Declaration of Independence Quiz

Who was the main author of the Declaration of Independence?

• John Adams

• Benjamin Franklin

• Thomas Jefferson

• George Washington

What was one of the main purposes of the Declaration of Independence?

• To divide up the work of the Continental Congress fairly

• To lay the groundwork for ending slavery in the Colonies

• To create a national holiday with bonfires and fireworks

• To explain why the Colonies had the right to form their own government

Where is the signed copy of Declaration of Independence now?

• In the Oval Office of the White House

• The State House in Philadelphia where it was signed

• The National Archives in Washington, D.C.

• It was lost during wartime

Which was NOT one of the 13 Original Colonies?

• Georgia

• Ohio

• New York

• Rhode Island

Answer explanation

Ohio did not join the Union until 1803.

Prior to the American Revolution, the British Parliament passed several acts that imposed taxes on American colonists and limited their freedom. Which was NOT one of those acts?

• Stamp Act

• Townshend Act

• Intolerable Acts

• Act of Union

How many men signed the Declaration of Independence?

• 38

• 100

• 75

• 56

Two men who signed the Declaration of Independence went on to become President. Who were they?

• George Washington & John Quincy Adams

• John Adams & Thomas Jefferson

• Samuel Adams & John Adams

• James Madison & James Monroe

Answer explanation

John Adams became the second president of the United States and Thomas Jefferson was the third. George Washington, John Quincy Adams, James Madison, and James Monroe, although Presidents, did not sign the Declaration, and Samuel Adams was never President.

What signer of the Declaration currently appears on a U.S. coin?

• Samuel Adams

• John Adams

• John Hancock

• Thomas Jefferson

Answer explanation

Jefferson appears on the nickel.

Which of the following statements is true about what was included in the Declaration of Independence?

• The Bill of Rights

• A list of bad things that the King of England had done to the Colonies

• A list of the three branches of government

• A threat that the Colonies would take over the country of Great Britain if the King did not stop the fighting

• That the first President of the United States was George Washington

Which of the following statements is a famous quote from the Declaration of Independence?

• FIRST, We have granted to God, and by this our present Charter have confirmed

• We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union

• Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation

• We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal