All 128 questions · American History / A: Colonial Period and Independence

2025 Civics Test · Question 77 of 128

Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.

En español: Mencione una razón por la que los estadounidenses declararon la independencia de Gran Bretaña. — ver en español

Try to answer out loud first — then check

Accepted answers (USCIS M-1778)

  • High taxes
  • Taxation without representation
  • British soldiers stayed in Americans' houses (boarding, quartering)
  • They did not have self-government
  • Boston Massacre
  • Boston Tea Party (Tea Act)
  • Stamp Act
  • Sugar Act
  • Townshend Acts
  • Intolerable (Coercive) Acts
Why this is the answerThe common thread is being ruled without being heard: taxes they had no vote on, soldiers housed in their homes, no self-government. "Taxation without representation" captures all of it.
See it explained▶ Why they declared independenceFree short lesson on our YouTube channel — no signup, nothing to install.

This answer is free — here and everywhere else on the internet. Still having it in the interview room, out loud, in English, under pressure: that’s what Naturalizer trains.

In the Naturalizer app, this question is taught inside “The founding” — the story of how thirteen colonies became a nation with a Constitution. On the real test, an officer asks up to 20 of the 128 questions out loud; 12 correct answers pass.

The real test is oral — practice answering out loud

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