2008 civics test · Question 61 · Colonial Period and Independence
Why did the colonists fight the British?
Any one of these answers is accepted
- because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
- because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
- because they didn't have self-government
What this means
Name one reason the Americans declared independence from Britain. Any of these is accepted:
- High taxes (taxation without representation)
- British soldiers stayed in Americans’ houses (boarding, or quartering)
- They did not have self-government
The colonists were angry that Britain taxed them while they had no representatives in the British Parliament, the complaint captured in the phrase “taxation without representation.” Being forced to house British troops and having little say in their own government added to the anger.
The 2008 test asks why the colonists fought the British, and the 2025 test asks why they declared independence. The reasons are the same.
A clear answer is “high taxes” or “taxation without representation.”
Why this is on the test
This question explains what pushed the colonists to break from Britain, and both tests accept the same reasons.
How this question is asked
On the 2008 civics test, the officer asks up to 10 of the 100 questions out loud and you pass by answering 6 correctly. You answer in your own words. There is no multiple choice and nothing to write down for the civics portion.
Related questions
More from Colonial Period and Independence.
- 58 What is one reason colonists came to America?
- 59 Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
- 60 What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
- 62 Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
- 63 When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
- 64 There were 13 original states. Name three.