6. The British Empire and the Colonial Crisis, 1754

Chapter Chronology

Quiz for Experiencing the American Promise: Pursuing Liberty, Protesting Tyranny

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

Question 6.6

1. Ebenezer Mackintosh, like many other colonial Bostonians, likely opposed the Stamp Act because

colonists were not accustomed to paying taxes to the government.

the tax was levied on official documents used primarily by lawyers.

it was a tax increase to which the colonists had not consented.

the Act was enforced by British stamp agents rather than by American agents.

Question 6.7

2. Who did Ebenezer Mackintosh and thousands of other protestors target as the symbolic embodiment of the hated Stamp Act?

The sheriff

The stamp distributor

British soldiers

Elite merchants

Question 6.8

3. What is the relationship between Ebenezer Mackintosh’s participation in a volunteer fire company and his role as a community activist in Stamp Act protests?

Being a firefighter taught Mackintosh how to be a leader, and also how to set fire to small buildings in protest.

Volunteer firefighters were statistically more likely to engage in political protest during the eighteenth century.

Being a firefighter introduced Mackintosh to men who were already established activists in the Boston area.

Firemen were visible members in the community, often meeting with other civic volunteers in local taverns.

Question 6.9

4. Governor Thomas Hutchinson was unable to charge Ebenezer Mackintosh for demolishing Hutchinson’s mansion in 1765 because no witnesses identified Mackintosh, which suggests that

Mackintosh had a very common-looking appearance.

the local community was not interested in getting involved with criminal trials.

Mackintosh must have hired someone else to destroy the mansion.

the local community was sympathetic to Mackintosh’s efforts.

Question 6.10

5. What does Ebenezer Mackintosh’s story suggest about the political power available to ordinary people of low social status in the late eighteenth century?

Ordinary people expressed political power primarily by working with local authorities.

Political power was only available for ordinary people in certain professions, such as artisans and shoemakers.

Ordinary people could express their political opinions through public protests and demonstrations.