Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Star-Spangled Historian or Independence Day Dud? Take This Quiz.
Inside-Sources
By InsideSources.com
Published 7 years ago on
June 30, 2018

Share

Independence Day is filled with parades and picnics, fireworks, fairs and other festivities. Amid these celebrations, however, it’s important to remember that the Fourth of July commemorates a very important historical event: our nation’s declaration of its independence from Great Britain.

Photo of Robert McDonald, history professor at the U.S. Military Academy
By Robert M.S. McDonald
The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of the Fourth of July and the Declaration of Independence.
1. Nearly 15 months prior to the Declaration of Independence, fighting between British Redcoats and colonial militiamen began at:
A. Bunker Hill
B. Fort Ticonderoga
C. Lexington and Concord
D. Long Island
2. Congress temporarily set aside this man’s June 7, 1776, resolution that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States”:
A. Light-Horse Harry Lee
B. Robert E. Lee
C. Francis Lightfoot Lee
D. Richard Henry Lee
3. In Jefferson’s original rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, he wrote “We hold these truths to be” not “self-evident” but:
A. “common sense”
B. “sacred & undeniable”
C. “obvious & atrocious”
D. “proved by Britannic blood & plunder”
4. The draft of the Declaration of Independence presented to Congress blamed England’s King George III for the slave trade, which Jefferson described as “a cruel war against human nature itself.” Delegates from these two states insisted this passage be removed:
A. Georgia and South Carolina
B. South Carolina and North Carolina
C. North Carolina and Virginia
D. Virginia and Maryland
5. As delegates signed their names to the Declaration of Independence, which man supposedly said, “We must all hang together or, most assuredly, we will all hang separately”?
A. Benjamin Franklin
B. Benjamin Rush
C. Edward Rutledge
D. George Wythe
6. Which two future U.S. presidents crossed the Delaware and fought at the 1776 Battle of Trenton?
A. John Adams and John Quincy Adams
B. John Adams and George Washington
C. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson
D. George Washington and James Monroe
7. When told that George Washington would return to private life and not remain in power if the United States won the American Revolution, this man reportedly said, “Then truly he is the world’s greatest man”:
A. John Adams
B. Marquis de Lafayette
C. George III
D. Lord Cornwallis
8. In addition to the Declaration of Independence, what other famous document emerged from the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House?
A. The Stamp Act Resolves
B. The U.S. Constitution
C. George Washington’s Farewell Address
D. The Treaty of Ghent
9. Founded by Thomas Jefferson, which institution of higher learning officially commenced operations on July 4, 1802:
A. University of Virginia
B. College of William and Mary
C. United States Military Academy
D. United States Naval Academy
10. Both these men died on July 4, 1826 — the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence:
A. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams
B. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington
C. John Adams and James Monroe
D. James Monroe and John Quincy Adams
Answers: 1-C, 2-D, 3-B, 4-A, 5-A, 6-D, 7-C, 8-B, 9-C, 10-A
Scoring
10 correct — Star-Spangled Historian
7-9 correct — Fountain of Knowledge
4-6 correct — Not Quite a Yankee Doodle Dandy
0-3 — Dud
About the Writer
Robert M.S. McDonald, a member of the Ashbrook Center faculty, is professor of history at the U.S. Military Academy, author of “Confounding Father: Thomas Jefferson’s Image in His Own Time” and editor of Ashbrook’s forthcoming compendium “The American Revolution: Core Documents.” He wrote this for InsideSources.com.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Townsizing? Land Snorkeling? A User’s Guide to the Latest Travel Lingo

DON'T MISS

Trump Trade War Has Already Had Huge Effect on California Ports

DON'T MISS

Cambodian American Chefs Are Finding Success and Raising Their Culture’s Profile. On Their Terms

DON'T MISS

Ancient DNA Reveals a New Group of People Who Lived Near Land Bridge Between the Americas

DON'T MISS

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

DON'T MISS

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

DON'T MISS

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

DON'T MISS

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

DON'T MISS

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

DON'T MISS

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

UP NEXT

1 in 4 US Children Have Parents With Substance Use Disorder, Study Finds

UP NEXT

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

UP NEXT

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

UP NEXT

Business Insider Cuts 21% of Workforce, Memo Shows

UP NEXT

Harvard Agrees to Relinquish Early Photos of Slaves, Ending a Long Legal Battle

UP NEXT

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

UP NEXT

Trump Pardons Tax Cheat After Mother Attends $1 Million Dinner

UP NEXT

NPR Sues Trump Administration Over Executive Order to Cut Funding

UP NEXT

Chukchansi Casino Hosts Job Fair to Fill 80 Food and Beverage Positions

UP NEXT

Justice Department Reaches Deal to Allow Boeing to Avoid Prosecution Over 737 Max Crashes

Ancient DNA Reveals a New Group of People Who Lived Near Land Bridge Between the Americas

20 hours ago

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

1 day ago

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

1 day ago

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

1 day ago

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

1 day ago

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

2 days ago

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

2 days ago

Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump

2 days ago

US Defense Secretary Warns Indo-Pacific Allies of ‘Imminent’ Threat From China

2 days ago

Hamas Responds to the US Ceasefire Proposal for Gaza While Seeking Amendments

2 days ago

Townsizing? Land Snorkeling? A User’s Guide to the Latest Travel Lingo

For your next trip, have you considered townsizing? What about choosing a detour destination? And instead of forest-bathing, maybe it’...

19 hours ago

19 hours ago

Townsizing? Land Snorkeling? A User’s Guide to the Latest Travel Lingo

19 hours ago

Trump Trade War Has Already Had Huge Effect on California Ports

20 hours ago

Cambodian American Chefs Are Finding Success and Raising Their Culture’s Profile. On Their Terms

20 hours ago

Ancient DNA Reveals a New Group of People Who Lived Near Land Bridge Between the Americas

1 day ago

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

1 day ago

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

1 day ago

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

1 day ago

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend