The Document that Changed America Quiz

Answer: August, 1776

The Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776, but no one was able to sign it until August 2, 1776. Until August 2, 1776, there was only one signature on the Declaration of Independence and that was of John Hancock.

Answer: Free speech

Inalienable rights are rights that are given to individuals and cannot be taken away from them. The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence states that the inalienable rights given the Americans are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This line is considered the preamble to the Declaration of Independence.

Answer: False

The Boston Tea Party and the Stamp Act occurred before the Declaration of Independence had even been drafted. The Stamp Act was the first act placed on Americans. The taxes put on Americans was one of the reasons for the Declaration of Independence. A line written in the Declaration of Independence states it was written because of the taxes imposed on Americans without their consent.

Answer: Pennsylvania

Thomas Jefferson was the one man in a delegation of six that wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was given the task because the other delegates told him they had other things to do. In a small room belonging to Jacob Graff, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in two weeks.

Answer: John Locke

Thomas Jefferson used some of the words from John Locke's writings in the Declaration of Independence. For instance, John Locke used the phrase 'life, liberty, and property' in the second chapter of his book "Second Treatise of Government". Thomas Jefferson changed the last line and wrote in the Declaration of Independence 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness'. George Mason, delegate for the state of Virginia, also used a line similar to John Locke's when he wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights.

Answer: True

John Hancock was born in Quincy, Massachusetts on January 12, 1737. In May of 1775, John Hancock became the third president of the Continental Congress. He was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence. He was the only person to sign the draft on July 4, 1776.

Answer: New York

New York didn't officially accept the Declaration of Independence on July 9th. They held out on a vote because they couldn't go against anything that would keep them from reconciliation with Britain. By August, the convention of New York finally authorized their four delegates to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Answer: Independence Hall

According to a letter written by John Adams, the Declaration of Independence was read on the lawn of Independence Hall by John Nixon. A large crowd was gathered on the lawn on July 8, 1776 and cheered upon the reading. The names of the signers on the Declaration of Independence were released in January of 1777.

Answer: Robert Livingston

Robert Livingston never had the chance to sign the Declaration of Independence because he returned home before everyone officially signed the paper on August 2nd. If Robert had signed he would have signed from his home state of New York. John Dickinson from Pennsylvania and Thomas Lynch from South Carolina were also unable to sign due to personal reasons.

Answer: National Archives

After the Declaration of Independence had been written and traveled to different cities, the ink had begun to ruin and the document become tattered. In order to keep it from being damaged any further, the Department of State took possession of it in 1894 and kept it in a safe on the premises.

In 1921, the Library of Congress took possession of it. Finally, in 1952, the U.S. National Archives took the document and placed it in a final resting place among their exhibits.