U.S. History to 1877 (Grade 8) Midterm — Units 1–2

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Grade 8 20 multiple choice + 1 written

Free printable U.S. History to 1877 midterm (Grade 8): 20 multiple-choice questions plus 1 written response covering Colonial America, Road to Revolution. Answer key included — customize it in the Midterm Maker.

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Directions: Read each question carefully and choose the best answer. Answer the written response in complete sentences.

Covers: Colonial America · Road to Revolution

Part 1: Multiple Choice

Why did the Pilgrims settle at Plymouth in 1620?
1. A. To trade furs with France
2. B. To practice their religion freely
3. C. To search for gold and silver
4. D. To grow tobacco for profit
Large plantations in the Southern Colonies depended heavily on what?
1. A. The work of factory machines
2. B. Fishing and shipbuilding
3. C. Trade with the Middle Colonies
4. D. The labor of enslaved Africans
What was the Great Awakening?
1. A. A rebellion against the English king
2. B. A religious revival in the colonies in the 1700s
3. C. A scientific movement in colonial colleges
4. D. A period of rapid factory growth
What was the Middle Passage?
1. A. A trade route between New England and Canada
2. B. The forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic
3. C. A mountain pass used by western settlers
4. D. A canal linking the Middle Colonies to the sea
Which cash crop helped the Jamestown colony survive economically?
1. A. Sugar cane
2. B. Cotton
3. C. Tobacco
4. D. Rice
William Penn founded Pennsylvania as a safe place for which group?
1. A. Quakers
2. B. Catholics
3. C. Puritans
4. D. Pilgrims
What was the first permanent English settlement in North America?
1. A. Plymouth
2. B. Roanoke
3. C. Jamestown
4. D. St. Augustine
Why is Virginia's House of Burgesses (1619) important?
1. A. It was the first elected representative assembly in the English colonies
2. B. It was the first colonial court to try criminals
3. C. It was the first school in the English colonies
4. D. It was the first treaty with Native Americans
Under mercantilism, colonies existed mainly to do what?
1. A. Avoid paying any taxes
2. B. Govern themselves independently
3. C. Trade freely with any nation
4. D. Make the home country richer
Why were the Middle Colonies called the "breadbasket" colonies?
1. A. They grew large amounts of wheat and other grains
2. B. They traded bread to Native Americans for furs
3. C. They had the most bakeries in the colonies
4. D. They imported most of their bread from England
What did colonists mean by "No taxation without representation"?
1. A. They should not pay any taxes at all
2. B. They should not be taxed by a Parliament they did not elect
3. C. They wanted to tax British merchants instead
4. D. They wanted to elect the British king
What did Thomas Paine argue in Common Sense?
1. A. The colonies should make peace with Britain
2. B. The colonies should declare independence
3. C. The king should name a colonial governor
4. D. Colonists should pay British taxes
What happened during the Boston Massacre in 1770?
1. A. Minutemen fought British troops at Lexington
2. B. British ships attacked the city of Boston
3. C. Colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor
4. D. British soldiers fired into a crowd, killing five colonists
The French and Indian War was fought mainly over control of what?
1. A. Fishing rights near England
2. B. Sugar islands in the Pacific
3. C. Trade routes to India
4. D. Land in the Ohio River Valley
The Boston Tea Party was a protest against which law?
1. A. The Stamp Act
2. B. The Tea Act
3. C. The Proclamation of 1763
4. D. The Quartering Act
What was one effect of the Intolerable Acts?
1. A. Boston Harbor was closed
2. B. The Stamp Act was repealed
3. C. Colonists were allowed to settle west
4. D. The colonies gained seats in Parliament
Where were the first battles of the American Revolution fought in 1775?
1. A. Yorktown and Charleston
2. B. Saratoga and Trenton
3. C. Bunker Hill and Princeton
4. D. Lexington and Concord
What did the Stamp Act of 1765 tax?
1. A. Glass, lead, and paint from Britain
2. B. Printed materials such as newspapers and legal papers
3. C. Sugar and molasses from the West Indies
4. D. Tea brought into colonial ports
What did the Proclamation of 1763 do?
1. A. Taxed tea imported into the colonies
2. B. Banned colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains
3. C. Required colonists to house British soldiers
4. D. Closed Boston Harbor to all ships
Why did the First Continental Congress meet in 1774?
1. A. To write the Articles of Confederation
2. B. To approve the Treaty of Paris
3. C. To respond to the Intolerable Acts
4. D. To sign the Declaration of Independence

Part 2: Written Response

Explain how British actions after 1763 led colonists toward revolution. Use at least two events.

Answer Key — U.S. History to 1877 (Grade 8) Midterm — Units 1–2

B — To practice their religion freely The Pilgrims were Separatists seeking freedom to worship in their own way.
D — The labor of enslaved Africans Southern plantations growing tobacco, rice, and indigo relied on enslaved labor.
B — A religious revival in the colonies in the 1700s Preachers like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield sparked religious enthusiasm in the 1730s-1740s.
B — The forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic The Middle Passage was the brutal Atlantic crossing in the triangular trade.
C — Tobacco John Rolfe's tobacco became a profitable export that kept Virginia going.
A — Quakers Penn, a Quaker, created a colony with religious tolerance; Maryland was the Catholic refuge.
C — Jamestown Jamestown, Virginia, was founded in 1607; Roanoke failed and St. Augustine was Spanish.
A — It was the first elected representative assembly in the English colonies The House of Burgesses began the tradition of representative government in America.
D — Make the home country richer Mercantilism said colonies should supply raw materials and buy goods from the home country.
A — They grew large amounts of wheat and other grains Fertile soil and good climate let the Middle Colonies export grain.
B — They should not be taxed by a Parliament they did not elect Colonists argued only their own elected assemblies could tax them.
B — The colonies should declare independence Common Sense (1776) used plain language to argue for independence.
D — British soldiers fired into a crowd, killing five colonists Patriots used the shooting as propaganda against British troops.
D — Land in the Ohio River Valley Britain and France fought from 1754 to 1763 for control of North American land.
B — The Tea Act In 1773, colonists destroyed tea to protest the Tea Act and British control.
A — Boston Harbor was closed Britain closed Boston Harbor in 1774 to punish the Boston Tea Party.
D — Lexington and Concord Fighting began at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, in April 1775.
B — Printed materials such as newspapers and legal papers The Stamp Act was a direct tax on paper documents and printed items.
B — Banned colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains Britain drew a line to reduce conflict with Native Americans, angering colonists.
C — To respond to the Intolerable Acts Colonial delegates met to organize a response, including a boycott of British goods.

Written Response — Look-Fors

Two or more acts/events (Proclamation, Stamp Act, Townshend, Massacre, Tea Act, Intolerable Acts); colonial reactions; representation argument.

U.S. History to 1877 (Grade 8) Midterm — Units 1–2

Part 1: Multiple Choice

Part 2: Written Response

Written Response — Look-Fors

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