We all love the 4th of July, but have you ever wondered how much you actually know about the history of the 4th? Wonder no more, scroll down and lets see how big of an American Patriot you are!
1. The committee formed to draft the Declaration of Independence was headed by:
a) George Washington
b) Thomas Jefferson
c) James Madison
2. Independence Day was first celebrated in what city?
a) Boston
b) Washington D.C.
c) Philadelphia
3. On what day in 1776 did the Continental Congress vote for independence?
a) July 2
b) July 4
c) July 6
4. In what year did the U.S. Congress declare the Fourth of July a national holiday?
a) 1776
b) 1865
c) 1941
5. How many men who had served as U.S. president died on the Fourth of July?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
6. Which of these major battle victories occurred on July 4?
a) British surrendered to Washington at Saratoga
b) Jackson defeated the British near New Orleans
c) Grant broke Confederate resistance at Vicksburg
7. Who was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence?
a) George Washington
b) Thomas Jefferson
c) John Hancock
8. How many times does the term “United States” appear in the Declaration of Independence?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
9. What slave owner objected to leaving out of the Declaration of Independence a criticism of British slave trade?
a) George Washington
b) Thomas Jefferson
c) Edward Rutledge
10. Who was the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence?
a) Benjamin Franklin
b) John Adams
c) Steven Hopkins
11. What are the first words of the Declaration of Independence?
a) “We hold these truths to be self-evident…”
b) “When in the Course of human events…”
c) “Governments are instituted among Men…”
ANSWERS:
1) b. Jefferson
2) c. Philadelphia. That’s where the Second Continental Congress met and the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
3) a. July 2. On July 4, the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
4) c. 1941
5) c. 3. A lot of people know that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826, but it is less well known that James Monroe died on July 4, 1831.
6) c. Grant broke Confederate resistance at Vicksburg on July 4, 1863.
7) c. John Hancock signed first, as the president of the Continental Congress
8) a. 0 times. There are two mentions of the “united States of America.” At the beginning the declaration says: “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,” Near the end it says: “We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America.” But nowhere does it say the “United States of America.”
9) b. Jefferson
10) a. Franklin. He was 70 at the time.
11) b. “When in the Course of human events…”
