2025 civics test: Colonial period and independence

Questions 73 to 89 of the official 2025 list, with every accepted answer and a short note on each.

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These seventeen questions run from the first colonies to the writing of the Constitution. The dates to know are 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was adopted, and 1787, when the Constitution was written. The 2025 list asks about five founders by name: Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton. Learn one fact for each and keep them apart: Washington was the first president, Jefferson wrote the Declaration, Madison is the "Father of the Constitution", Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury.

1. 73 The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.

   • Freedom
   • Political liberty
   • Religious freedom
   • Economic opportunity
   • Escape persecution

   One answer is enough. Many early colonists were escaping religious persecution or looking for a better living.

2. 74 Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? 65/20

   • American Indians
   • Native Americans

   Native peoples had lived across the continent for thousands of years before Europeans came.

3. 75 What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?

   • Africans
   • People from Africa

   Africans were brought by force and sold as slaves from the 1600s until the slave trade and then slavery were ended.

4. 76 What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?

   • American Revolution
   • The (American) Revolutionary War
   • War for (American) Independence

   The war began in 1775 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

5. 77 Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.

   • High taxes
   • Taxation without representation
   • British soldiers stayed in Americans’ houses (boarding, quartering)
   • They did not have self-government
   • Boston Massacre
   • Boston Tea Party (Tea Act)
   • Stamp Act
   • Sugar Act
   • Townshend Acts
   • Intolerable (Coercive) Acts

   The colonists were taxed by a parliament in which they had no vote, and soldiers were lodged in their homes.

6. 78 Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? 65/20

   • (Thomas) Jefferson

   Jefferson, from Virginia, wrote the first draft in 1776 at the age of 33. He later became the third president.

7. 79 When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

   • July 4, 1776

   July 4 is celebrated every year as Independence Day.

8. 80 The American Revolution had many important events. Name one.

   • (Battle of) Bunker Hill
   • Declaration of Independence
   • Washington Crossing the Delaware (Battle of Trenton)
   • (Battle of) Saratoga
   • Valley Forge (Encampment)
   • (Battle of) Yorktown (British surrender at Yorktown)

   One answer is enough. The battles of Saratoga and Yorktown were turning points; Yorktown was the last major battle.

9. 81 There were 13 original states. Name five.

   • New Hampshire
   • Massachusetts
   • Rhode Island
   • Connecticut
   • New York
   • New Jersey
   • Pennsylvania
   • Delaware
   • Maryland
   • Virginia
   • North Carolina
   • South Carolina
   • Georgia

   This question asks for five. The 13 colonies lay along the Atlantic coast, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south.

10. 82 What founding document was written in 1787?

    • (U.S.) Constitution

    The Constitution was written at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787.

11. 83 The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

    • (James) Madison
    • (Alexander) Hamilton
    • (John) Jay
    • Publius

    The three authors published 85 essays in New York newspapers under the shared pen name Publius.

12. 84 Why were the Federalist Papers important?

    • They helped people understand the (U.S.) Constitution.
    • They supported passing the (U.S.) Constitution.

    The essays explained the proposed Constitution and argued that the states should approve it.

13. 85 Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Name one.

    • Founded the first free public libraries
    • First Postmaster General of the United States
    • Helped write the Declaration of Independence
    • Inventor
    • U.S. diplomat

    Franklin was a printer, scientist, inventor and diplomat, and the oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention.

14. 86 George Washington is famous for many things. Name one. 65/20

    • “Father of Our Country”
    • First president of the United States
    • General of the Continental Army
    • President of the Constitutional Convention

    Washington led the Continental Army to victory and was then elected the first president, serving from 1789 to 1797.

15. 87 Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one.

    • Writer of the Declaration of Independence
    • Third president of the United States
    • Doubled the size of the United States (Louisiana Purchase)
    • First Secretary of State
    • Founded the University of Virginia
    • Writer of the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom

    Jefferson was president from 1801 to 1809 and bought the Louisiana Territory from France.

16. 88 James Madison is famous for many things. Name one.

    • “Father of the Constitution”
    • Fourth president of the United States
    • President during the War of 1812
    • One of the writers of the Federalist Papers

    Madison did much of the planning and note-taking at the Constitutional Convention and was president during the War of 1812.

17. 89 Alexander Hamilton is famous for many things. Name one.

    • First Secretary of the Treasury
    • One of the writers of the Federalist Papers
    • Helped establish the First Bank of the United States
    • Aide to General George Washington
    • Member of the Continental Congress

    Hamilton set up the country's financial system as the first Secretary of the Treasury.

Studying this part

• This part has 17 of the 128 questions, numbers 73 to 89 in the official list.
• This question needs more than one answer: no. 81. Give the number asked for.
• 3 questions here are marked 65/20: no. 74, no. 78, no. 86. Applicants who qualify for the 65/20 special consideration study only the marked questions.
• Where several answers are listed, one is enough unless the question asks for more. Choose the one you find easiest to say.
• Cover the answers with your hand or use the button below, say your answer aloud, then check.

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