Question 77 of 128
Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.
Official USCIS answers
- 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 answer
Britain taxed the colonies and made major decisions for them without letting the colonists elect representatives in Parliament. Many colonists also resented British troops and harsh laws, so they decided to break away.
💡 Memory tip: Remember the phrase “No taxation without representation” — taxes, no voice, soldiers, and conflict led to independence.
Could you say it out loud to an officer?
Practice with the real rules: 20 questions, pass with 12.
Take a free mock testMore from Colonial Period and Independence
- 73. The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.
- 74. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
- 75. What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?
- 76. What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?
- 78. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
- 79. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
Source: USCIS, 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version), M-1778.