US CONSTITUTION TRIVIA 1. Were the Constitution and Declaration written on paper made of hemp? The two great documents were written on parchment. The point of debate is that some working drafts of the documents might have been composed on paper made from hemp, which was widely used in that time period. 2. When did the Founders actually sign the Declaration of Independence? On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress agreed to break away from the British. On July 4, the Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. On July 8, 1776 Colonel John Nixon of Philadelphia read a printed Declaration of Independence to the public for the first time on what is now called Independence Square. But the Declaration wasn’t signed by most of the delegates until August 2, 1776. 3. Did Thomas Jefferson refuse to sign the Constitution? Thomas Jefferson didn’t sign the Constitution because he was in Paris, France at the time, as the United States’ envoy and he missed the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. This is the most popular myth, that guests ask about, at our National Constitution Center. It happens when they enter our hall of statutes, of the Constitution’s signers – and don't see a statue of Jefferson. 4. Did John Adams refuse to sign the Constitution? Another myth. Adams was in Great Britain at the same time as Jefferson was in France, so he wasn’t even in Philadelphia! 5. Did George Washington really ring up a gigantic bar tab at the end of the Constitutional Convention of 1787? The famous party at the City Tavern on September 17, 1787 was actually hosted by local soldiers for General Washington, not by his fellow delegates at the convention. The 55 guests pounded down “54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, 22 bottles of porter, beer, hard cider and 7 bowls of spiked punch.” We don’t know how they split the bill! KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! STUDY YOUR CONSTITUTION! #constitution #knowyourrights #freedoms