2025 civics test · Question 77 of 128 · Colonial Period and Independence
Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.
In Chinese 说出美国人宣布脱离英国独立的一个原因。
Official answers
- High taxes高额税收
- Taxation without representation无代表权却要纳税
- British soldiers stayed in Americans’ houses (boarding, quartering)英国士兵驻扎在美国人家中（寄宿、驻军）
- They did not have self-government他们没有自治权
- Boston Massacre波士顿惨案
- Boston Tea Party (Tea Act)波士顿倾茶事件（《茶叶法》）
- Stamp Act《印花税法》
- Sugar Act《糖税法》
- Townshend Acts《汤森法案》
- Intolerable (Coercive) Acts《不可容忍法案》（《强制法案》）
Any one of these answers is accepted unless the question asks for more than one.
Why this is the answer
The colonists were angry that the British Parliament taxed them even though they had no representatives there, which led to the slogan "no taxation without representation." Laws such as the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, and Tea Act added taxes, and British soldiers were quartered in colonists' homes. Events like the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party, followed by the harsh Intolerable (Coercive) Acts, increased tensions, and colonists felt they lacked self-government. Any one of these is correct.