American Revolutionary War - TRIVIA
American Revolutionary War
On which day were the battles at Lexington and Concord fought?
Answer: April 19, 1775
True or False: Bunker Hill was fought on Bunker Hill.
Answer: False. Despite its name, the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, was fought on Breed’s Hill.
The mercenary-like forces hired to fight alongside the British during the American Revolutionary War were known as what?
Answer: Hessians. Though soldiers from various German states were hired and deployed by the British during the conflict, the troops were principally drawn from the German state of Hesse-Cassel.
This infamous figure was a decorated American military officer who rose to the rank of Major General during the American Revolutionary War.
Answer: Benedict Arnold. Though Arnold is today widely remembered as a turncoat, he accomplished much for the Americans before defecting to the British in 1780, including leading the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775.
Which of these notable rivers did George Washington lead his troops across on December 30, 1776?
A. The Hudson River B. The Delaware River C. The Rubicon D. The Charles River
Answer: B. The Delaware River
This Founding Father famously declared "Give me liberty, or give me death!” during a speech to the Second Virginia Convention in 1775.
A. Benjamin Franklin B. Thomas Jefferson
C. John Adams D. Patrick Henry
Answer: D. Patrick Henry
True or False: The American Revolutionary War is the longest conflict in American military history.
Answer: False. While the eight-year-long conflict between the colonists and Great Britain that began in 1775 remained the longest war in American military history for nearly 200 years, the Vietnam War, in which America was engaged between 1960 and 1975, displaced it atop that list in the middle decades of the twentieth century.
The invasion of Afghanistan, which began in 2001 and continued until 2021, has since become the longest conflict in American military history.
True or False: Fewer than half of all colonists favored fighting for independence from Great Britain.
Answer: True. Though specific figures are hard to confirm, various historians estimate that only about 40 percent of colonists supported the American Revolutionary War, while roughly one in five identified as loyalists to the crown.
The remaining 40 percent are believed to have held moderate views.
This treaty, signed in 1783, marked the end of the American Revolution.
A. The Treaty of Versailles B. The Treaty of Paris C. The Treaty of Tordesillas D. The Treaty of Accession
Answer: B. The Treaty of Paris.
True or False: The Continential Congress declared its independence from Great Britain on July 2.
Answer: True. Though Americans annually celebrate the nation’s independence on July 4, the Continential Congress declared its independence on July 2, two days before signing the Declaration of Independence.
A depiction of the Battle of Bunker Hill (circa eighteenth century)
