Test Your Knowledge Of U.S. History With This 4th Of July Quiz!

By J. Mark Powell, NH Journal

Get ready to break out the red, white and blue! Test your knowledge of America’s birthday by seeing how much you know about Independence Day with this short, easy and fun quiz.

1. What group declared independence from Great Britain?

A. The Minute Men

B. The Second Continental Congress

C. The Patriots

D. The Tea Party

2. While the Declaration of Independence was ratified on July 4, on what date was the vote taken officially to sever ties with England (and was also the date John Adams believed should have been commemorated)?

A. June 30

B. July 1

C. July 2

D. July 5

3. Despite July 4, 1776, appearing on the document, when did most of the signers actually put their names on it?

A. That day

B. The next day

C. August 2

D. September 6

4. What other nation observed an independence day on July 4?

A. Australia

B. Liberia

C. Guam

D. The Philippines

5. Although Independence Day has been celebrated continuously since 1776, when did it become a paid federal holiday?

A. 1926

B. 1938

C. 1947

D. 1954

6. It’s widely known that Declaration signers and presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, what other Founding Father (though not a signer) died on July 4, 1831?

A. Aaron Burr

B. Henry Knox

C. James Madison

D. James Monroe

7. Who was the only president born on July 4?

A. Woodrow Wilson

B. Calvin Coolidge

C. Herbert Hoover

D. Ronald Reagan

8. Held since 1785, the nation’s oldest Fourth of July Parade is held where?

A. Boston, Massachusetts

B. Charleston, South Carolina

C. Trenton, New Jersey

D. Bristol, Rhode Island

9. Which of these events also happened on a July 4th?

A. American novelist Nathaniel (“The Scarlet Letter”) Hawthorne’s birthday

B. France presenting the Statue of Liberty to the U.S.

C. The opening of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

D. All of the above

10. What small town has celebrated Independence Day in the same town square since 1868, earning it congressional recognition as “America’s Official Fourth of July City-Small Town USA”?

A. Joplin, Missouri

B. Woonsocket, Rhode Island

C. Seward, Kansas

D. Benton, Kentucky

Answers: 1-B, 2-C, 3-C, 4-D, 5-B, 6-D, 7-B, 8-D, 9-D, 10-C

Holy Cow! History is written by novelist, former TV journalist and diehard history buff J. Mark Powell. Have a historic mystery that needs solving? A forgotten moment worth remembering? Please send it to HolyCow@insidesources.com

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.