American Revolution Quiz
Tea in the harbor, Washington on the Delaware, Cornwallis at Yorktown: 15 questions on the birth of the USA.
In which year did the Continental Congress adopt the Declaration of Independence?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
1776
Congress voted for independence on 2 July 1776 and approved the final wording of the Declaration two days later, on 4 July. John Adams expected 2 July to become the national holiday, but the date printed on the document won out.
Most delegates did not sign the Declaration until 2 August 1776, and the final signature was added months later.
Who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence?
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Thomas Jefferson
Congress appointed a committee of five, but Thomas Jefferson of Virginia wrote the draft, which Adams and Franklin then edited. Congress cut about a quarter of his text, including a passage attacking the slave trade.
Jefferson and John Adams both died on 4 July 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration, within hours of each other.
In which city's harbor did colonists dump 342 chests of British tea in December 1773?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Boston
Members of the Sons of Liberty, some disguised as Mohawk warriors, boarded three ships in Boston Harbor on 16 December 1773 and threw the tea overboard. Parliament answered with the Coercive Acts, which colonists called the Intolerable Acts.
The protest was not called the Boston Tea Party until the 1820s; people at the time referred to it as the destruction of the tea.
Who was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army in June 1775?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
George Washington
Congress chose George Washington, a Virginia planter with experience from the French and Indian War, partly to bind the southern colonies to a rebellion that had started in New England. He served without pay for the entire war.
Washington lost more battles than he won, but keeping his army together through eight years of war proved decisive.
The first shots of the war were fired in April 1775 at which two Massachusetts towns?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Lexington and Concord
British troops marched from Boston on 19 April 1775 to seize colonial weapons stored at Concord. A clash with militia on Lexington green left eight colonists dead, and the redcoats were harried by snipers all the way back to Boston.
Ralph Waldo Emerson later called the first volley at Concord's North Bridge 'the shot heard round the world'.
Which European power signed a treaty of alliance with the United States in 1778, providing troops, ships and money?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
France
France signed treaties of alliance and commerce with the Americans in February 1778, bringing its navy and army into the war against Britain. French ships and soldiers were essential to the final victory at Yorktown.
Spain entered the war in 1779 as an ally of France rather than of the Americans, and the Dutch were at war with Britain by the end of 1780.
Which 1765 act of Parliament, taxing newspapers, legal documents and playing cards, sparked the first colony-wide protests?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act required a government stamp on printed materials and was the first direct tax Parliament levied on the colonies. Protests under the slogan 'no taxation without representation' forced its repeal in 1766.
Nine colonies sent delegates to a Stamp Act Congress in New York in 1765, the first joint colonial action against British policy.
Which pamphlet by Thomas Paine, published in January 1776, made the popular case for independence?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Common Sense
Common Sense sold tens of thousands of copies within months and argued in plain language that monarchy was absurd and that America should break with Britain. It shifted public opinion decisively toward independence.
Paine's follow-up series, The American Crisis, opened with 'These are the times that try men's souls' and was read aloud to Washington's troops.
Which river did Washington's army cross on the night of 25 December 1776 before surprising the Hessians at Trenton?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Delaware
Washington ferried about 2,400 men across the ice-choked Delaware River from Pennsylvania into New Jersey and attacked the Hessian garrison at Trenton at dawn on 26 December. The victory revived a cause that had seemed close to collapse.
Emanuel Leutze's famous 1851 painting of the crossing was made in Germany, with the Rhine standing in for the Delaware.
Which American victory in October 1777 persuaded France to enter the war openly?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Saratoga
British general John Burgoyne surrendered his entire army to Horatio Gates at Saratoga, New York, on 17 October 1777. The news convinced the French court that the Americans could win, and the alliance followed within months.
Benedict Arnold was badly wounded leading a charge at Saratoga, and his bravery there is marked by a monument that pointedly does not name him.
Which American general plotted to hand the fort at West Point to the British in 1780, making his name a byword for treason?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Benedict Arnold
Arnold, bitter over slights to his career and deep in debt, agreed to surrender West Point for money and a British commission. The plot was exposed when British major John André was captured carrying the plans, and Arnold fled to a British ship.
Arnold later led British raids in Virginia and Connecticut, then lived out his life in England, where he died in 1801.
Which British general surrendered his army at Yorktown, Virginia, in October 1781?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Charles Cornwallis
Trapped on the York peninsula by the armies of Washington and Rochambeau while a French fleet blocked escape by sea, Cornwallis surrendered about 8,000 men on 19 October 1781. It was the last major battle of the war.
Cornwallis pleaded illness and sent a deputy to hand over his sword, so Washington had a deputy of his own receive it.
Which treaty, signed in September 1783, ended the war and recognised American independence?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Treaty of Paris
John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay signed the Treaty of Paris for the United States on 3 September 1783. Britain recognised American independence and granted territory stretching west to the Mississippi River.
The treaty's description of the northern boundary was so flawed that disputes over the line with Canada dragged on for decades.
Where did Washington's army endure a bitter winter encampment from December 1777 to June 1778?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Valley Forge
About 12,000 soldiers camped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, some 20 miles from British-held Philadelphia. Around 2,000 died of disease and exposure, but the army emerged in spring better trained and supplied.
Contrary to legend, the winter at Valley Forge was fairly mild; the far harsher winter came at Morristown two years later.
Which Prussian officer arrived at Valley Forge in 1778 and drilled the Continental Army into a disciplined force?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
Von Steuben reported for duty at Valley Forge on 23 February 1778 and trained a model company of 120 men, who then taught the rest of the army his drill. His methods were later written up as the army's official manual.
Von Steuben spoke almost no English and swore at the troops in German and French while an aide translated his curses.
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All History quizzes →About the American Revolution Quiz
Thirteen colonies took on the most powerful empire on earth and won. Along the way colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor, Thomas Paine sold a pamphlet that changed minds across America, and George Washington rowed his army across the icy Delaware on Christmas night to surprise the Hessians at Trenton.
These 15 questions run from the Stamp Act and the first shots at Lexington and Concord through Saratoga, Valley Forge and the surrender at Yorktown to the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Each answer unlocks an instant explanation and an extra fact. The quiz suits students revising the Revolutionary War, Fourth of July trivia nights and anyone who has watched Hamilton and wants to know how much was true.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
What period does the American Revolution Quiz cover?
It runs from the Stamp Act of 1765 through the Declaration of Independence and the major battles to the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
Which battles are included?
Lexington and Concord, Trenton, Saratoga and Yorktown all feature, along with the winter at Valley Forge and the treason of Benedict Arnold.
Is this a good quiz for the Fourth of July?
Yes. The first questions on 1776, Jefferson and the Boston Tea Party are perfect for a holiday crowd, with harder ones at the end to separate the history buffs.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- In which year did the Continental Congress adopt the Declaration of Independence?
1776 Congress voted for independence on 2 July 1776 and approved the final wording of the Declaration two days later, on 4 July. John Adams expected 2 July to become the national holiday, but the date printed on the document won out. Most delegates did not sign the Declaration until 2 August 1776, and the final signature was added months later. - Who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson Congress appointed a committee of five, but Thomas Jefferson of Virginia wrote the draft, which Adams and Franklin then edited. Congress cut about a quarter of his text, including a passage attacking the slave trade. Jefferson and John Adams both died on 4 July 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration, within hours of each other. - In which city's harbor did colonists dump 342 chests of British tea in December 1773?
Boston Members of the Sons of Liberty, some disguised as Mohawk warriors, boarded three ships in Boston Harbor on 16 December 1773 and threw the tea overboard. Parliament answered with the Coercive Acts, which colonists called the Intolerable Acts. The protest was not called the Boston Tea Party until the 1820s; people at the time referred to it as the destruction of the tea. - Who was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army in June 1775?
George Washington Congress chose George Washington, a Virginia planter with experience from the French and Indian War, partly to bind the southern colonies to a rebellion that had started in New England. He served without pay for the entire war. Washington lost more battles than he won, but keeping his army together through eight years of war proved decisive. - The first shots of the war were fired in April 1775 at which two Massachusetts towns?
Lexington and Concord British troops marched from Boston on 19 April 1775 to seize colonial weapons stored at Concord. A clash with militia on Lexington green left eight colonists dead, and the redcoats were harried by snipers all the way back to Boston. Ralph Waldo Emerson later called the first volley at Concord's North Bridge 'the shot heard round the world'. - Which European power signed a treaty of alliance with the United States in 1778, providing troops, ships and money?
France France signed treaties of alliance and commerce with the Americans in February 1778, bringing its navy and army into the war against Britain. French ships and soldiers were essential to the final victory at Yorktown. Spain entered the war in 1779 as an ally of France rather than of the Americans, and the Dutch were at war with Britain by the end of 1780. - Which 1765 act of Parliament, taxing newspapers, legal documents and playing cards, sparked the first colony-wide protests?
Stamp Act The Stamp Act required a government stamp on printed materials and was the first direct tax Parliament levied on the colonies. Protests under the slogan 'no taxation without representation' forced its repeal in 1766. Nine colonies sent delegates to a Stamp Act Congress in New York in 1765, the first joint colonial action against British policy. - Which pamphlet by Thomas Paine, published in January 1776, made the popular case for independence?
Common Sense Common Sense sold tens of thousands of copies within months and argued in plain language that monarchy was absurd and that America should break with Britain. It shifted public opinion decisively toward independence. Paine's follow-up series, The American Crisis, opened with 'These are the times that try men's souls' and was read aloud to Washington's troops. - Which river did Washington's army cross on the night of 25 December 1776 before surprising the Hessians at Trenton?
Delaware Washington ferried about 2,400 men across the ice-choked Delaware River from Pennsylvania into New Jersey and attacked the Hessian garrison at Trenton at dawn on 26 December. The victory revived a cause that had seemed close to collapse. Emanuel Leutze's famous 1851 painting of the crossing was made in Germany, with the Rhine standing in for the Delaware. - Which American victory in October 1777 persuaded France to enter the war openly?
Saratoga British general John Burgoyne surrendered his entire army to Horatio Gates at Saratoga, New York, on 17 October 1777. The news convinced the French court that the Americans could win, and the alliance followed within months. Benedict Arnold was badly wounded leading a charge at Saratoga, and his bravery there is marked by a monument that pointedly does not name him. - Which American general plotted to hand the fort at West Point to the British in 1780, making his name a byword for treason?
Benedict Arnold Arnold, bitter over slights to his career and deep in debt, agreed to surrender West Point for money and a British commission. The plot was exposed when British major John André was captured carrying the plans, and Arnold fled to a British ship. Arnold later led British raids in Virginia and Connecticut, then lived out his life in England, where he died in 1801. - Which British general surrendered his army at Yorktown, Virginia, in October 1781?
Charles Cornwallis Trapped on the York peninsula by the armies of Washington and Rochambeau while a French fleet blocked escape by sea, Cornwallis surrendered about 8,000 men on 19 October 1781. It was the last major battle of the war. Cornwallis pleaded illness and sent a deputy to hand over his sword, so Washington had a deputy of his own receive it. - Which treaty, signed in September 1783, ended the war and recognised American independence?
Treaty of Paris John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay signed the Treaty of Paris for the United States on 3 September 1783. Britain recognised American independence and granted territory stretching west to the Mississippi River. The treaty's description of the northern boundary was so flawed that disputes over the line with Canada dragged on for decades. - Where did Washington's army endure a bitter winter encampment from December 1777 to June 1778?
Valley Forge About 12,000 soldiers camped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, some 20 miles from British-held Philadelphia. Around 2,000 died of disease and exposure, but the army emerged in spring better trained and supplied. Contrary to legend, the winter at Valley Forge was fairly mild; the far harsher winter came at Morristown two years later. - Which Prussian officer arrived at Valley Forge in 1778 and drilled the Continental Army into a disciplined force?
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Von Steuben reported for duty at Valley Forge on 23 February 1778 and trained a model company of 120 men, who then taught the rest of the army his drill. His methods were later written up as the army's official manual. Von Steuben spoke almost no English and swore at the troops in German and French while an aide translated his curses.
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