Take our 13-Question Independence Day Quiz to test your knowledge of American history and civics.

(Answer key may be found at the bottom)

1. Americans celebrate the Fourth of July for which one of the following reasons?

a. It marks mid-summer vacation
b. It is the day America declared her independence
c. It marks the day the Revolutionary War ended
d. It is an international day celebrating peace and goodwill

2. From which one of the following did the American colonies declare their independence in 1776?

a. Canada
b. France
c. Great Britain
d. Mexico

3. Which of the following are among the inalienable rights delineated in the Declaration of Independence?

a. Life, Liberty and Happiness
b. Honor, Duty, Country
c. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
d. Health, Wealth and Privacy

4. How many states comprised the original United States?

a. 48
b. 13
c. 50
d. 10

5. The “shot heard ‘round the world” refers to which of the following battles in the American War for Independence?

a. Lexington and Concord
b. Breeds or Bunker Hill
c. Yorktown
d. Saratoga

6. Which one of the following founding documents came first in chronological order?

a. The Articles of Confederation
b. The Bill of Rights
c. The Constitution of the United States
d. The Declaration of Independence

7. Who was King of England during the American Revolutionary War?

a. Charles I
b. James II
c. George III
d. Louis XVI

8. Which of the following comprise the three branches of our government?

a. Federal, State, Local
b. House, Senate, White House
c. Executive, Legislative, Judicial
d. Military, Judicial, Congressional

9. Which one of the following men never held the office of President of the United States?

a. Benjamin Harrison
b. James Madison
c. Benjamin Franklin
d. James Monroe

10. What does the President swear to "preserve, protect and defend" when he takes the Oath of Office?

a. The United States of America
b. The American people
c. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
d. The Constitution of the United States

11. The first 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution are known collectively as which of the following?

a. The Bill of Rights
b. The Bills of Attainder
c. The Power of the Purse
d. The Pursuit of Happiness

12. Under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, Congress is required to call a Constitutional Convention when how many state legislatures formally request that one be held?

a. One third
b. One half
c. Two thirds
d. Three quarters
 

13. The U.S. Constitution contains how many amendments?

a. 10
b. 25
c. 26
d. 27

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Happy Independence Day!

Answers: 1 (b), 2 (c), 3 (c), 4 (b), 5 (a), 6 (d), 7 (c), 8 (c), 9 (c), 10 (d), 11 (a), 12 (c), 13 (d)