Quiz for Sources for America’s History, Chapter 6

Question

1. “Instructions to the Delegates from Mecklenburg to the Provincial Congress at Halifax in November” (Document 6-1) gives historians insight into which of the following phenomena?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is d. This 1776 document, composed by the citizens of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, gives historians insight into the priorities of North Carolina farmers in this region, their fears about whether the new government would serve their interests, and their belief that they had the right and obligation to express their desires for government to their new political representatives.
Incorrect. The answer is d. This 1776 document, composed by the citizens of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, gives historians insight into the priorities of North Carolina farmers in this region, their fears about whether the new government would serve their interests, and their belief that they had the right and obligation to express their desires for government to their new political representatives.

Question

2. In response to his wife’s admonition to “remember the ladies,” John Adams wrote, “Depend upon it, we know better than to repeal our masculine systems. Although they are in full force, you know they are little more than theory. . . . We are obliged to go fare and softly, and, in practice, you know we are the subjects. We have only the name of masters, and rather than give up this, which would completely subject us to the despotism of the petticoat, I hope General Washington and all our brave heroes would fight . . . .” What do the Adams’s letters in Document 6-2 suggest about how women exercised power in 1776?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is a. The letters reveal that Abigail Adams had an interest in political issues and affairs, which John discussed with her. But his primary acknowledgement of her power and influence came from his affirmation of her role as the mother of their children, recognizing that she—and other mothers—had the power to shape the next generation.
Incorrect. The answer is a. The letters reveal that Abigail Adams had an interest in political issues and affairs, which John discussed with her. But his primary acknowledgement of her power and influence came from his affirmation of her role as the mother of their children, recognizing that she—and other mothers—had the power to shape the next generation.

Question

3. In his petition to the Massachusetts assembly (Document 6-3), the free African American Prince Hall insisted that enslaved people in America were entitled to what?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is c. Like many Patriots, Prince Hall cited the “Natural and Unaliable Right to that freedom which the Grat Parent of the Unavers hath Bestowed equalley on all menkind and which they have Never forfuted by any Compact or agreement whatever” as the reason that the Massachusetts government should feel compelled to end slavery in the state. His petition illustrates the degree to which revolutionary ideology permeated every level of American society in the 1760s and 1770s.
Incorrect. The answer is c. Like many Patriots, Prince Hall cited the “Natural and Unaliable Right to that freedom which the Grat Parent of the Unavers hath Bestowed equalley on all menkind and which they have Never forfuted by any Compact or agreement whatever” as the reason that the Massachusetts government should feel compelled to end slavery in the state. His petition illustrates the degree to which revolutionary ideology permeated every level of American society in the 1760s and 1770s.

Question

4. This painting of George Washington leaning casually on a canon after the American victory in the Battle of Yorktown (Document 6-4) is a useful historical source for information about which of the following subjects?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is d. This painting—a formal portrait based on a casual pose—reveals little about George Washington himself, his political or military leadership, or the events that took place at the battle. It is primarily an indication of the way the artist viewed Washington, and his contribution to the creation of George Washington as an American military and political hero.
Incorrect. The answer is d. This painting—a formal portrait based on a casual pose—reveals little about George Washington himself, his political or military leadership, or the events that took place at the battle. It is primarily an indication of the way the artist viewed Washington, and his contribution to the creation of George Washington as an American military and political hero.

Question

5. The grievances articulated by Daniel Gray in his “Address to the People of Several Towns” (Document 6-5) are historically significant for which of the following reasons?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is a. The grievances articulated in this document are significant because they show how the difficult economic conditions in the mid to late 1780s made it difficult for both American farmers and many state governments to function and prosper. The document briefly describes Massachusetts farmers’ economic troubles and their resentment against their state government’s efforts to maintain order.
Incorrect. The answer is a. The grievances articulated in this document are significant because they show how the difficult economic conditions in the mid to late 1780s made it difficult for both American farmers and many state governments to function and prosper. The document briefly describes Massachusetts farmers’ economic troubles and their resentment against their state government’s efforts to maintain order.

Question

6. Both Federalist No. 10 and Federalist No. 51 (Document 6-6) rest on which of the following assumptions?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is c. Both of these documents rest on the assumption that faction—disagreement among groups of people—is inevitable in any society. In Federalist No. 10, Madison suggests that large governments could manage factions better than small ones; in Federalist No. 51, he suggests that checks and balances in government would prevent any faction from exercising excessive power.
Incorrect. The answer is c. Both of these documents rest on the assumption that faction—disagreement among groups of people—is inevitable in any society. In Federalist No. 10, Madison suggests that large governments could manage factions better than small ones; in Federalist No. 51, he suggests that checks and balances in government would prevent any faction from exercising excessive power.

Question

7. The documents in this chapter provide evidence to support which of the following conclusions?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is b. These documents reveal that women, farmers, and slaves all used the language and rhetoric of the American Revolution to argue for the protection of their liberty and the expansion of their rights. Ultimately, however, the American Revolution was committed to the protection of the traditional rights of white, male property owners. America’s new republican governments protected traditional rights in highly innovative ways, but they did not embrace a republican vision that included women, African Americans, or property-less men in the eighteenth century.
Incorrect. The answer is b. These documents reveal that women, farmers, and slaves all used the language and rhetoric of the American Revolution to argue for the protection of their liberty and the expansion of their rights. Ultimately, however, the American Revolution was committed to the protection of the traditional rights of white, male property owners. America’s new republican governments protected traditional rights in highly innovative ways, but they did not embrace a republican vision that included women, African Americans, or property-less men in the eighteenth century.