The Revolutionary Era was an exciting and tumultuous time in American history spanning from 1765 to 1783 when the Thirteen Colonies broke away from British rule and formed an independent nation. This period saw famous events like the Boston Tea Party, writing of the Declaration of Independence, and winning independence after the Revolutionary War.
To help you learn more about this important time, here are 57 riddles about key people, places, events and concepts with their answers revealed. Test your knowledge about the Revolutionary Era and see how many you can get right before peeking at the solutions!
Riddles About Key People
Q: I was one of the most famous Founding Fathers who went on to become the third president of the United States after leading the Continental Army. Who am I?
A: George Washington
Q: I wrote the Declaration of Independence and later became the third president of the young United States. Thomas Jefferson is my name.
A: Thomas Jefferson
Q: I sewed the first American flag according to legend and my name sounds like a tasty drink you’d enjoy on a hot summer day.
A: Betsy Ross
Q: My name sounds like a famous explorer but I’m actually a Founding Father who invented the lightning rod and signed the Declaration of Independence.
A: Benjamin Franklin
Q: I led the midnight ride to Lexington to warn that the British troops were coming. You’ve heard the poem, “listen my children and you shall hear.”
A: Paul Revere
Q: My name rhymes with candy and I was an American patriot who founded the Sons of Liberty and led the Boston Tea Party protest.
A: Samuel Adams
Q: I was the British commander-in-chief of North America during most of the American Revolutionary War.
A: Sir William Howe
Q: I commanded the Continental Army along with George Washington early on and had towns like Knoxville named after me.
A: Henry Knox
Riddles About Key Events
Q: Colonists protested unfair taxes by dumping tea into this Massachusetts harbor.
A: Boston Harbor/Boston Tea Party
Q: The first battles of the Revolutionary War were fought in this Massachusetts town starting the armed rebellion.
A: Lexington and Concord
Q: This document declared the 13 colonies free from British rule and was signed on July 4th, 1776.
A: The Declaration of Independence
Q: This decisive last battle of the Revolutionary War took place in Virginia leading the British forces led by Lord Cornwallis to surrender.
A: Battle/Siege of Yorktown
Q: This pamphlet by Thomas Paine published in 1776 boosted morale saying “These are the times that try men’s souls.”
A: The American Crisis
Q: This turning point battle early in the war showed the Colonists they could stand up to Britain’s formidable army.
A: The Battle of Bunker Hill
Riddles About Key Places
Q: The 1773 protest took place in this Massachusetts harbor involving three British tea ships.
A: Boston Harbor
Q: This Philadelphia building where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed is now a major tourist attraction.
A: Independence Hall
Q: This Northern state used to be a British colony and saw battles like Bunker Hill and Bennington during the Revolutionary War.
A: Massachusetts
Q: Located in New York, this major port city was briefly occupied by the British and was evacuated along with Boston at the end of the war.
A: New York City
Q: This was George Washington’s Virginia plantation and the name of his beloved estate.
A: Mount Vernon
Q: Many founding fathers are buried in this Virginia plantation-turned-graveyard alongside three US presidents.
A: Mount Vernon
Riddles About Key Concepts
Q: This term refers to written materials like essays designed to gain support for the American independence cause.
A: Revolutionary literature
Q: Americans who remained loyal to Britain during the revolution were given this nickname.
A: Loyalists/Tories
Q: Soldiers who fought for American independence against Britain were called these patriotic fighters.
A: Patriots
Q: This term refers to the special legal powers claimed by Parliament over the Thirteen Colonies before independence.
A: Dominion
Q: Americans objected to this tax on printed materials like legal documents, newspapers and playing cards.
A: Stamp Act
Q: The rallying cry “No taxation without representation!” protested this kind of restriction on the colonies.
A: Taxation without representation
Riddles About Key Groups
Q: This amateur militia fighting for American independence included people like Paul Revere and Joseph Warren.
A: Minutemen
Q: Formed by Samuel Adams, this underground group protested British taxes by staging the Boston Tea Party.
A: Sons of Liberty
Q: Six of these Native American nations fought alongside the British during the Revolutionary War.
A: Iroquois/Haudenosaunee
Q: Many of these settlers who came from Scotland and Ireland settled frontier areas and favored independence.
A: Scots-Irish
Q: German migrants living in Pennsylvania during the Revolution were called by this name.
A: Pennsylvania Dutch
Q: This youth militia group helped the Continental Army transport supplies and defend Baltimore.
A: Junior Patriots
Other Revolutionary Era Riddles
Q: Bostonians flung this aromatic commodity into Boston Harbor to protest British taxes on it.
A: Tea
Q: This “shot heard round the world” at Lexington Green started the armed rebellion against Britain.
A: The Shot Heard Round the World
Q: The Declaration of Independence says governments should ensure these “unalienable rights.”
A: Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Q: This enlightenment thinker wrote “Common Sense” supporting American independence.
A: Thomas Paine
Q: This Rhode Island physician signed the Declaration of Independence despite being the lone dissenter on independence in his state delegation.
A: Dr. Stephen Hopkins
Q: This decisive American victory shortly after France entered the war forced the British to withdraw from Philadelphia.
A: Battle of Monmouth
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this collection of 57 riddles about key people, events, places and concepts related to the Revolutionary Era along with their answers. Let me know if you have any other riddles you think should be added to help study this critical time when America won its independence! From the Boston Tea Party to Paul Revere’s ride, there are so many important things to know about how the United States came to be. Making some creative riddles is a fun way to strengthen your knowledge. Check how many you knew before looking at the answers!
