In honor of the three-day holiday, and as a sign of laziness, Spin Control is rerunning last lyear's July 4th Quiz. A new quiz is coming Saturday.

So you think you’re a good patriot. You wear a flag pin on your pajamas, know that the last two words to "The Star Spangled Banner" are not "Play ball," and bleed red, white and blue.
On July Fourth, we all feel that way. So try your hand at this American history quiz. But remember, just because you heard it when you were growing up doesn’t make it so.
1.) The Continental Congress declared its independence from King George and Great Britain on what day?
a. April 18, 1775
b. June 7, 1776
c. July 2, 1776
d. July 4, 1776
2.) Which of the following grievances against King George is NOT listed in the Declaration of Independence?
a. He had "cut off our Trade with all parts of the world."
b. He had "plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts and burnt our towns."
c. He had sent "merciless Indian Savages" to attack them on the frontiers.
d. He had decreed laws for "Naturalization of Foreigners … to encourage their migrations hither."
3.) And by the way, which King George was that?
a. George II
b. George III
c. George V
d. George W
4.) "Give me liberty or give me death!" was a sentiment voiced by:
a. Thomas Paine
b. Patrick Henry
c. Nathan Hale
d. Sam Adams
5.) Which of the following statements is false?
a. The battle of Bunker Hill was not fought on Bunker Hill.
b. Benedict Arnold was promoted for bravery by George Washington.
c. Philadelphians celebrating the Declaration of Independence rang the Liberty Bell so long it cracked.
d. The U.S. flag is based in part on the British Union Jack.
6.) Which of the following is not one of the original 13 colonies?
a. Georgia
b. South Carolina
c. New Jersey
d. Vermont
7.) Who designed the first U.S. flag?
a. George Washington
b. Betsy Ross
c. Francis Hopkinson
d. Abigail Adams
8.) Who among the following did NOT sign the Declaration of Independence?
a. John Hancock
b. George Washington
c. Thomas Jefferson
d. Elbridge Gerry
9.) Which of the following is true?
a. The delegates to the Continental Congress who declared "all men are created equal" were elected only by white men who owned property.
b. George Washington’s army was made up chiefly of militia throughout the Revolution.
c. Paul Revere never warned the residents of Concord that the British were coming.
d. The British played "Yankee Doodle" when Gen. Cornwallis surrendered to Washington at Yorktown.
10.) The Statue of Liberty was made in:
a. New York
b. Boston
c. London
d. Paris
11.) The words to "The Star Spangled Banner" were written during what military action?
a. The battle of Baltimore
b. The battle of Yorktown
c. The battle of Gettysburg
d. The battle of the Alamo
12.) Four of the first five presidents came from which state?
a. Virginia
b. Massachusetts
c. New York
d. Pennsylvania
13.) John Adams was Washington’s vice president. Who was Adams’ vice president?
a. Alexander Hamilton
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. James Madison
d. Benjamin Franklin

For answers, go inside the blog

1) c. Independence was declared July 2, 1776. The wording of the declaration was accepted on July 4, and it wasn't signed until August.
2) d. Colonists actually complained that the king had restricted immigration and had laws that didn't allow foreigners to become citizens.
3) b. George III
4) b. Those are Patrick Henry's words, from a speech in March 1775.
5) c. The Liberty Bell wasn't even called the Liberty Bell until decades later.
6) d. Vermont was not a colony, it was territory claimed by both New York and New Hampshire.
7) c. Francis Hopkinson, or at least Congress thought so when they paid his bill in 1780. Almost nothing about the Betsy Ross legend is true.
8) b. Washington was not in Philadelphia for the Continental Congress; he was with the army in New York.
9) c. Revere was captured by the British and never made it to Concord; William Dawes and Samuel Prescott made it through.
10) d. Designed and built in Paris, taken apart and shipped to the United States.
11) a. During the War of 1812.
12) a. Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe were all Virginians.
13) b. Jefferson was Adams' veep, although they were of different political parties and didn't much like each other.
9-13 correct: You might be channeling George Washington.
5-8 correct: You might be channeling George Jetson.
0-3 correct: You might be channeling George III.

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