The American Revolution Center and its Quiz

Far too few Americans today understand the basic principles Americans held so firmly to that they were willing to pledge their lives and honor to secure the sovereign rights of each individual to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  They know this phrase summarizing the rights of the individual, but they do not know what it means.  The American revolutionaries did know what it meant.  Americans today will rarely pledge their lives and honor to fighting our internal tyrants, though quite a few will fight external tyrants.  Yet the Americans of the American Revolutionary War were willing to fight many other colonists and the nation with the most powerful military of the time for the principle of individual freedom.  Their story is essential to this day if any American actually wants to understand the basis for our freedoms.  The failure to know the history of the American Revolution is a serious failure of the development of any American.  One is not really of the American character is one does not know what it would have been like to stand with our founding generation in the effort to define and preserve our unique nation.  One cannot really understand and appreciate American values and the exceptional nature of the United States of America if one does not have a thorough grounding in the history of the American Revolution.

With this in mind, I recommend that you visit the American Revolution Center.  Under the Education page, they have a 20-question American Revolution quiz.  Take it.  If you do not ace it, please spend some time reading about this fascinating and essential part of our American history.  It is at least as fascinating as any mystery novel and a universe more important.