continental Army that won the war.
Please tell me you are a teacher unlike my mere pedantry. Such clear statements should not be lost but instead passed on. I am NOT being sarcastic, I am in admiration.
I also LOVE your tag line! All too true I fear!
I love to teach (computer topics, mostly), but no, it's not my profession. I love learning even more!
I have FR and many FReepers to thank for my recently acquired love of history. I have learned more US history in the past 5 or so years on FR than I did in all my previous formal education.
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