Colwell: Declare your knowledge of this historical document
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As you prepare to celebrate Independence Day, here’s a test of your knowledge of the Declaration of Independence. Decide whether each of the following statements is true or false.
1. The Declaration begins: “We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union . . .”
2. The Declaration begins: “When, in the course of human events . . .”
3. It was signed by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
4. It also was signed by Joe Biden.
5. John Hancock signed his name really big to promote his insurance company.
6. Signer Elbridge Gerry is the man after whom the gerrymander is named.
7. In their risky decision to break from Great Britain, the signers said they “mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honour.”
8. That pledge by the Declaration signers is recited always in Notre Dame football pre-game ceremonies.
9. Approval of the Declaration by the Second Continental Congress was by a close vote along party lines.
10. Approval came from delegates representing a wide geographical area including Georgia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
11. No representative from Indiana voted for approval.
12. The famous document proclaims: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights . . .”
13. The Second Amendment to the Declaration on militias is the basis for our right to bear arms.
14. One reason cited for declaring independence was that King Charles was “imposing taxes on us without our consent.”
15. A long list of grievances was directed at King George rather than the British people due to hope for future relations with the people of the mother country.
16. The king was accused of restricting population growth by hindering immigration and naturalization.
17. Another complaint was “quartering large bodies of armed troops among us.”
18. The king also was denounced for using fraudulent absentee ballots to rig elections in the colonies and promoting wokeism.
19. King George responded to the July 4 Declaration with an immediate July 5 order to British troops to quell the rebellion.
20. A provision in a draft copy that denounced African slave trade was deleted to gain support of more delegates.
21. The Declaration was written largely by Thomas Jefferson.
22. There had been no armed conflict with British soldiers until the Declaration was adopted.
23. Before the Declaration, there was armed conflict in the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
24. The stirring words of the Declaration engendered virtually unanimous support in the colonies for the break with Great Britain.
25. In their quest for independence, the colonists counted on help from France.
26. The Declaration was an inspiration in the overthrowing of the Spanish empire’s control in South America.
27. The original Declaration parchment was taken recently to Mar-a-Lago.
28. The original Declaration parchment is in the National Archives in Washington.
ANSWERS: 1, false; 2, true; 3, false; 4, false; 5, false; 6, true; 7, true; 8, true; 9, false; 10, true; 11, true; 12, true; 13, false; 14, false; 15, true; 16, true; 17, true; 18, false; 19, false; 20, true; 21, true; 22, false; 23, true; 24, false; 25, true; 26, true; 27, false; 28, true.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Test your knowledge of the Declaration of Independence
