Independence Day Trivia

Independence Day trivia questions can be a ton of fun on Fourth of July or any day when you feel like being a proud America. Test your knowledge of the good ole USA with this long list of 41 Independence Day trivia questions. Don't worry if you don't know the answers; they are below.

1. What are the first seven words of the Declaration of Independence?
2. How many red stripes are on the American flag For a hint, you can check out these American Flag Fun Facts?
3. How many white stripes are on the American flag?
4. When the number of red stripes is added to the number of white stripes, they sum 13. What do these thirteen stripes represent?
5. Name all of the original thirteen colonies.
6. Who made the first American flag?
7. What day and year did the Continental Congress adopt the first American flag as a symbol of the country to encourage patriotism?
8. In what year did our current flag with 50 stars and 13 stripes become the current national flag?
9. Who wrote the "Star Spangled Banner"?
10. Where did the lyrics for the "Star Spangled Banner" originate?
11. Where did the tune come from for the "Star Spangled Banner"?
12. Although we only sing once stanza, how many stanzas are there actually in the original "Star Spangled Banner"?
13. What is the name given to the war where America fought the British and won their Independence?
14. Where was the first battle of the Revolutionary War fought?
15. Where was the final battle of the Revolutionary War fought?
16. Where is the Liberty Bell located?
17. How was the crack in the Liberty Bell made?
18. What is the estimated number of people who have cookouts on Independence Day?
19. One signature on the Declaration of Independence is larger than any of the others. Whose signature is it?
20. Who was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence?
21. What movie starring Will Smith found the U.S. battling aliens to once again fight for our freedom and gain our independence?
22. True or False? Fireworks can legally be set off without a permit in any state in the U.S. on July 4th.
23. The Liberty Bell is a huge tourist attraction. Approximately how many people are said to visit the Liberty Bell annually?
24. On what date were the first signatures placed on the Declaration of Independence?
25. Finish this phrase: One nation under _____________?
26. What was the major objection of the American colonists that they deemed the reason for the Revolutionary War?
27. When and where was the first Independence Day celebrated?
28. Who delivered the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence?
29. Where did the word patriotism come from?
30. Why was the 4th of July considered the most miserable day for horses before the invention of cars?
31. Two significant American patriots died on July 4th, 1826. Who were they?
32. What was the last letter Thomas Jefferson ever wrote?
33. Who was the last signer to the Declaration of Independence in January of 1777?
34. True or False? The names of the first signers of the Declaration of Independence were not made public until after the colonies won their independence from Britain for fear if the names were revealed and the colonies lost, the signers would be prosecuted for treason; a crime punishable by death.
35. When did Congress declare the 4th of July a federal legal holiday?
36. Which of the following was not one of the 13 original colonies? Georgia, Virginia, Massachusetts, or Vermont?
37. Who was the American patriot who rode through the town acting as an alarm warning of the British's arrival by shouting "The British are coming! The British are coming!"?
38. What was the name of the poem written by poet Henry Wadsworth that immortalized Paul Revere's ride?
39. Who primarily authored the Declaration of Independence?
40. To show their dislike and disgust regarding British taxes, the colonists threw what imported commodity into the Boston Harbor in 1776?
41. This legendary protest is now more famously know in history as …?

Answers

1. When in the course of human events
2. 7
3. 6
4. These stripes represent the thirteen colonies that were established in the New World that rebelled against the British for their Independence
5. In alphabetical order, they were: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia.
6. Betsy Ross
7. June 14, 1777
8. In the year 1960 when Hawaii officially became the 50th state on August 21, 1969
9. Francis Scott Key
10. The lyrics came from a poem called "Defense of Fort McHenry written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key
11. An old British drinking song
12. Four
13. The Revolutionary War
14. The Battle of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts
15. The Battle of Yorktown in Virginia
16. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
17. The Liberty Bell cracked when someone rang it for the first time
18. Approximately 150 million people
19. John Hancock
20. John Hancock
21. Independence Day
22. False
23. Approximately 1.5 million annually
24. July 4, 1776
25. God
26. Taxation without representation
27. The first Independence Day was celebrated on July 8, 1776 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
28. Colonel John Nixon
29. The word patriotism comes from the Latin word "patria" meaning "homeland" or "fatherland"
30. They were frightened by the noise of the fireworks and tormented by the children who firecrackers at them.
31. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams
32. A letter to Roger C. Weightman to decline an invite to Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 50th anniversary of America's independence
33. Thomas McKean
34. True
35. 1941
36. Vermont
37. Paul Revere
38. Paul Revere's Ride
39. Thomas Jefferson
40. Tea
41. The Boston Tea Party

So, how did you do? Did you get a lot right and demonstrate your knowledge of Independence Day Trivia questions? Challenge your friends to see who can get the most right for a great Fourth of July fun-time!