Question

passage 1: the federalist papers by theresa nemeth
in october 1787, a series of essays began to appear in several new - york newspapers. they were printed under the title the federalist, and the author was someone named publius. who was publius and what did he have to say?
actually, publius was chosen by alexander hamilton as a pseudonym for a series of articles he planned to write exploring the federal constitution proposed by the constitutional convention. hamilton hoped these articles would encourage new - yorkers to ratify, or approve, the constitution.
the states had good reason to believe that the articles of confederation, its agreement to the convention, had permitted a federal convention to meet in philadelphia in may 1787 for the sole and express purpose of revising the articles of confederation. the delegates to the convention did a great deal more than that, however. they wrote an entirely new document, which they called the constitution of the united states of america. this constitution gave the congress much more power than it had under the articles of confederation.
under the articles of confederation, congress did not have the power to raise money by taxing the states. there was no provision for raising enough money to pay the countrys debts or to put an army and navy for the nations defense. the articles of confederation did not allow the government to issue money, so each state had its own coins and paper money. this was very confusing for merchants and business people who sold goods to, or bought from, more than one state.
the convention was made up of fifty - five delegates with very different opinions about what should be done about this weak system of government. twelve of the thirteen states sent representatives. rhode island refused to send anyone.
some of the delegates were federalists. the anti - federalists and some of the other delegates believed that a strong, centralized form of government was best for the united states. the federalists felt that the united states had to have a strong central government in order to trade with, and protect itself from, other powerful nations such as france and england. they believed that the united states was weak and ineffective with the articles of confederation during peacetime.
some of the delegates, called anti - federalists, disagreed with the federalists. they believed in the principle of states rights. these men feared that a strong central government might become like the british government they had just fought the revolutionary war to be free from this type of government.
the delegates debated for months in the sweltering heat of a philadelphia summer. the arguments were passionate as the delegates spoke passionately in favor of their beliefs. there were arguments, debates, compromises. when they finally reached an agreement on september 17, 1787, the document they signed was not the revised articles of confederation that the continental congress had asked them to write. it was a brand - new constitution. the constitution was to become effective as soon as nine of the thirteen states ratified it. the delegates returned to their home states to argue for or against it.
in new york, alexander hamilton proposed the constitution. he knew he had to work quickly to convince the states lawmakers to ratify it. he asked for help from his friends james madison and john jay. the three men wrote a series of newspaper articles explaining how the constitution would work and how it would improve the government. in seven months, eighty - five essays appeared under the name publius. these essays became known as the federalist papers.
this question has two parts. first, answer part a. then, answer part b.
part a
what is the central idea about the federalist papers in passage 1?
they are obscure but interesting historical documents
they were the result of the hard work of two or three people
they helped people understand why the revolutionary war occurred
they are important documents that help us interpret the constitution
part b
which sentence from passage 1 supports the answer to part a?
in october 1787, a series of essays began to appear in several new - york newspapers. (paragraph 1)
the country had just fought the revolutionary war to be free from this type of government. (paragraph 7)
he asked for help from his friends james madison and john jay. a delegate from virginia, john jay served as the silent man of the convention. (paragraph 9)
we do not know to certain how much the lawmakers were influenced by the federalist papers, but we do know that laws we still abide by today by the president, congress, and supreme court. (paragraph 11)

Explanation:

Part A: The Federalist Papers are known for helping interpret the Constitution, which is the key idea. Other options are either inaccurate or not the central focus.
Part B: The sentence about being guided by the principles today (from the government branches) shows their importance in interpreting the Constitution as stated in Part A.

Answer:

Part A: They are important documents that help us interpret the Constitution
Part B: We do not know to certain how much the framers were influenced by The Federalist Papers, but we do know that important men and women today are guided by the President, Congress, and Supreme Court. (paragraph 11)