Parliament’s insistence that virtual representation was sufficient to adequately represent the interests of the colonists in British policy making was a major ideological problem for the colonies. Virtual representation rested on the theory that since Parliament protected the interests of all British citizens and subjects, it was not necessary for colonists to directly elect representatives. Colonists, on the other hand, believed that such a policy meant their interests were second to those of the actual electorate and, in the years leading up to revolution, demanded fair and equal representation.

In order to answer this question, you must have remembered the meaning of virtual representation—the belief held by Grenville and others in the British political elite that the members of parliament accurately represented all citizens of the Empire, regardless of their actual physical representation (or lack thereof). This, of course, was one of the biggest matters of disagreement in between the Brits and colonists: the colonists disagreed with the so-called virtual representation—the colonists believed that the only fair representation would be actual, physical, representation in Parliament (hence “no taxation without representation”). 

This question requires relatively little explanation, given that the answers are all explanations. That said, one of the answers—fear of diminished state power—may require some explanation. Some of the more entrenched and powerful state governors stood to lose much power if the Constitution was ratified. Do you understand why?

Answer: The individual states, and thus the heads of state (i.e. governors), gave up the nearly-unlimited power under the Articles of Confederation for the unity and protection of the Constitution.

In 1619, the Virginia Company established the House of Burgesses. It guaranteed the right of all white males in the colony to elect representatives who in turn consulted with the governor about the passage of laws in the colony. It was the first such example in the United States and laid the foundations for the institution of the House of Representatives in the United States Constitution.

New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the Constitution and thus give it effect. It did so on June 21, 1788. The first eight, listed in chronological order, were Delaware (December, 1787), Pennsylvania (December, 1787), New Jersey (December, 1787), Georgia (January, 1788), Connecticut (January, 1788), Massachusetts (February, 1788), Maryland (April, 1788), and South Carolina (May, 1788).

This was a difficult question, due to the similarity of all of the answers. The key to answering it is remembering the timeline of pre-revolutionary America: “Closing Boston Harbor,” “The Administration of Justice Act,” and “The Quebec Act” were all part of the “Intolerable Acts” (also called the “Coercive Acts”). Britain passed the Intolerable Acts as a reaction to the Boston Tea Party; closing the Boston Harbor, for example, makes complete sense in that regard. The Stamp Act, however, was not a reaction to the Boston Tea Party—that would have been impossible given that Britain passed the Stamp Act nearly 10 years prior to the Boston Tea Party.

The first fighting of the Revolution started in April of 1775 when Paul Revere road through the night to spread the news.  The Declaration of Independence, however, didn't happen until July of 1776, over a year after the war began.  

Everything else here is true.  America saw early victories at Fort Ticonderoga and Boston, but then the war took a turn for the worse, and over 2,500 Americans died at Valley Forge. The French, still angry over the French and Indian War, offered support to the Americans and were instrumental in changing the tide of the war. The Americans and the French trapped the British in Chesepeake Bay, and on September 3, 1783, the British prime minister resigned and officially recognized the United States. 

The ability of the President to veto a law passed by Congress is an example of the system of checks and balances that the founding fathers believed would help prevent any one branch of government from wielding too large a portion of control. In a further example of the system of checks and balances, Congress can overturn a Presidential Veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both Houses of Congress. 

The Albany Plan was proposed by Benjamin Franklin in the middle of the eighteenth century. Franklin called for the creation of a unified government to provide for the mutual defense and protection of the thirteen colonies. The representatives were motivated by a desire to better protect themselves against raids by Native American people and the French. The plan was rejected both by the colonial assemblies and by the British government—who feared that the Albany Plan would lead to further unification and weaken British control on the individual colonies. Many of the ideas expressed in the Albany Plan would resurface in the Articles of Confederation, following the end of the Revolutionary War. 

The Proclamation of 1763 was issued by Great Britain after the end of the French-Indian Wars, in which Britain gained a great deal of new territory in North America. It was passed to prevent colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. The purpose of the Proclamation was to re-establish positive trading rights with Native Americans, who were upset with the constant westward expansion of European settlers.