Chapter Chronology

Quiz for Seeking 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

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

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B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is c. Colonists opposed the Stamp Act, which taxed all official paper documents, because it raised the colonists’ taxes. The Stamp Act was transparently intended to raise money for the monarchy, not to regulate trade, as had been the intention of the earlier Sugar Act.
Incorrect. The answer is c. Colonists opposed the Stamp Act, which taxed all official paper documents, because it raised the colonists’ taxes. The Stamp Act was transparently intended to raise money for the monarchy, not to regulate trade, as had been the intention of the earlier Sugar Act.

Question

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

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B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is b. Mackintosh led a large group of protesters as they hung a dummy representing Andrew Oliver, the local stamp distributor. The protestors then marched to the stamp office and burned it down. Oliver was an easy target because he was responsible for enforcing the Stamp Act in the colonies.
Incorrect. The answer is b. Mackintosh led a large group of protesters as they hung a dummy representing Andrew Oliver, the local stamp distributor. The protestors then marched to the stamp office and burned it down. Oliver was an easy target because he was responsible for enforcing the Stamp Act in the colonies.

Question

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?

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B.
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Correct. The answer is a. As a firefighter, Mackintosh demonstrated his ability to lead large groups of men, particularly during times of emergency, which would come in handy during the large Stamp Act protests. Somewhat ironically, being a firefighter also taught him how to burn small buildings or even effigies of hated individuals.
Incorrect. The answer is a. As a firefighter, Mackintosh demonstrated his ability to lead large groups of men, particularly during times of emergency, which would come in handy during the large Stamp Act protests. Somewhat ironically, being a firefighter also taught him how to burn small buildings or even effigies of hated individuals.

Question

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

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B.
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D.
Correct. The answer is d. After Hutchinson ordered Mackintosh to be arrested, “no witnesses cared to identify him.” This suggests that Mackintosh had the broad support of his community, and his fellow townspeople were not willing to cooperate with local law enforcement in prosecuting Mackintosh.
Incorrect. The answer is d. After Hutchinson ordered Mackintosh to be arrested, “no witnesses cared to identify him.” This suggests that Mackintosh had the broad support of his community, and his fellow townspeople were not willing to cooperate with local law enforcement in prosecuting Mackintosh.

Question

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?

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B.
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Correct. The answer is c. As Mackintosh’s story demonstrates, ordinary people—who typically lacked the financial and social capital required to hold political office—could express their political opinions and attempt to influence political decision-making through public display. Protests, demonstrations, and other public actions (such as setting fire to buildings) were some of the ways that ordinary people exercised political power.
Incorrect. The answer is c. As Mackintosh’s story demonstrates, ordinary people—who typically lacked the financial and social capital required to hold political office—could express their political opinions and attempt to influence political decision-making through public display. Protests, demonstrations, and other public actions (such as setting fire to buildings) were some of the ways that ordinary people exercised political power.