Test Your Knowledge of the Declaration of Independence

# results title text: You got {score} out of {total_questions}. # results text: 1|

You may not have the high score, but we know that, in the classic American way, you’ll pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again. We hope you learned some fun facts about the Declaration of Independence today. Thanks for playing! And don’t forget to share this with your fellow Americans

3|

Just remember that it’s the journey that counts, not the destination. We hope you had a fun time learning some facts about the Declaration of Independence. Thanks for playing! And don’t forget to share this with your fellow Americans.

5|

You know a lot about American history, and we hope you learned some interesting facts about the Declaration of Independence along the way. Thanks for playing! And don’t forget to share this with your fellow Americans.

7|

You are an American history whiz! Thanks for playing! And don’t forget to share this with your fellow Americans.

# wrong text: Sorry, that's incorrect. # right text: That's correct! # social text incomplete: Take this quick quiz to test your knowledge about the Declaration of Independence. # social text complete: Take this quick quiz to test your knowledge about the Declaration of Independence. I took the quiz and got a {score} out of {total_questions} correct! ? Who was the main author of the Declaration of Independence? - John Adams - Benjamin Franklin + Thomas Jefferson - George Washington ! Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the Declaration of Independence. (Learn more) ? On what day did the Continental Congress vote to declare independence from Great Britain? + July 2, 1776 - July 4, 1776 - August 2, 1776 ! The Continental Congress passed a resolution declaring independence from Great Britain on July 2, 1776. Two days later, on July 4, 1776, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, a document outlining their reasons for separation and commitment to freedom. The most famous version of the document was handwritten on large parchment and signed by most of Congress's 56 delegates on Aug. 2, 1776. (Learn more) ? 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 illuminations + To explain why the colonies had the right to form their own government ! The Declaration of Independence explained why the colonies had the right to form their own government and formally proclaimed their independence from Great Britain. (Learn more) ? On which of the following documents did Thomas Jefferson draw when drafting the Declaration of Independence? - The Constitution + The Virginia Declaration of Rights - The Bill of Rights - The First Charter of New York ! Thomas Jefferson drew on the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, among other documents. (Learn more) ? Which colony abstained from the vote for independence from Great Britain? + New York - Rhode Island - West Virginia - District of Columbia ! New York was the only colony to abstain during the vote for independence on July 2, 1776. Its delegates had yet to receive instructions from leaders in New York on how to vote. Approval came from a few days later and its delegates were among those that signed the official copy of the Declaration of Independence on Aug. 2, 1776. (Learn more) ? A group of five men was appointed to write a draft of what became the Declaration of Independence. But one person, Thomas Jefferson, was asked to take the lead. Why? - He was young - He worked quickly + He had a talent for writing - He came late to the meeting ! Thomas Jefferson was asked to take the lead in writing the first draft of the document in part because he had a talent for writing — or, in the words of John Adams, his writing had a "peculiar felicity of expression." (Learn more) ? Where is the signed copy of Declaration of Independence now? - The Oval Office of the White House - The State House in Philadelphia + The National Archives in Washington, D.C. - It was lost during wartime ! The document that most Americans and historians recognize as "the" Declaration of Independence is in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The Declaration, Constitution, and Bill of Rights — called the Charters of Freedom — were formally transferred to the National Archives in the early 1950s. (Learn more)