Spin Control: Annual Independence Day quiz tests trivial knowledge of important holiday
Excellent. But before you ice the beer and fix the potato salad for the big holiday barbecue, try your hand at Spin Control’s annual Independence Day Trivia quiz, which we offer each year as a holiday from politics.
It has 13 questions, one for each rebel colony. Some are pretty easy, some a bit tougher. Answers are provided at the bottom, but no peeking. Only a Tory would cheat.
1. We celebrate July Fourth as Independence Day because that’s the day:
A. Colonists tossed the tea in Boston Harbor
B. Patrick Henry declared “Give me liberty or give me death!”
C. The Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence
D. The American Revolution ended
2. Which of the following happened after the colonies declared their independence?
A. George Washington took command of the Continental Army
B. The Minutemen fought British regulars at Lexington and Concord
C. The Battle of Bunker Hill
D. American troops spent a hard winter at Valley Forge
3. When we set off fireworks to celebrate Independence Day, we’re following a tradition that dates back to what country?
A. Great Britain
B. China
C. Rome
D. Greece
4. Where was the Continental Congress meeting when it declared independence?
A. Washington, D.C.
B. New York
C. Boston
D. Philadelphia
5. Which of the following phrases are NOT found in the Declaration of Independence?
A. We the people of the United States …
B. When in the course of human events …
C. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness …
D. Our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor …
6. Who reportedly said “I have not yet begun to fight”?
A. George Washington
B. Nathan Hale
C. John Paul Jones
D. Benedict Arnold
7. Who was king when the colonies declared independence?
A. George I
B. George II
C. George III
D. George IV
8. The declaration lists a series of grievances the colonists had against the king. Which was NOT one of them?
A. Imposing taxes without their consent
B. Suspending colonial legislatures
C. Sending lots of government officials to harass them
D. Ordering them to surrender their firearms
9. Which of the following was NOT one of the original 13 colonies?
A. New York
B. New Jersey
C. New Hampshire
D. New Mexico
10. What southern city refused to celebrate July 4 for more than 80 years?
A. Vicksburg
B. Richmond
C. Atlanta
D. Chattanooga
11. During the American Revolution, the British supplemented their troops with paid soldiers from:
A. France
B. Germany
C. Poland
D. Russia
12. John Adams was George Washington’s vice president. Thomas Jefferson was Adams’ veep. Who was Jefferson’s vice president when he was first elected?
A. John Adams
B. James Madison
C. Aaron Burr
D. Alexander Hamilton
13. How many colonies ratified the Declaration of Independence on July 4?
A. 7, it only took a simple majority
B. 9, it took a two-thirds majority
C. 12, one colony held out
D. All 13
Answers
1. C. But it would not be correct to say it’s the day the Continental Congress voted for independence. That actually happened July 2, but wording of the declaration was approved two days later.
2. D. The hard winter at Valley Forge was 1777-78. The other three happened in 1775, with Washington taking command of the Continental Army a year and a day before the declaration was signed.
3. B. The Chinese invented fireworks and were the first to use them to celebrate things.
4. D. The Continental Congress was meeting in Philadelphia. Boston and New York would have been too dangerous and Washington, D.C., didn’t exist.
5. A. “We the people of the United States” is the beginning of the Constitution.
6. C. Jones reportedly said this while commanding the USS Bonhomme Richard in the battle with HMS Serapis. His ship sank, but not before the Serapis was captured.
7. C. King George III, who was king for some 60 years, although during the last 10 he was suffering from a mental illness and his son was the actual ruler.
8. D. The declaration says nothing about disarming colonists, although it wasn’t uncommon for British troops to seize guns and ammunition from them in attempts to put down “the rebellion.”
9. D. New Mexico wasn’t a British colony.
10. A. Vicksburg did not celebrate the Fourth of July for 81 years, because on that day in 1863, the Confederate forces defending the city surrendered to Gen. Ulysses Grant after a long siege.
11. B. The Hessian troops were from what is now Germany.
12. C. Aaron Burr was the third vice president. But Jefferson and Burr didn’t get along, and he was dropped when Jefferson ran for his second term in 1804, the year Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel.
13. C. 12 colonies voted for independence on July 2 and for the wording on July 4, but the New York delegation had to abstain because they didn’t have the authority from their provincial congress to vote. That authority arrived about a week later and the congress passed a resolution so the final copy of the declaration was amended to say it was the unanimous declaration of the 13 states.
Scoring:
0-3: Union Jack
4-7: Yankee Doodle
8-11: Minuteman
12-13: Founding Father