Try this July 4th quiz at your barbecue

Editor's Note: Many citizens have a limited understanding of American history and our unique form of constitutional government. Without this knowledge, how can we expect to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship?

Independence Day has been an official federal holiday only since 1941, but its origins date back to the Revolutionary War and our nation's independence from Great Britain.

The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of the Fourth of July, which is much more than just a day for picnics and fireworks.

1. The Declaration of Independence wasn't actually signed on July 4.  Which day was it officially signed?

A. July 2, 1776

B. Aug. 2, 1776

C. Nov. 15, 1777

D. March 1, 1781

2. Which monarch reigned over the colonists at the time of the American Revolution?

A. Queen Elizabeth

B. Queen Victoria

C. King George II

D. King George III

3. Who famously said, "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me Liberty or give me death!"

A. Nathan Hale

B. Samuel Adams

C. Patrick Henry

D. Paul Revere

4. Which signer has the largest signature on the Declaration of Independence?

A. George Washington

B. Thomas Jefferson

C. Roger Sherman

D. John Hancock

5. Which country assisted the colonists with financial and military aid during the Revolutionary War?

A. England

B. France

C. Canada

D. Netherlands

6. Who was the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence?

A. George Washington

B. Ben Franklin

C. Roger Sherman

D. Stephen Hopkins

7.  Besides John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, which other president died on the Fourth of July?

A.  Andrew Jackson

B. Millard Fillmore

C. James Monroe

D. James Buchanan

8. Thomas Jefferson was part of a five-person committee to write the Declaration of Independence, along with John Adams, Ben Franklin, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman. Which man did not sign the Declaration of Independence?

A. Robert Livingston

B. Roger Sherman

C. Ben Franklin

D. John Adams

9. Which signer of the Declaration of Independence stated that this holiday "ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."?

A.  James Madison

B. Thomas Jefferson

C.  Ben Franklin

D. John Adams

10. How many signers of the Declaration of Independence were born in the United States of America?

A. 56

B. 48

C. 0

D. 13

Michelle Hubenschmidt is a teacher programs manager with the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University and a graduate of Ashbrook's Masters in American History and Government. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.

ANSWERS: 1-B, 2-D, 3-C, 4-D, 5-B, 6-B, 7-C, 8-A, 9-D, 10-C