2025 civics test · Question 73 · Colonial Period and Independence

The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.

Any one of these answers is accepted

  • Freedom
  • Political liberty
  • Religious freedom
  • Economic opportunity
  • Escape persecution

What this means

The colonists came to America for many reasons, and naming one answers the question:

  • Freedom
  • Political liberty
  • Religious freedom
  • Economic opportunity
  • To escape persecution

Many came to worship as they chose, others to own land and build a better living, and others to escape trouble in Europe. These same hopes still bring people to the United States today.

The 2008 and 2025 tests ask this the same way. A safe answer is “religious freedom” or “economic opportunity.”

Why this is on the test

This question asks why people first came to the American colonies, and both tests accept the same broad set of reasons.

How this question is asked

On the 2025 civics test, the officer asks up to 20 of the 128 questions out loud and you pass by answering 12 correctly. You answer in your own words. There is no multiple choice and nothing to write down for the civics portion.

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