AMERICAN REVOLUTION WEBQUEST
Answer the questions below by READING the links provided. You may copy & paste these questions to a Word document and write the answers below, but do NOT copy & paste answers! Write your own answers. The links below are from the PBS Liberty! Website at http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/index.html
BOSTON, 1774
1. An event in 1774 was one of many which led to the Revolutionary War. Describe this event and its outcome (the specific reaction of Great Britain).
2. Where was Benjamin Franklin in 1774? Why was he there? Explain his role.
3. What really bothered the American colonists about the Stamp Act and other taxes imposed by England?
4. What did colonists do to tax collectors?
5. What alarmed Benjamin Franklin about the Pennsylvania colony in 1775? Why was he concerned?
6. What was the population of the American colonies in 1775? Why had it increased ten-fold since 1700?
7. What percent of colonial families lived in rural areas during the American Revolution?
PHILADELPHIA, 1776
8. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. To whom did they send this and what was the reaction of the recipient?
9. Who was the principal author of the Declaration? Name three other co-authors.
10. The Declaration begins with these words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal . . .” What is IRONIC about this introduction? Explain.
TRENTON, 1777
11. Describe the problems that plagued the leader of the Continental Army, George Washington, in 1776.
12. "These are the times that try men's souls,” are the opening words to a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776. Name the pamphlet and discuss its purpose and effect on Americans.
13. Who were the Hessians? Give three interesting facts about these soldiers. What happened to them at the end of the Revolutionary War?
SARATOGA, 1777
14. (a) What slowed down General Burgoyne’s troops as he headed south to Saratoga? (b) What was Burgoyne’s nickname and (c) why was he called this?
15. The Battle of Saratoga is considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War. (a) Why? (b) Who won and (c) what was the outcome?
16. (a) What field general assisted American General Horatio Gates in this battle? (b) Why did he betray his countrymen and join the British just one and a half years later?
YORKTOWN, 1781
17. (a) In October of 1781, what British general surrendered to the Continental army? (b) WHY did he surrender?
18. Explain the term “miraculous convergence.” (Look up these two words in the dictionary, then analyze the battle of Yorktown and explain why it was, indeed, a miraculous convergence.)
19. The British tried to use Loyalists to win the war. (a) What portion of the colonists were Loyalists, and (b) what happened to them after the Patriots won the Revolutionary War?
20. (a) Who was the MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE? (b) How did he help the Americans win the war against the British?