INDEPENDENCE TEST
Sharpen your pencil or quill for this quiz about America’s birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence
1. What was the Lee Resolution read on June 7, 1776?
A) A proposal for independence of American colonies
B) A proposal to form a colonial military
C) A proposal to form the Continental Congress
Answer: A, Richard Henry Lee, a delegate from Virginia, read a resolution before the Continental Congress “that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.” The resolution was not adopted by 12 of 13 colonies until July 2, 1776. New York’s delegates didn’t officially give their support until July 9 because their home assembly hadn’t yet authorized them to vote in favor of independence.
2. Consideration of the Lee Resolution was postponed and the Committee of Five was appointed on June 11, 1776, with the mission to draft a statement presenting the world the colonies’ case for independence. Which of the following people was not on the committee?
A) Benjamin Franklin
B) Samuel Chase
C) Robert Livingston
Answer: B, The committee was composed of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman.
3. About how long did it take Thomas Jefferson to make his draft of the declaration?
A) About 2 1/2 days
B) About 2 1/2 months
C) About 2 1/2 weeks
Answer: C, On June 11, Congress recessed for three weeks. During this period, the Committee of Five drafted the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson drafted it and Adams and Franklin made changes to it.
4. About how many changes were made on Jefferson’s first draft?
A) 86
B) 8
C) 43
Answer: A, The committee — and then the Congress — made a total of 86 changes to his first draft.
5. How old was Thomas Jefferson when he drafted the document?
A) 45
B) 33
C) 30
Answer: B, Jefferson was one of the younger members of Congress. The youngest was Edward Rutledge at age 26.
6. How old was Benjamin Franklin when he signed the Declaration of Independence?
A) 55
B) 70
C) 60
Answer: B, Franklin was the oldest member of Congress. He lived another 14 years and also signed the U.S. Constitution in 1788.
7. The Declaration of Independence was signed on what date?
A) July 4, 1776
B) Aug. 2, 1776
C) Aug. 12, 1776
Answer: B, It took almost a month before the document was signed by the whole Congress. It was approved by vote on July 4, 1776.
8. The following words are in what part of the declaration?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
A) Preamble
B) General principals
C) Final declaration
Answer: A
9. How many U.S. presidents have died on July 4?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
Answer: C. John Adams, second president, Thomas Jefferson, third president and James Monroe, fifth president— died on July 4. Jefferson and Adams, died on the same day in the same year - July 4, 1826.
Signing the declaration
On Aug. 2, the journal of the Continental Congress records that “The declaration of independence being engrossed and compared at the table was signed.” John Hancock, president of the Congress, signed first. The delegates then signed by state from north to south. Some signed after Aug. 2. A few refused. George Washington was away with his troops.
10. What happened to the Declaration of Independence on July 5, 1776?
A) Copies were dispatched
B) The document was signed
C) It was engrossed on parchment
Answer: A, On the morning of July 5, copies printed by John Dunlap were dispatched by members of Congress to various committees, assemblies and to the commanders of the Continental troops. Congress ordered the declaration engrossed on parchment on July 19, 1776.
11. Is anything written on the back of the engrossed Declaration of Independence?
A) Yes
B) No
Answer: A, Written upside-down across the bottom of the signed document: “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.”
12. How many of the 56 signers of the Declaration were born in England?
A) 56
B) 8
C) 1
Answer: Eight of the signers were born in either England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales.
13. The declaration hung on a wall exposed to sunlight for 35 years, from 1841 to 1876. What building was it in?
A) The U.S. Capitol
B) The U.S. Patent Office
C) The White House
Answer: B, The document, along with George Washington’s commission as commander in chief, were mounted side by side.
14. What is signer Richard Stockton famous for?
A) He was a war hero
B) He recanted signing the declaration
C) He was last to sign the declaration
Answer: B, A delegate from New Jersey, he was captured by the British on Nov. 30, 1776, and jailed. After months of harsh treatment, Stockton repudiated his signature on the declaration and swore his allegiance to King George III. Once free, he took a new oath of loyalty to the state of New Jersey in December 1777.
15. Where is the Declaration of Independence on display now?
A) The National Archives rotunda B) The Jefferson Memorial C) Library of Congress Answer: A
16. The Declaration of Independence is now kept in a bullet-resistant, titanium and aluminum case. How many feet does the case descend when the archives close at night?
A) None
B) 1,776
C) 22
Answer: C, The case is kept in a vault below the National Archives.
17. The signers of the document grouped their signatures by colony. What colony had the most signatures?
A) Virginia
B) Pennsylvania
C) Georgia
Answer: B, Pennsylvania had nine delegates.
Perfect score: Founding Father; 10 or more; Patriot; 5 or more; Firecracker; Less than five: King George III
From Sept. 17, 2003 (Constitution Day), through Dec. 1, 2003, the National Archives had a survey for what is the most influential document in American history. Nearly 300,000 votes were cast. The results:
1. Declaration of Independence: 75.9%
2. Constitution of the United States: 69.3%
3. Bill of Rights: 67.9%
4. Louisiana Purchase Treaty: 34.3%
5. Emancipation Proclamation: 33.5%
6. 19th Amendment (women's right to vote): 31.4%
7. 13th Amendment (abolition of slavery): 30.1%
8. Gettysburg Address: 25.4%
9. Civil Rights Act: 25.2%
10. Social Security Act: 20.9%
The document arrived at the National Archives in 1952 after being preserved in helium-filled glass cases at the Library of Congress.
On average, about 6,000 people see it a day.
The 26 copies of the Dunlap broadside known to exist are dispersed among American and British institutions and private owners.
A first-printing copy of the declaration was found in 1991 at a Pennsylvania flea market on sale for $4. It sold for $8.1 million at auction in 2000.