Civics trivia

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Presented by the League of Women Voters.

1. Which founding father was credited with first using the phrase “a wall of separation between church and state” in 1802, referring to the First Amendment?

a) Thomas Jefferson.

b) James Madison.

c) Alexander Hamilton.

2. Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, was the first to raise the concept of a separation of church and state in 1644 to protect religion from being controlled by the government. He was a minister of which denomination?

a) Friends (Quakers).

b) Baptists.

c) Congregational (Puritan).

3. Which are the two clauses of the First Amendment that provide the wall between church and state? (choose two)

a) Free Exercise Clause.

b) Non-Compulsion Clause.

c) Establishment Clause.

Last week’s answers:

1. 2026 is the 250th anniversary of what event?

B. The Declaration of Independence.

2. What is the official name of the 250th event?

C: Semiquincentennial.

3. What did the First Continental Congress achieve?

B: A boycott of British goods.