Dual Enrollment US History Practice Test

Frontier violence and settler fear after Pontiac's Rebellion helped trigger the Paxton Boys outbreak. Pontiac's Rebellion (1763) showed Native groups striking against colonial settlers on the western frontier, highlighting how unstable and dangerous the frontier had become after the French and Indian War. In Pennsylvania, backcountry settlers felt unprotected and blamed Native nations and the colonial government for not safeguarding them. The Paxton Boys, a vigilante group from the backcountry, took matters into their own hands, massacring Native Americans and then marching on Philadelphia to demand action. This outbreak illustrates how frontier violence can spark organized, punitive action by settlers who feel the government has failed to shield them.

Other events listed don’t fit this pattern: the Boston Massacre was an urban incident in Boston in 1770, and the French and Indian War ending or the Treaty of Paris signing are broader war-terminating actions, not frontier-led responses.