America's Bicentennial Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

The U.S. Mint produced the Bicentennial quarter in 1975 and 1976. On the obverse is George Washington and 1776-1976. On the reverse is a Colonial drummer and a torch surrounded by 13 stars representing the thirteen states at the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There are no quarters dated 1975.

Answer: James Monroe

The only Presidents to sign the Declaration of Independence, Adams and Jefferson both died on its 50th anniversary, July 4, 1826. John Adams was the second president, and Thomas Jefferson was the third. James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States, died on July 4, 1831.

Answer: The reverse was changed from Monticello to a portrait of the signing of the Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson was left on the face, although a different portrait of him was used. On the reverse is a rendition of John Trumbull's painting, "The Signing of the Declaration of Independence" in honor of America's birthday. 590,720,000 Series 1976 $2 notes were printed. Do you have one?

Answer: Liberty Bell

The reverse of the Bicentennial Eisenhower dollar depicts the Liberty Bell superimposed over the moon. From 1971-1974, the Eisenhower dollar commemorated America's landing on the moon with a design based on the Apollo 11 patch. This design was resumed for the 1977-1978 dollar.

Answer: Gerald Ford

The Bicentennial Minute was run by CBS nightly from July 4, 1974 through July 4, 1976. Each segment discussed a significant event or a person who made an impact in American history on that date 200 years ago.

Answer: Painted a flag

The flag is 209 ft. by 110 ft. in size, and took 6,000 gallons of paint to complete. Each stripe is as wide as a Kennedy Space Center tour bus, and each star is six feet across. The Bicentennial logo was also added. NASA's Viking II lander, which landed on Mars in September 1976, also had the Bicentennial logo painted on it.

Answer: George Washington

George Washington was not a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, and so did not sign the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock, representing Massachusetts, was the President of the Continental Congress, and the first to sign. Thomas Jefferson represented Virginia, and Button Gwinnett represented Georgia.

Answer: Philadelphia

The Second Continental Congress met in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, which is now Independence Hall. In June 1776, Richard Henry Lee, a delegate from Virginia, presented a resolution calling for independence from Great Britain. The Congress recessed without voting on the resolution, but assembled a Committee of Five (Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and John Adams) to draft a statement presenting the case for independence.

After reconvening on July 1, Congress passed Lee's resolution and began considering the declaration which had been written mostly by Jefferson.

After several small revisions, the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.

Answer: American Revolution Bicentennial 1776-1976

The two stars, the inside white star, and the outside red, white and blue star, symbolize the two centuries which have gone by since the Revolution. The symbol was the result of a nationwide competition by the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, and was selected from 100 submissions.

Answer: Half dollar

The Kennedy half dollar dated 1776-1976 shows a reverse of Independence Hall by Seth Huntington, whose design was chosen in a design contest.