Home > Social Studies Worksheets > American Revolution

From the Declaration of Independence to the Paris Treaty, the Revolutionary War was a tumultuous time in American history. Your students will learn how and why thirteen British colonies decided to establish themselves as a brand new country, the leaders that rose up to speak for the new nation, and the important documents created to chart its course. Short reading passages about important events and people are accompanied by questionnaires, and answer keys are provided.

Project idea: Have your student compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation with the United States Constitution. Why were specific changes made?

Get Free Worksheets In Your Inbox!

Print American Revolution Worksheets

Click the buttons to print each worksheet and associated answer key.

Causes of the American Revolution

Before the Revolutionary War, the French and Indian War was fought between Great Britain and France for control over lands in North America, especially lands west of the existing British colonies.

Causes - Multiple Choice Questions

Britain had invested heavily in defending the colonies and now wanted to show authority over them by imposing heavy taxes.

Causes - Short Answer Questions

The first skirmishes of the Revolutionary War began in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence was written in 1776.

The Boston Massacre - Reading Passage

A confrontation occurs between colonists and the soldiers, shots are fired, and three colonists are dead on the spot; two more die the next day.

The Boston Massacre - Multiple Choice Questions

This event is called the Boston Massacre and it’s easy to say that it was a cause of the American Revolution. What really happened and why?

Massacre Short Answer Questions

The Boston Massacre began with a nighttime confrontation between a youth and a soldier in front of the Customs House.

The Boston Tea Party - Reading Passage

Taxes were also complicated in Great Britain and the American colonies in the 1700s, especially taxes on tea.

The Boston Tea Party - Multiple Choice Questions

n this complicated mix of taxes and events, seven shiploads of tea owned by the East India Company were sent to the ports of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Charleston in the fall of 1773.

The Boston Tea Party - Short Answer Questions

The Boston Tea Party was a protest not against the tax on tea but against how Great Britain was ruling the colonies without any colonial participation.

Declaration of Independence - Reading Passage

Twelve of the colonies sent a total of 56 delegates to Philadelphia to review the situation with Great Britain in 1774.

Multiple Choice Questions

This Congress heard the first petition for independence from Britain read by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia on June 7, 1776 even though many delegates favored remaining as British colonies.

Short Answer Questions

The Congress met again on July 1 and adopted the Lee Resolution by a vote of 12 to 1.

Colonial Leaders of the American Revolution - Reading Passage

The leaders of the American Revolution include people of spirit who were willing to defy the British government, people of conviction who defined principles of democracy for the new nation, and people of courage who led troops into battle.

Multiple Choice Questions

Thomas Paine was the author of a pamphlet titled Common Sense in 1776. This pamphlet convinced many ordinary citizens that the colonies should become independent from Great Britain.

Short Answer Questions

The Revolutionary Army has local heroes who fought in particular areas of the country.

British Leaders of the American Revolution -Reading Passage

There are two sides to every story and the British leaders who were in power influenced the causes and eventual outcome of the Revolutionary War.

Multiple Choice Questions

King George III issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763 that forbade any further westward expansion of the American colonies so England would not need to pay soldiers to defend more land.

Short Answer Questions

Henry Clinton was sent from England in 1775 and first saw action at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. He became Commander-in-Chief for North America in 1778.

American Victories - Reading Passage

The Revolutionary War began in 1775 and the battles between British troops and the American Continental Army continued until 1781.

Multiple Choice Questions

The opening battle of the Revolutionary War occurred at Lexington, Massachusetts on April 19, 1775.

Short Answer Questions

The last major battle of the Revolutionary War was the Battle of Yorktown in Virginia in October 1781.

Independence from Great Britain - Reading Passage

At the time of the Revolutionary War the King of England, King George III, had absolute power over the vast British Empire.

Multiple Choice Questions

Historians tell us that when news of the Declaration of Independence reached King George III he stated that he would never acknowledge the independence of the colonies.

Short Answer Questions

Why would a king who stated he would never relinquish a large portion of his empire finally allow them their independence?

The Treaty of Paris - Reading Passage

When General Cornwallis was defeated the British Parliament realized that the situation was no longer in Britain’s favor and the Parliament stopped supporting the war.

Multiple Choice Questions

The peace treaty needed to be negotiated. A treaty formally puts down on paper what the parties who were fighting in the war agree to as the outcome of the conflict.

Short Answer Questions

The Treaty of Paris of 1783 that formally ended the Revolutionary War was signed on September 3, 1783 by Franklin, Adams and Jay and David Hartley, the representative of Great Britain.

Articles of Confederation- Passage

How do people start a new country and a new government? It has been hard enough to establish new countries on the African continent in the Twentieth Century.

Multiple Choice Questions

The Second Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence in July 1776 and commissioned delegates to write a document organizing a government that would speak for all thirteen colonies as a whole called the United States of America.

Short Answer Questions

The Articles of Confederation did not give much power to the central government and did not govern the country well. They were replaced by the U.S. Constitution in June 1788.