The Revolutionary War For Kids Quiz

Answer: 13

The original colonies were New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Many people consider 13 to be an unlucky number, but it was obviously lucky for Americans!

There were three other British colonies in North AMerica which did not join in the rebellion: Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland chose to remain part of the British Empire.

Answer: They had no representatives in the British Parliament

The purpose of the tax was to raise money to pay for the British troops stationed in the colonies to protect them from their enemies. The British thought this was fair, but the colonists did not. The colonies had no representatives in the British Parliament, and resented paying taxes about which they had no say.

The Stamp Act caused a great deal of resentment in the colonies. "No taxation without representation!" and "Taxation without representation is tyranny!" became popular sayings.

Answer: The Boston Tea Party

Tea was a very popular beverage in the colonies. When Parliament decided to tax tea imported to the colonies, many people vowed to stop drinking it. On December 16, 1773 a group of men known as "The Sons of Liberty," disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded three British ships anchored in Boston harbor and dumped their cargoes of tea overboard.

Some people say that Americans' preference for coffee over tea can be dated to the Boston Tea Party. There is also a popular modern movement known as "The Tea Party," which opposes high government taxes, that takes its name from the Boston Tea Party.

Answer: Minutemen

These citizen soldiers were called "Minutemen" because they boasted that they could be ready to fight at a minute's notice. They had little formal military training, but were determined to defend what they saw as their rights.

Answer: Paul Revere

Paul Revere was a Boston silversmith who was also a patriot and active in the Sons of Liberty. On the night of April 18, 1775, Revere and two other men rode from Boston to Concord to warn the militia of the British plan to seize their gunpowder and arrest some of their leaders.

Instead of saying "The British are coming!" what Revere actually said was "The regulars [British troops] are coming out!" And while he usually gets the credit for his "midnight ride," he and a companion, William Dawes, were actually stopped by the British and arrested before they reached Concord.

The third man, Dr. Samuel Prescott, did get through, however, and the next day the militia fought battles with British troops at both Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts.

These are usually thought of as the first battles of the Revolutionary War.

Answer: The Declaration of Independence

In 1775, all of the colonies sent delegates to what was called the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. After more than a year of debate, the colonies decided they no longer wanted to be part of Great Britain. In 1776, the Continental Congress decided that it was time to for the colonies to declare independence from Great Britain. They felt that it was necessary to produce a document stating the reasons they were breaking their ties with the British Crown. They appointed a committee of five men to write it, but most of the work was done by Thomas Jefferson.

Many changes were made to the Declaration of Independence before Congress voted to approve it on July 2, 1776. On July 4, most of the delegates present signed it, and it was sent to the printer for copies to be made and distributed. That is why the United States celebrates its Independence Day on the fourth of July. Some of the 56 men who signed it did not do so until much later, however.

Answer: George Washington

A lot of men wanted to be Commander-in-chief of the army. But George Washington had many advantages over the others. First of all, he had military experience. He had served in the French and Indian War from 1754 to 1758. In addition, Washington was from Virginia, and many people thought that having a leader from the South would help to unite the new country.

When Washington was appointed as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, he wore his old military uniform as a way of showing that he was willing to serve as head of the armed forces.

He was nominated to be Commander-in-chief by John Adams, who would later serve George Washington's Vice President. Although he made some mistakes and lost many battles, Washington eventually became an effective general and won the War of Independence.

Answer: Valley Forge

At first the war did not go well for the Americans. The British captured New York and Philadelphia. Although George Washington won a victory at Trenton in 1776, and Horatio Gates defeated a British army at Saratoga in 1777, the Americans lost more battles than they won. Valley Forge is located about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania. The American army decided to camp there for the winter of 1777-78. The first thing the troops had to do was build cabins for shelter. Almost all provisions were in short supply. The army numbered about 12,000 men, one-third of whom did not even have shoes to wear, and had to wrap their feet in rags. There was very little food, and even drinking water was in short supply. In addition, the crowded conditions and lack of food caused diseases to spread throughout the army. Between December 1777 and February 1778 it is estimated that 2500 Americans died at Valley Forge.

Things began to improve in February 1778 when Congress finally voted more money to supply Washington's troops. In addition, France decided to help the Americans in their war effort. Washington had managed to keep his army together under the most difficult conditions possible, and the tide of the war began to change in the Americans' favor. Today, Valley Forge is a National Historical Park.

Answer: John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones was born in Scotland in 1747. He first went to sea at the age of 13, and by the time he was 21, he was the captain of a merchant ship. When the Revolutionary War broke out, Jones volunteered his services, and commanded a number of vessels which captured many British ships, including the British sloop-of-war, HMS Drake.

His most famous victory came in 1779 when he was in command of the USS Bonhomme Richard, a converted French merchant ship. Jones fought and captured the HMS Serapis, a brand new ship under the command of an experienced British captain. Both ships were heavily damaged, and at one point Jones' flag was shot away, which led the British to ask if he was surrendering. Jones quickly replied, "I have not yet begun to fight!" The Americans were eventually victorious and took the British ship as a prize.

Answer: The Battle of Yorktown

In 1780, the French sent military aid to the Americans in the form of an army and much needed artillery. General Washington made the British think he was planning to attack New York City and recapture it. Instead, in 1781 he marched his army to Virginia. The British, under General George Cornwallis, had built a base at Yorktown, Virginia on the coast of Chesapeake Bay. The combined American and French armies managed to surround the British. General Cornwallis thought he could evacuate his men by sea, but a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse defeated the British ships who were sent to rescue him. After several weeks of fighting, General Cornwallis was forced to surrender, and his entire army of 8,000 men was captured.

After this defeat, the British no longer believed they could win the war. Although some minor battles were fought after Yorktown, the engagement there effectively ended the war. In 1783 a treaty was signed between the British and Americans which guaranteed the former colonies their independence.