You Got That Right!

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Question #1

Since the Constitution was first signed, Congress has passed 33 amendments, but only 27 of these have been ratified by the states.

True: We only have 27 amendments to the Constitution. That means even though Congress would have made 33 changes to the Constitution, not enough states agreed on the six that didn’t get ratified.

Question #2

Every year our nation celebrates Constitution Day on September 17th with a big national party.

False: But we should! Help make Constitution Day a National Holiday. Tell your parents and other adults about our petition to make Constitution Day a holiday. I bet you’d enjoy another day off from school.

Question #3

The reason the Framers set up three branches of the U.S. government is to make it easier for the government to control the people in America.

False: No way! The people in America control the government by voting for the people they want as representatives and by deciding what the government will control.

Question #4

All of our Presidents in the U.S. have been U.S. born citizens.

False: The first U.S. born citizen to become President was Martin Van Buren, the 8th President; he was born after the American Revolution. The first seven Presidents before Van Buren and the 9th President were all originally "British subjects" before the revolution.

Question #5

The people didn’t get to see the Constitution until it was posted on Facebook.

False: The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser published a copy of the Constitution on September 19, 1787—two days after it was signed. Come to think of it, newspapers were the closest things to Facebook back then.

Question #6

The original Constitution was engraved in stone.

False: Jacob Shallus hand wrote the more than 4500 words of the Constitution using a quill pen. Good thing he had pretty good handwriting.

Question #7

Thomas Jefferson signed the Constitution.

False: He was in France as the American minister when the Constitution was signed. Do you know which founding document Thomas Jefferson wrote and signed? HINT: It’s the document most often confused with the Constitution!

Question #8

The Constitution was written at an Iggy Azalea concert.

False: Iggy isn’t that old! The Constitution was written in secret in Pennsylvania 227 years ago.

Question #9

The Constitution became the law of the land as soon as the delegates signed it on September 17, 1787.

False: Not so fast. The states that the delegates represented still had to agree to the new Constitution and 9 out of the original 13 states had to approve it before it could go into effect. That finally happened on June 21, 1788.

Question #10

According to the Constitution, the people of the United States elect the President.

False: The President is elected by the Electoral College; each state and the District of Columbia has a certain number of electoral votes and a president needs at least 270 electoral college votes to win. But don’t get this wrong, every person’s vote still counts!

Question #11

George Washington was really pumped about becoming the first president.

False: Washington was not looking forward to being President at all. Wouldn’t you be nervous to become the first president ever of a new country?

Question #12

The reason the Framers set up three branches of the U.S. government is to make it easier for the government to control the people in America.

False: No way! The people in America control the government by voting for the people they want as representatives and by deciding what the government will control.

Question #13

An amendment is a fancy word that means "change."

True: The Amendments to the Constitution are all changes or additions. Did you know that people have suggested over 11,000 amendments to the Constitution but only 27 have been approved? Good thing too - imagine being tested on 11,000 changes to the Constitution.

Question #14

Constitution Day is a new holiday.

It depends on what "new" means to you: Constitution Day is only nine years old and that's new compared to how old the Constitution is. Constitution Day started in 2004 and although you don't get to miss school that day, learning about the Constitution is fun!

Question #15

Each branch of the American government can work independently of the other two branches.

False: Each branch is supervised by the remaining two; this is called a "check and balance" system. For example, Congress can pass a law, but the Supreme Court can declare the law unconstitutional and Supreme Court judges are appointed by the President. Think of your school's safety patrols: the patrols tell you where it's safe to cross the street; a patrol supervisor can change where students can cross the street and patrol supervisors are chosen by the principal.

Question #16

Because of its age, the Constitution is no longer as important as it was when it went into effect in 1789.

False: The Constitution is as important now as it was back then! Every day, things happen in the courts, government or schools that could threaten your rights. If you don't know what your rights are, how can you stop someone from taking advantage of you?

Question #17

Changing the U.S. Constitution is as simple as writing a letter to the President.

False: The President does not have the power to amend the Constitution. Changing the Constitution can be a long and difficult process that is usually unsuccessful. If you think Flappy Bird is hard, try amending the Constitution.

Question #18

Civil liberties are protections for the people against government actions.

True: Civil liberties are rights that are so important that the Constitution says that the government cannot take those rights away from the people. Remember that the Framers, knowing how people could suffer under a government ruled by a king, wanted to prevent the government from becoming too powerful.

Question #19

The first people to picket in front of the White House were men.

False: They were all women fighting for the right to vote. Their persistence eventually led to the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote in 1920. The right to vote is an important and hard-earned privilege. Which candidate you support is not as important as exercising your right to vote.

Question #20

Constitution Day is September 17th.

True: Constitution Day is September 17th because it is the anniversary of the day that the Framers signed the Constitution. What a great day for the most important document in American history.