AQA A-level History · 2G

The Birth of the USA, 1760–1801

Exam-style questions with answers for 2G The Birth of the USA, 1760–1801 in AQA A-level History (spec 7042). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below.

All questions and answers

Question 1 · Spec 2G, Part one
Name the war that ended in 1763 with British victory in North America. [1 mark]
Answer:
The Seven Years War (French and Indian War).
Question 2 · Spec 2G, Part one
State two features of the Thirteen Colonies by 1760. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: elected assemblies (1); growing population and trade (1); slavery in the South (1); religious diversity (1).
Question 3 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was the Proclamation of 1763? [1 mark]
Answer:
It banned settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Question 4 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was Pontiac’s War (1763)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A Native American rising against British forts in the Great Lakes region.
Question 5 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was the Sugar Act (1764)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A duty on molasses with stricter enforcement against smuggling.
Question 6 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was the Stamp Act (1765)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A tax on printed materials, the first direct tax on the colonies.
Question 7 · Spec 2G, Part one
Define the phrase ‘no taxation without representation’. [1 mark]
Answer:
The colonists’ argument that only their own assemblies could tax them.
Question 8 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was the Declaratory Act (1766)? [1 mark]
Answer:
It repealed the Stamp Act but asserted Parliament’s right to legislate for the colonies.
Question 9 · Spec 2G, Part one
What were the Townshend Duties (1767)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Taxes on imports such as tea, glass and paper.
Question 10 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was the Boston Massacre (1770)? [1 mark]
Answer:
British soldiers killed five colonists.
Question 11 · Spec 2G, Part one
Who were the Sons of Liberty? [1 mark]
Answer:
A group that organised protests, often violent, against British laws.
Question 12 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was the Boston Tea Party (1773)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Colonists dumped East India Company tea in Boston harbour in protest at the Tea Act.
Question 13 · Spec 2G, Part one
What were the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts (1774)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Laws closing Boston port and restricting self-government in Massachusetts.
Question 14 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was the Quebec Act (1774)? [1 mark]
Answer:
It extended Quebec’s borders and tolerated Catholicism, angering colonists.
Question 15 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was the First Continental Congress (1774)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A meeting of colonial delegates that organised a boycott of British goods.
Question 16 · Spec 2G, Part one
What happened at Lexington and Concord (1775)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The first fighting between British troops and colonial militia.
Question 17 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was Common Sense (1776)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Thomas Paine’s pamphlet arguing for independence and a republic.
Question 18 · Spec 2G, Part one
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? [1 mark]
Answer:
4 July 1776.
Question 19 · Spec 2G, Part one
Who was George Grenville? [1 mark]
Answer:
The Prime Minister responsible for the Sugar and Stamp Acts.
Question 20 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was the Stamp Act Congress (1765)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A meeting of colonial delegates that protested against the Stamp Act.
Question 21 · Spec 2G, Part one
What were non-importation agreements? [1 mark]
Answer:
Colonial boycotts of British goods.
Question 22 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was the Quartering Act (1765)? [1 mark]
Answer:
It required colonies to house and supply British troops.
Question 23 · Spec 2G, Part one
Who was Samuel Adams? [1 mark]
Answer:
A Boston radical leader of the Sons of Liberty.
Question 24 · Spec 2G, Part one
What was the Gaspee affair (1772)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Colonists burned a British customs ship in Rhode Island.
Question 25 · Spec 2G, Part one
What were the committees of correspondence? [1 mark]
Answer:
Colonial groups that coordinated resistance.
Question 26 · Spec 2G, Part one
Why did colonists want westward expansion? [1 mark]
Answer:
For land and speculation, which the Proclamation of 1763 blocked.
Question 27 · Spec 2G, Part two
State two strengths of Britain in 1776. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: a professional army (1); the strongest navy (1); wealth (1); Loyalist support (1).
Question 28 · Spec 2G, Part two
What happened at Saratoga (1777)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Burgoyne surrendered, which brought France into the war.
Question 29 · Spec 2G, Part two
What happened at Yorktown (1781)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Cornwallis surrendered to Washington and the French.
Question 30 · Spec 2G, Part two
What did the Treaty of Paris (1783) agree? [1 mark]
Answer:
Britain recognised American independence.
Question 31 · Spec 2G, Part two
What were the Articles of Confederation? [1 mark]
Answer:
The first constitution, with a weak central government.
Question 32 · Spec 2G, Part two
What was Shays’ Rebellion (1786–1787)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A revolt of indebted farmers in Massachusetts that showed the weakness of the Confederation.
Question 33 · Spec 2G, Part two
What was the Great Compromise (1787)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A House of Representatives by population and a Senate with two members per state.
Question 34 · Spec 2G, Part two
What was the Three-Fifths Compromise? [1 mark]
Answer:
Enslaved people counted as three-fifths of a person for representation.
Question 35 · Spec 2G, Part two
Who were the Federalists and Anti-Federalists? [2 marks]
Answer:
Federalists supported the Constitution and a strong national government (1); Anti-Federalists feared it would threaten states’ rights and liberties (1).
Question 36 · Spec 2G, Part two
What was the Bill of Rights (1791)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The first ten amendments, protecting individual rights.
Question 37 · Spec 2G, Part two
Who was Alexander Hamilton? [1 mark]
Answer:
The Secretary of the Treasury who created a national bank and assumed state debts.
Question 38 · Spec 2G, Part two
What was the Whiskey Rebellion (1794)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A protest against a tax on whiskey, crushed by Washington.
Question 39 · Spec 2G, Part two
What was Jay’s Treaty (1794)? [1 mark]
Answer:
An agreement with Britain that removed British forts but angered Republicans.
Question 40 · Spec 2G, Part two
What were the Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Laws under Adams restricting immigrants and criticism of the government.
Question 41 · Spec 2G, Part two
Who won the 1800 election? [1 mark]
Answer:
Thomas Jefferson, a peaceful transfer of power between parties.
Question 42 · Spec 2G, Part two
What was the role of France in the war? [1 mark]
Answer:
France allied with the Americans from 1778, providing troops, money and its navy.
Question 43 · Spec 2G, Part two
Who was George Washington? [1 mark]
Answer:
Commander of the Continental Army and the first President (1789–1797).
Question 44 · Spec 2G, Part two
Who were the Loyalists? [1 mark]
Answer:
Colonists who supported Britain; many left after the war.
Question 45 · Spec 2G, Part two
What was the Northwest Ordinance (1787)? [1 mark]
Answer:
It set rules for new states in the Northwest and banned slavery there.
Question 46 · Spec 2G, Part two
What was the Philadelphia Convention (1787)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The meeting that wrote the Constitution.
Question 47 · Spec 2G, Part two
What were the Federalist Papers? [1 mark]
Answer:
Essays by Hamilton, Madison and Jay supporting ratification.
Question 48 · Spec 2G, Part two
Who was James Madison? [1 mark]
Answer:
The ‘Father of the Constitution’ who drafted the Bill of Rights.
Question 49 · Spec 2G, Part two
Who were the Democratic-Republicans? [1 mark]
Answer:
Jefferson’s party, favouring states’ rights and farmers.
Question 50 · Spec 2G, Part two
What was the XYZ Affair (1797–1798)? [1 mark]
Answer:
French demands for bribes from US diplomats, leading to the Quasi-War.

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The Birth of the USA, 1760–1801

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