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

4th of July Trivia (and a prize)

One of our family’s Independence Day traditions is to have a little history trivia quiz.  It’s a fun way to test your knowledge of American history and to learn a few things.   This year I shared our quiz with friends and neighbors at our barbecue.  I thought I’d share it here, as well.  Answers will be posted Tuesday morning.  Good luck!


1.  What happened on July 4, 1776?

2.  What year did the Revolutionary War begin?  When did it end?

3.  Name the author of the Declaration of Independence.

4.  Recite the Preamble to the Constitution.


5.  Name 5 signers of the Declaration of Independence.

6.  In what year was the Constitution written?

7.  The U.S. Constitution is organized into how many articles?


8.  A series of articles were written and published to help convince Americans to support the ratification of the Constitution.  What were they called?

9.  How many of these articles were written?

10.  Name the three authors of the articles.

11.  Who wrote the fewest?  How many did he write?


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.”

13.  What form of government do we have?

14.  Name the battle which turned the tide of the war on Christmas Day, 1776.

15.  At the Battle of Monmouth, what woman’s heroic efforts carried the day for the American army?


16.   Name the man responsible for hauling cannon from Ft. Ticonderoga to Boston for General Washington?

17.  Who wrote this:
“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.”

18.  Name the man who led his men in executing critical amphibious operations for the Army during 1776 (and throughout the war).

If you wish to participate, post your answers in a comment.  The first person to answer correctly will win this flag holder. (Holds 5 flags) Special plea:  The idea to add a prize hit me in the middle of typing this post.  Someone, anyone, please save me and answer the questions!  You’ll have my undying gratitude, and a flag holder to boot.  (I love mine!)

Jennifer

Fourth of July Muffins



These muffins were a hit at our annual 4th of July breakfast.
Full of fresh blueberries and raspberries, they were the perfect muffin for a festive morning.
They are also a delicious way to enjoy the fruits of the berry season.

Start by mixing together 4 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt.


Rinse 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries and 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries.


Add the berries to the flour mixture.  Gently toss until the berries are mixed in.
IMG_6019 (Large)
IMG_6020 (Large)
In another bowl, crack 4 large eggs.


Beat them gently.


Add 2 cups sour cream to the egg mixture.


Mix together, then add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.


and 1 cup vegetable oil.


Mix well, until smooth and the oil is fully incorporated.


Pour egg mixture into the bowl of flour and berries.


Stir gently, until the dry ingredients are moistened.


You want to keep the berries intact, if possible, although the raspberries may come apart a bit.
The batter will be colorful and moist.


Fill 24 muffin cups with the batter and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon.


Mix well.  In a separate bowl, melt 1/4 cup butter.  Pour the melted butter over the cinnamon sugar mixture.


Mix together until it looks like this:


Gently spoon some of the sugar mixture over the top of each muffin.


This mixture will result in a slightly crisp topping, and some of it will cook down the sides of the muffins for a yummy, sticky candy-like taste.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes.  Remove from pans.


You can cool the muffins or serve them warm.  They are so tasty!


Very moist, and every bite has plenty of flavor thanks to the fresh berries.


They’ll be going, going, gone!

4th of July Muffins
4 cups flour 2 cups sugar 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries 4 eggs 2 cups sour cream 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 cup vegetable oil topping:
1 cup sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 cup butter Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  Rinse berries and add to flour mixture.
Mix gently.  In separate bowl, lightly beat 4 eggs.  Add sour cream and mix well.
Add vanilla and oil, and mix well, making certain that oil is fully incorporated.
Pour egg mixture into dry mixture and gently mix until dry ingredients are moistened.
Scoop batter into 24 muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.

To make topping:  combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.  Melt butter and add to sugar.
Stir until crumbly.  Spoon sugar over muffins.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove.  Serve and enjoy!

Hopeful Homemaker

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