Foundational Documents

The Declaration of Independence was written in what year?

• 1767

• 1776

• 1786

• 1789

The Declaration of Independence was written by:

• Thomas Jefferson

• Ben Franklin

• George Washington

• John Adams

The colonies declared their independence from:

• France

• Russia

• Germany

• England

The Declaration of Independence includes a list of grievances against King George III by the American colonists. Among these, the colonists accuse the king of “imposing taxes on us without our consent.” How was this grievance addressed by American colonists as they established their own social contract (government) for the United States?

• Citizens can choose not to pay taxes passed by Congress

• Citizens can propose tax legislation in Congress

• Citizens can vote for their representatives in Congress

• Citizens elect the President who then imposes taxes

Enlightenment thinker John Locke wrote about the government’s obligation to protect citizens’ natural rights and how government’s power is based on the consent of the governed. These new ideas encouraged people to…

• Call for church leaders to create theocracies

• Continue to support absolute monarchies

• Create governments in which the legislature has unlimited power

• Engage in revolutions to establish democratic governments

Which of the following was not a reason why the Articles of Confederation failed?

• Weak central government

• Couldn't tax to generate money

• States had no power

• States fought with each other over things like land.