The Fourth of July commemorates the anniversary of the day in 1776 when the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence and read it aloud in Philadelphia. The colonies were officially telling King George III they would no longer consider themselves a part of England and would govern themselves.
John Adams, founding father and the second president of the United States, thought July 2 should be Independence Day because the colonies voted to approve the Declaration on the second. Today we celebrate in a way that John Adams envisioned. He wrote the following to his wife, Abigail Adams, on July 3, 1776.
“The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. … It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, [shows] Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.“
Mathnasium of Littleton has quiz about the Fourth of July to honor our nation’s history.
1. John Adams lived from 1735 to 1826. Both he and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826. How many Fourth of July celebrations did they witness?
2. How many Fourth of July celebrations has the United States had?
3. The first president of the United States, George Washington, took office on April 30, 1789. How many years after 1776 was that?
4. Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest at 70 years of age and the youngest, Edward Rutledge, was 26. What was the age span of the signers?
5. The Declaration of Independence was reprinted 500 times on July 4, 1776. In 1989, one lucky man paid four dollars for an old picture at a flea market and found one of these official reproductions stuck in between the frame and the picture. It sold at auction for 2.42 million dollars! It sold again in 2000 for $8.14 million. What percent increase is it from $4 to $8.14 million?
We hope you learned something interesting. If your child is a current or interested student, bring in your answers the first week of July to get an extra stamp per correct answer (5 possible stamps). If you are looking for more math activities, give us a call at 303-979-9077. We love helping kids succeed in math and in life!
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