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AARevolution IQ Archives

Think You Know the Revolution?

Question Hint:

Historians debate whether recognition requires official state action—or whether a public gesture can have significant impact and, for all intents and purposes, be tantamount to recognition.

What is widely accepted by historians as the first international recognition of America's independence?

Clockwise from top left: Johannes de Graeff (Dutch governor of St. Eustatius); Joseph II (Holy Roman Emperor); Louis XVI (King of France), and comte de Vergennes (French foreign minister). Visit AARevulotion.net for more images and interviews of scholars of the American Revolution with host Adel Aali.
Clockwise from top left: Johannes de Graeff (Dutch governor of St. Eustatius); Joseph II (Holy Roman Emperor); Louis XVI (King of France); and comte de Vergennes (French foreign minister)

Question Hint:

This letter did not come to light until the 21st century.

Which monarch drafted a secret letter of abdication during the American Revolution?

Images in this collages - clockwise from bottom left: Empress Maria Theresa, King George III, King Carlos III, Empress Catherine II. Visit AARevulotion.net for more images and interviews of scholars of the American Revolution with host Adel Aali.
Clockwise from bottom left: Empress Maria Theresa, King George III, King Carlos III, Empress Catherine II

Question Hint:

The answer to this quiz hinges on a major shift in Britain’s strategic priorities.

Which of the following played a pivotal strategic role in success of the Siege of Yorktown in 1781?

Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown. Painting by John Trumbull, titled "Surrender of Lord Cornwallis."
"Surrender of Lord Cornwallis", a painting by John Trumbull depicting the British surrender in 1781. If you look closely, you'll note that a very important person is missing. Click image to learn who.

Question Hint:

Their monarch famously issued a declaration that led to the League of Armed Neutrality.

In addition to the Hessians, which foreign soldiers did the British attempt to recruit—but were ultimately refused?

Two portraits of Hessian soldiers during the American Revolution. Hessians.
Two portraits of Hessian soldiers during the American Revolution. Hessians.

Question Hint:

Hint: This Founding Father’s father was a maltster.

Who said this in and in what context: "Is not America already independent? Why then not declare it?"

Clockwise from top: 1772 portrait of Samuel Adams pointing to the Massachusetts Charter by John Singleton Copley; Benjamin Franklin portrait by Joseph Duplessis, circa 1785; official Thomas Jefferson portrait by Rembrandt Peale, 1800; Joseph Warren portrait by John Singleton Copley, circa 1765.
Clockwise from top: Samuel Adams; Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Joseph Warren.

Question Hint:

Hint: The person who penned this famous line transformed a rebellion in the American colonies into a full-fledged Revolutionary War for independence. Brief explanation and link to the deeper-dive appear after the quiz.

Who said this in and in what context: "We have it in our power to begin the world over again"

Image of four American founders, clockwise from top: Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Paine.
Clockwise from top: Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Paine.

Question Hint:

Hint: Consider both the immediate deaths and those who later died from wounds received that night. Brief explanation and link to the deeper-dive appear after the quiz.

How many people died in the Boston Massacre (March 5, 1770)?

The Boston Massacre, an engraving by Paul Revere.
The Boston Massacre, March 5, 1770

Question Hint:

Hint: This organizational innovation proved crucial to the Revolution’s success. Brief explanation and link to the deeper-dive appear after the quiz.

What was the main role of the Committees of Correspondence before the American Revolution?

This image depicts the Boston Committee of Correspondence meeting under the Liberty Tree.
Boston Committee of Correspondence meeting under the Liberty Tree
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