Test your knowledge about America’s 250th

By Tribune Staff • As the celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary nears, maybe it is time to test your knowledge of what is being celebrated. This short quiz includes questions from the Pew Foundation and is aimed at determining how much you know about why July 4, 2026, is so important.

Question 1:  What document’s congressional approval was achieved on July 4, 1776?

• The Constitution of the U.S.
• The Magna Carta
• The Declaration of Independence

Question 2:   Who was the author of the Declaration of Independence?

• John Adams
• Ben Franklin
• Thomas Jefferson
• George Washington

Question 3:  On what day did the Continental Congress vote to declare independence from Great Britain?

• July 4, 1776
• July 2, 1776
• August 2, 1776

Question 4: What was the main purpose of the Declaration of Independence?

1. To divide up the work of the Continental Congress
2. To lay the groundwork for ending slavery in the colonies
3. To create a national holiday with bonfires and illuminations
4. To explain why the colonies had the right to form their own government

Question 5:  On which of the following documents did the author draw when drafting the Declaration of Independence?

• The Constitution
• The Virginia Declaration of Rights
• The Bill of Rights
• The first charter of New York

Question 6:  Which colony abstained from the vote for independence from Great Britain?

• New York
• Rhode Island
• West Virginia
• District of Columbia

Question 7:  A group of five men were asked to draft what became the Declaration of Independence. But, only one man, 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

Question 8:  Where is the signed copy of the 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

Question 9:  On what date was the Declaration of Independence ratified by Congress?

• July 2, 1776
• July 4, 1776
• August 2, 1776

Question 10:  How many men signed the Declaration of Independence?

• 100
• 76
• 56
• 35

Answers to 250th Celebration Quiz

Question 1:  C – the Declaration of Independence. 

Question 2:  C – Thomas Jefferson. 

Question 3:  B – July 2, 1776

Question 4: To explain why the colonies had the right to form their own government

Question 5:  B – the Virginia Declaration of Rights

Question 6:  A – New York

Question 7:  C – his talent for writing

Question 8:  C – the National Archives in Washington, D.C. 

Question 9:  B – July 4, 1776

Question 10:  C – 56 men