For many Americans, burgers and fireworks may be enough of a
July 4th celebration. But to appreciate the curiosities and
meaning of Independence Day, you might want to sit down with
some friends and take another look at the Declaration of
Independence that announced our separation from England. Before
you re-read the Declaration and delve into some of its
subtleties, try your hand at this quiz. It begins and ends with
near-giveaways, but some questions in the middle might puzzle
you. Answers and elaboration follow. 1. Who was the primary
author of the Declaration of Independence? a) John Adams b)
Benjamin Franklin c) Thomas Jefferson 2. Identify the famous
fictional television-show president whose namesake is one of the
56 delegates who signed the Declaration. 3. Which work of
political theory figures so prominently in the text of the
Declaration that some consider the Declaration’s author to be a
plagiarist? 4. Why did more than a year pass between the
outbreak of the War of Independence and the decision to