Lesson 2G.2.1

2G.2.1 Establishing the Nation, 1776–1801 Quiz: AQA History, Unit 18

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 2G.2.1, Establishing the Nation, 1776–1801: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA History (7042), Unit 18: 2G The Birth of the USA, 1760–1801, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which battle of October 1777 persuaded France to ally with the American colonies?

    • Monmouth
    • Bunker Hill
    • Yorktown
    • Saratoga

  2. Which battle of 1781 effectively ended major fighting in the War of Independence?

    • Trenton
    • Brandywine
    • Yorktown
    • Camden

  3. Which 1783 treaty formally recognised the independence of the United States?

    • The Treaty of Paris
    • The Treaty of Utrecht
    • The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
    • The Treaty of Ghent

  4. Which document, adopted in 1781, served as the first national government of the United States?

    • The Federalist Papers
    • The Articles of Confederation
    • The Declaration of Independence
    • The Northwest Ordinance

  5. What was Shays' Rebellion of 1786-87?

    • An uprising by indebted farmers in Massachusetts against courts and taxes
    • A revolt of enslaved people in South Carolina
    • A Native American war on the frontier in Ohio
    • A slave revolt in Virginia led by a Methodist preacher

  6. In which city did the Constitutional Convention meet in 1787?

    • Philadelphia
    • Baltimore
    • New York
    • Boston

  7. Which group during the ratification debates supported a stronger federal government and the new Constitution?

    • The Federalists
    • The Anti-Federalists
    • The Loyalists
    • The Jacobins

  8. What are the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution called?

    • The Declaration of Rights
    • The Articles of Confederation
    • The Federalist Papers
    • The Bill of Rights

  9. Which Treasury Secretary proposed the federal assumption of state debts in the 1790s?

    • James Madison
    • Alexander Hamilton
    • Thomas Jefferson
    • John Jay

  10. Which 1794 uprising in western Pennsylvania protested against a federal excise tax on spirits?

    • The Whiskey Rebellion
    • Dorr Rebellion
    • Shays' Rebellion
    • Nat Turner's Rebellion

  11. Which 1798 laws restricted immigration and criticism of the government, causing a political backlash?

    • The Alien and Sedition Acts
    • The Naturalisation Acts
    • The Embargo Acts
    • The Jay Treaty

  12. Who was the first President of the United States under the new Constitution?

    • George Washington
    • John Adams
    • Thomas Jefferson
    • James Madison

  13. Which political party was founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to oppose Hamilton's policies?

    • The Free Soil Party
    • The Federalist Party
    • The Whig Party
    • The Democratic-Republican Party

  14. Which compromise at the 1787 Convention counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of representation?

    • The Three-Fifths Compromise
    • The Great Compromise
    • The Compromise of 1850
    • The Missouri Compromise

  15. Which 1787 law set out how the Northwest Territory would be settled and admitted as states?

    • The Land Ordinance of 1785
    • The Declaratory Act
    • The Homestead Act
    • The Northwest Ordinance

  16. Which presidential election of 1800 ended Federalist control of the presidency?

    • The election of 1789
    • The election of 1812
    • The election of 1800
    • The election of 1828

  17. Which best evaluates the Articles of Confederation as a system of government?

    • It gave the national government sufficient power to tax and raise an army without the states' agreement
    • It created a federal judiciary and a strong president with a veto over all state laws
    • It was largely ineffective because Congress lacked power to tax, regulate trade or enforce its laws
    • It was a complete success, since the states agreed on all policies from the start

  18. Which best explains why the Constitution was ratified by the states in 1788?

    • It was approved by a referendum of enslaved people across the South
    • The states were forced to accept it by a British military occupation of the coast
    • It was ratified unanimously within a year because the anti-Federalists had no objections at all
    • Its supporters offered a Bill of Rights promise and a stronger union that answered the failures of the Articles

  19. Which best explains why the Constitutional Convention did not abolish slavery in 1787?

    • Most delegates had already decided that slavery was morally wrong and could be ended later
    • Southern states threatened to leave the Union, and compromise was needed to secure a constitution
    • Slavery was not mentioned in any of the state constitutions
    • The Convention had no delegates from the southern states

  20. Which best evaluates the presidency of George Washington?

    • He ruled as a monarch with no Congressional limits on his power
    • He created a stable executive office and established key precedents, though divisions over his policies began to form parties
    • He was forced to resign after one term and played no part in establishing the office
    • He refused to take any part in government and left everything to Hamilton and Madison

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