Answers to Questions:

Grades K-3

 

1. On this date in 1776, the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence.
2. The colonists dressed like Mohawk Indians; however, their costumes were not very convincing.
3. George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army.
4. The American Revolution lasted 6 ½ years.
5. John Paul Jones’s ship was called the Bonhomme-Richard.

 

Grades 4-8

 

1. The colonists of Massachusetts were protesting the tax on tea levied by Great Britain to financially assist the bankrupt East India Tea Company.
2. Phyllis Wheatley was the first published African American poet.  She wrote about morals and religion, but her poem about George Washington is one of Wheatley’s most famous.
3. Hessians were German mercenaries hired by Great Britain to fight the Continental Army.
4. The American victory at Yorktown signified the end of the war with General Charles Cornwallis’s surrender.
5. Thomas Paine was a writer.  He wrote pamphlets called “Common Sense” and “The American Crisis Number 1” to convince colonists to severe ties with the oppressive Great Britain.
6. Bernardo de Galvez, Spain; Baroness vonRiedesels, Germany; Marquis de Lafayette, France
7. Federalists were in favor of ratifying the Constitution, while Anti-Federalists believed the Constitution created too strong of a central government.  Anti-Federalists feared that this strong national government would limit individual rights.  To alleviate this concern, the Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments) were added to the Constitution.
8. Men were responsible for outside chores including planting, building fences, and butchering.  Women ran the house, and their jobs entailed food preservation (canning, preserves, jams), spinning, and weaving.

 

Grades 9-12

 

1. The Patriots and Loyalists were the two groups that formed.  Patriots supported the movement for independence, while Loyalists remained loyal to King George III and Great Britain.
2. Benedict Arnold and his accomplice, John Andre, attempted to betray American troops by planning to surrender West Point to British troops in return for monetary compensation.
3. As a result of the tea tax, women had the opportunity to make one of the first female contributions to American politics.  At the Edenton Ladies Tea Party, women boycotted tea.  Consequently, tea sales declined, pushing the East India Tea Company closer to bankruptcy.
4. By 1776, the population had skyrocketed since 1700 as a result of increasing birth rate and immigration.  Most immigrants were African American or from Western Europe.  Most colonists lived in rural areas (90%).
5. Militias existed in most colonies prior to the American Revolution.  They protected towns primarily from Indian attacks.  Minutemen were established in Boston when hostilities increased with Great Britain.  Minutemen underwent more training than militia men, causing them to respond more quickly to problems.  George Washington created the Continental Army.  Soldiers belonging to the Continental Army participated in more extensive training regimens than either the militia or minutemen.
6. The Federalist Papers are a collection of arguments supporting the ratification of the Constitution written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.  The Federalist Papers were written to convince New York to ratify the Constitution.
7. Foreign alliances proved to be invaluable to the Continental Army.  Important alliances formed with Spain and France resulted in the provision of funds, supplies, ammunition, and soldiers.  Spain allowed the Continental Army to use the Mississippi River to transport military supplies throughout the colonies.  The French Navy contributed to the victory at Yorktown in the “miraculous convergence”.
8. The battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the American Revolution.  As a result of a convincing margin of victory, King Louis of France was persuaded to pledge allegiance to the Continental Army.  The American victory at Saratoga proved that the Continental Army had a good chance of defeating Great Britain.
9. Pennsylvania was Quaker colony.  Quakers are opposed to violence and war, so therefore, Pennsylvania was the only colony without a militia before the Revolutionary War.
10. Soldiers in Washington’s Continental Army had less disciplined fighting tactics than their British counterparts.  The Continental Army learned from the Native Americans in the French and Indian War and took advantage of the terrain, foregoing traditional fighting formations.  The British, however fought in rows, prepared to alternate volleys with the enemy.  The soldiers of the Continental Army used Kentucky rifles, while the Redcoats fought with muskets and bayonets.