Knowing history is like holding a time machine. If you haven’t thought of it this way, the reality is that the knowledge of the past truly hands you a blueprint of senior citizens’ successes and failures.
This means you have a tested roadmap to ace both your present and the future. Are you confident in your history knowledge? Come on, try out these 25 revolutionary questions from the Colonial Period of our beloved America.
Let’s begin the quiz!
Question 1. Which English colony was first permanently established in America?
a) New York
b) Roanoke
c) Jamestown
d) Plymouth
Answer 1. Which English colony was first permanently established in America?
c) Jamestown
Question 2. Who were the first settlers of the ‘Mayflower’?
a) Cavaliers
b) Pilgrims
c) Puritans
d) Quakers
Answer 2. Who were the first settlers of the ‘Mayflower’?
b) Pilgrims
Question 3. The European country that initially colonized Florida was:
a) Portugal
b) England
c) Spain
d) France
Answer 3. The European country that initially colonized Florida was:
c) Spain
Question 4. Who founded the colony of Pennsylvania?
a) George Calvert
b) Roger Williams
c) John Smith
d) William Penn
Answer 4. Who founded the colony of Pennsylvania?
d) William Penn
Question 5. The Roanoke “Lost Colony” was founded by:
a) Sir Francis Drake
b) John White
c) Sir Walter Raleigh
d) John Rolfe
Answer 5. The Roanoke “Lost Colony” was founded by:
c) Sir Walter Raleigh
Question 6. Which European country was the pioneer to develop a trading post in modern-day New York?
a) The Netherlands
b) Spain
c) England
d) France
Answer 6. Which European country was the pioneer to develop a trading post in today’s New York?
a) The Netherlands
Question 7. What was Virginia’s main cash crop in the early days?
a) Cotton
b) Rice
c) Indigo
d) Tobacco
Answer 7. What was Virginia’s main cash crop in the early days?
d) Tobacco
Question 8. High mortality occurred during Plymouth Colony’s first winter (1620-1621) as a result of:
a) Disease
b) Starvation
c) Exposure to harsh winter conditions
d) All of the above
Answer 8. High mortality occurred during Plymouth Colony’s first winter (1620-1621) as a result of:
d) All of the above
Question 9. Which European adventurer founded the Mississippi River?
a) Jacques Cartier
b) Hernando de Soto
c) Samuel de Champlain
d) John Cabot
Answer 9. Which European adventurer founded the Mississippi River?
b) Hernando de Soto
Question 10. The colony in Maryland was established primarily to:
a) Serve as a penal colony
b) Expand cotton plantations
c) Establish a base for fur trading
d) Provide religious freedom for Catholics
Answer 10. The colony in Maryland was established primarily to:
d) Provide religious freedom for Catholics
Question 11. The main reason for establishing the colony at Plymouth in 1620 was for:
a) Seeking gold and riches
b) Military strategic position
c) Expansion of the fur trade
d) Religious freedom for Separatists (Pilgrims)
Answer 11. The main reason for establishing the colony at Plymouth in 1620 was for:
d) Religious freedom for Separatists (Pilgrims)
Question 12. Which modern region served as the primary location for the Dutch colony of New Netherland?
a) New York
b) Massachusetts
c) Virginia
d) Pennsylvania
Answer 12. Which modern region served as the primary location for the Dutch colony of New Netherland?
a) New York
Question 13. Where were the first African slaves brought in what would later become the United States, and in which year did this occur?
a) Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620
b) Charleston, South Carolina in 1670
c) New York in 1626
d) Jamestown, Virginia in 1619
Answer 13. Where were the first African slaves brought in what would later become the United States, and in which year did this occur?
d) Jamestown, Virginia in 1619
Question 14. When Peter Minuit made the historic purchase of Manhattan Island, which country he represented?
a) England
b) Spain
c) France
d) The Netherlands
Answer 14. When Peter Minuit made the historic purchase of Manhattan Island, which country he represented?
d) The Netherlands
Question 15. Georgia was established as a colony mainly for the purpose of building:
a) A religious sanctuary for persecuted sects
b) A penal colony for debtors and prisoners
c) A strategic military barrier against Spanish Florida
d) Both b and c
Answer 15. Georgia was established as a colony mainly for the purpose of building:
d) Both b and c
Question 16. What is John Rolfe best known for?
a) Leading the Jamestown colony
b) Introducing tobacco cultivation in Virginia
c) Marrying Pocahontas
d) Both b and c
Answer 16. What is John Rolfe best known for?
d) Both b and c
Question 17. The Pilgrims’ signing of the Mayflower Compact in 1620 was historic because it
a) Granted independence from England
b) Established a democratic government
c) Created a trade agreement with Native Americans
d) Formed a military alliance
Answer 17. The Pilgrims’ signing of the Mayflower Compact in 1620 was historic because it
b) Established a democratic government
Question 18. In which region the House of Burgesses, America’s first legislative assembly was founded in 1619?
a) Virginia
b) Massachusetts
c) Pennsylvania
d) New York
Answer 18. In which region the House of Burgesses, America’s first legislative assembly was founded in 1619?
a) Virginia
Question 19. Which of the following year marks the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts:
a) 1607
b) 1630
c) 1620
d) 1642
Answer 19. Which of the following year marks the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts:
c) 1620
Question 20. Jamestown was founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company, which consisted primarily for:
a) A joint-stock company seeking profit
b) A group of families seeking new land
c) A religious group seeking freedom
d) A military expedition
Answer 20. Jamestown was founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company, which consisted primarily for:
a) A joint-stock company seeking profit
Question 21. Which treaty fundamentally reshaped the geographical boundaries of North America and put an end to the Indian and French War?
a) Treaty of Versailles
b) Treaty of Utrecht
c) Treaty of Ghent
d) Treaty of Paris (1763)
Answer 21. Which treaty fundamentally reshaped the geographical boundaries of North America and put an end to the Indian and French War?
d) Treaty of Paris (1763)
Question 22. Who played an inspiring role among Native American women in helping the Jamestown settlers survive?
a) Pocahontas
b) Sacagawea
c) Malinche
d) Sarah Winnemucca
Answer 22. Who played an inspiring role among Native American women in helping the Jamestown settlers survive?
a) Pocahontas
Question 23. The factors that made the first winter in the Jamestown colony so deadly during 1607-1608 were:
a) A hurricane
b) A large-scale Native American attack
c) An outbreak of smallpox
d) Severe cold and famine
Answer 23. The factors that made the first winter in the Jamestown colony so deadly during 1607-1608 were:
d) Severe cold and famine
Question 24. During the Pequot War of 1636-1638, the Pequot tribe battled mainly against:
a) English settlers in Massachusetts
b) Dutch settlers in New York
c) French settlers in Canada
d) English settlers in Connecticut
Answer 24. During the Pequot War of 1636-1638, the Pequot tribe battled mainly against:
d) English settlers in Connecticut
Question 25. Which illness was a leading cause of mortality for early colonists in New England?
a) Dysentery
b) Scurvy
c) Smallpox
d) Malaria
Answer 25. Which illness was a leading cause of mortality for early colonists in New England?
c) Smallpox
How Did You Do?
As we wrap up this historical quizlet, let us know how many questions you could answer on the first try. These questions are a journey through the early colonial struggles to many key events that reshaped and built today’s America.
Even if you missed a few, you’re now armed with the foundational knowledge of our nation’s history. If you aced them all, kudos! Drop your score in the comments, tag your friends, and see who can beat your Colonial history whiz.
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