4th of July Trivia Answers (and winners)

Thanks to those who participated in my little online trivia quiz!  I hope it was a good experience to test your memory and stretch your knowledge a little bit.


Without further ado, here are the answers to the 2010 quiz.

1.  What happened on July 4, 1776?
Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence.

2.  When did the Revolutionary War begin?  When did it end?
The war began on April 19, 1775 with the Battles of Lexington and Concord.  The fighting effectively ended in October 1781 with the defeat of the British but peace was finally secured with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

3.  Name the author of the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson 4.  Recite the preamble to the Constitution.
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

5.  Name 5 signers of the Declaration of Independence.
see the entire list here 6.  In what year was the Constitution written?
1787 7.  The U.S. Constitution is organized into how many articles?
7 8.  What series of articles were written and published to convince the American people to support ratification of the Constitution?
The Federalist Papers 9.  How many of these articles were written?
85 10.  Name the three authors of the articles.
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay 11.  Who wrote the fewest?  How many did he write?
John Jay, who wrote 5.

12.  Who said the following:
“The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the Republican form of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, and finally staked on the experiment intrusted [sic] to the American people.”
George Washington, First Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789 13.  What form of government do we have?
At the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked what kind of government had been wrought.  He answered, “…a Republic, if you can keep it.”
It is unfortunate that we are being taught in our country that our form of government is a democracy.  If we believe this, there is much we will not understand about the Constitution.  The Founding Fathers had grave concerns about democratic forms of government.  To understand some of the dangers they sought to avoid by creating a republic instead of a democracy, I highly recommend reading the Federalist #10, by James Madison.

14.  Name the battle which turned the tide of the war on Christmas Day, 1776.
The Battle of Trenton 15.  At the Battle of Monmouth, what woman’s heroic efforts carried the day for the American army?
Mary Ludwig Hays, who became known as Molly Pitcher.  Following the battle, George Washington personally awarded her the rank of Sargent in the American army.

16.  Name the man responsible for hauling cannon from Ft. Ticonderoga to Boston for General Washington?
Henry Knox 17.  Who wrote the following:
“These are the times in which a genius would wish to live.  It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed.  The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties.   Great necessities call out great virtues.  When a mind is raised, and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which would otherwise lay dormant, wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman.”
Abigail Adams, in a letter to her son John Quincy Adams.  I might add that this quote seems as relevant to our world today as it was 234 years ago.

18.  Name the man who led his men in executing critical amphibious operations for the Army during 1776 (and throughout the war).
The man I was referring to is Major General John Glover , whose regiment of Marblehead Mariners were responsible for the evacuation of the Army from Long Island in August 1776 and who also ferried the army across the icy Delaware River for the attack on Trenton.  I will, however, also accept Samuel Nicholas as correct.

The first comment to reply with correct answers to all 18 questions was Kristen.  Congratulations!  I was also very impressed that Emily’s 9 year old daughter contributed to their answers and posted the first response to the quiz.  I’ll be sending a flag holder to both of you!  Way to go, and thanks so much for playing along!  We’ll have another one next year.

Hopeful Homemaker