United States Constitution Quiz
How much do you know about the document that is the foundation for our government ?? Take the following quiz to find out:
1) Which are the first few words of the Constitution:
a. We hold these truths to be self evident
b. We the People
c. Four score and seven years ago
2) Which early patriot did not attend the Constitution Convention:
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. John Adams
c. John Hancock
a. Rhode Island
b. Georgia
c. Delaware
4) Of the remaining 12 colonies, which state had the most representatives that signed the Constitution:
a. Delaware
b. Pennsylvania
c. New York
5) How many terms was the president limited to in the original constitution
a. 2 terms of 4 years each
b. 3 terms of 4 years each
c. No limit.
6) In what year was the Constitution drafted?
a. 1776
b. 1787
c. 1790
7) How many amendments have been made to the Constitution
a. 20
b. 27
c. 32
8) When was the last amendment ratified?
a. 1932
b. 1992
c. 2000
9) When did the good citizens of Washington DC gain the right to vote for the president of the United States:
a. 1787
b. 1800
c. 1961
10) According to the Constitution, how many days is Congress required to sit in session each year:
a. 1
b. 30
c. 180
Answers:
1) (b)The US Constitution starts with the words 'We the People'. The Declaration of Independence - drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, has the words 'We hold these truths to be self-evident' - although they appear in the second paragraph of the document. The document starts with - 'When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands...'. The Gettysburg Address given by Abraham Lincoln in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863 starts with "Four score and seven years ago"
2) (a), (b), and (c) None of these patriots attended the Constitutional Convention. Thomas Jefferson was in Paris at the time acting as the U. S. ambassador to France for the newly recognized country, John Adams was Minister to the Court of St. James's from 1785 - 1788 (U. S. ambassador to the United Kingdom) - returning to be elected vice president under George Washington. John Hancock, who was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence and the only one to sign it on the 4th of July (all of the other 55 delegates signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2), was Governor of Massachusetts during the time of the Constitutional Convention.
3) (a) Rhode Island was the only one of the 13 colonies that did not have representatives at the Constitutional Convention.
4) (b) Pennsylvania had the largest number of delegates to the Constitutional Convention with 8 - all of which signed the Constitution. New York had the fewest delegates to sign with only Alexander Hamilton representing that state. Delaware, with 5 signers, had the second highest number. There were 55 delegates to the convention, but only 39 of the attendees signed the final Constitution.
5) (c) No limit. Term limits were added for the president with the ratification of Amendment Twenty-two in 1951.
6) (b) The constitution was drafted during the summer of 1787. It was signed by the majority of the delegates (39 of the 55) on September 17, 1787 and presented to the states for ratification. Nine of the thirteen states had to ratify the Constitution for it to become law. The first state to ratify the document was Delaware on December 7, 1787. The ninth state was New Hampshire which ratified it on June 21, 1788 making it the law of the land. What's interesting is that it took until May 29, 1790 for Rhode Island, the last state to ratify the Constitution, to pass the ratification - and even then it must have been a contentious vote with 34 voting to pass it and 32 voting against. George Washington, elected as the first president of the United States, took office in April of 1789.
7) (b) To date, the constitution has had 27 amendments.
8) (b) The last amendment was ratified in 1992 and specified that 'No law, varying the compensation for services of Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives hall have intervened.' In other words - they can vote themselves a raise - but it may just go to the next guy if the good citizens get disgusted and decide to 'vote da bums outa da office.'
9) (c) The twenty-third amendment to the constitution - ratified on March 29, 1961 specifies that the 'District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as Congress may direct: A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a state, but in no event no more than the least populous State."
10) (a) Article 1, section 4 of the constitution specifies that 'Congress shall assemble at least once in every year. '
Don't feel bad if you didn't get all of these correct. I was amazed at how much I didn't know as I really read this document for the first time in many, many years.
Janet Crane
M/V "Tardis"