Colonial Period and Independence

Transcript

1. Ana

   Today is Colonial Period and Independence. Why people came. How the country started. The names you will hear again and again.

2. Michael

   Questions seventy-three through eighty-nine. History you can say in short sentences.

3. Ana

   Why did colonists come to America?

4. Michael

   Name one. Freedom. Religious freedom. Political liberty. Economic opportunity. Escape persecution. On this show: freedom.

5. Ana

   Freedom.

6. Michael

   Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? American Indians. Or Native Americans.

7. Ana

   American Indians. Native Americans.

8. Michael

   What group of people was taken and sold as slaves? Africans. People from Africa.

9. Ana

   Africans.

10. Michael

    What war did Americans fight to win independence from Britain? The American Revolution. Or the Revolutionary War. Or the War for American Independence.

11. Ana

    American Revolution.

12. Michael

    Name one reason they declared independence. High taxes. Taxation without representation. Soldiers in their houses. No self-government. Boston Massacre. Boston Tea Party. Stamp Act. You only need one. Taxation without representation is the line people remember.

13. Ana

    Taxation without representation.

14. Michael

    Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Thomas Jefferson.

15. Ana

    Jefferson.

16. Michael

    When was it adopted? July fourth, seventeen seventy-six.

17. Ana

    July fourth, seventeen seventy-six.

18. Michael

    Memory trick: Jefferson wrote it. July fourth, seventeen seventy-six.

19. Ana

    Name one important event of the Revolution.

20. Michael

    Declaration of Independence. Bunker Hill. Washington crossing the Delaware. Saratoga. Valley Forge. Yorktown, where the British surrendered. One is enough. Declaration of Independence, or Yorktown.

21. Ana

    I'll take Yorktown. British surrender.

22. Michael

    There were thirteen original states. Name five. You need five. Use the east coast and stay early: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia. Also accepted: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina.

23. Ana

    New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia.

24. Michael

    What founding document was written in seventeen eighty-seven? The U.S. Constitution. Not the Declaration. Declaration is seventeen seventy-six. Constitution is seventeen eighty-seven.

25. Ana

    Seventeen eighty-seven. Constitution.

26. Michael

    The Federalist Papers supported the Constitution. Name one writer. James Madison. Alexander Hamilton. John Jay. Or Publius. On this show: Hamilton.

27. Ana

    Hamilton.

28. Michael

    Why were they important? They helped people understand the Constitution. Or they supported passing it.

29. Ana

    Helped people understand the Constitution.

30. Michael

    Famous people. Benjamin Franklin. Name one: inventor. U.S. diplomat. Helped write the Declaration. First Postmaster General. Founded the first free public libraries. Say inventor.

31. Ana

    Franklin. Inventor.

32. Michael

    George Washington. Father of Our Country. First president. General of the Continental Army. President of the Constitutional Convention. Say first president, or Father of Our Country.

33. Ana

    Washington. First president. Father of Our Country.

34. Michael

    Thomas Jefferson. Writer of the Declaration. Third president. Louisiana Purchase. First Secretary of State. Say writer of the Declaration.

35. Ana

    Jefferson wrote the Declaration.

36. Michael

    James Madison. Father of the Constitution. Fourth president. President during the War of eighteen twelve. One of the Federalist Papers writers. Say Father of the Constitution.

37. Ana

    Madison. Father of the Constitution.

38. Michael

    Alexander Hamilton. First Secretary of the Treasury. Federalist Papers. Helped establish the First Bank. Say first Secretary of the Treasury.

39. Ana

    Hamilton. Treasury.

40. Michael

    Memory trick: Washington is the father of the country. Madison is the father of the Constitution. Jefferson wrote the Declaration. Hamilton ran the money.

41. Ana

    Tell it as a story.

42. Michael

    Colonists came for freedom. American Indians lived here first. Africans were taken and sold as slaves. Americans won independence in the American Revolution, in part because of taxation without representation. Jefferson wrote the Declaration. It was adopted July fourth, seventeen seventy-six. Yorktown ended the fighting. Name five original states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia. The Constitution was written in seventeen eighty-seven. Hamilton wrote Federalist Papers to explain it. Franklin was an inventor. Washington was the first president. Madison is the Father of the Constitution. Hamilton was first Secretary of the Treasury.

43. Ana

    Names I can say without mixing them up.

44. Michael

    Practice out loud. Next episode: the eighteen hundreds. Official questions are at uscis.gov. This podcast is independent study. We are not affiliated with U.S. C.I.S. I'm Michael.

45. Ana

    I'm Ana. Thanks for listening.

46. Michael

    We'll see you next time.

Questions in this episode

Official USCIS answers for questions 73 to 89 of the 2025 civics test.

• 73.The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.
• 74.Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
• 75.What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?
• 76.What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?
• 77.Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.
• 78.Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
• 79.When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
• 80.The American Revolution had many important events. Name one.
• 81.There were 13 original states. Name five.
• 82.What founding document was written in 1787?
• 83.The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
• 84.Why were the Federalist Papers important?
• 85.Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Name one.
• 86.George Washington is famous for many things. Name one.
• 87.Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one.
• 88.James Madison is famous for many things. Name one.
• 89.Alexander Hamilton is famous for many things. Name one.