Civics question 73 of 128
The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.
5 accepted answers
- Freedom
- Political liberty
- Religious freedom
- Economic opportunity
- Escape persecution
You only need to give one of these. The officer accepts any of them.
Source: official USCIS question list for the 2025 version of the civics test. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.
Background
Any one of these answers: freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, or escaping persecution. The reasons differed sharply by colony, and lumping them together hides that. Virginia began in 1607 as a commercial venture whose investors expected profit; Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay were settled by Puritans who wanted to worship on their own terms; Pennsylvania was founded by Quakers and became unusually tolerant by design; Georgia started partly as a place for debtors to begin again. Many arrivals came under indenture, working years of unpaid labor to repay their passage. Religious freedom in the colonial sense also meant something narrower than it does now, since a colony founded for one faith often taxed residents to support that church and punished dissent.
This background section is written by US Citizenship Test Practice to explain the civics fact. It is not part of the USCIS question list, and the official answer above is the one to give at the interview.
Where this question sits
It is part of Colonial Period and Independence, inside the American History section of the test.
Related questions
- 83. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
- 84. Why were the Federalist Papers important?
- 85. Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Name one.
- 86. George Washington is famous for many things. Name one.
- 87. Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one.
- 88. James Madison is famous for many things. Name one.