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Test:SSAT Upper Level Reading
Adapted from "Federalist No. 46. The Influence of the State and Federal Governments Compared" by James Madison inThe Federalist Papersby Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay (1788)
I proceed to inquire whether the federal government or the state governments will have the advantage with regard to the predilection and support of the people. Notwithstanding the different modes in which they are appointed, we must consider both of them as substantially dependent on the great body of the citizens of the United States. I assume this position here as it respects the first, reserving the proofs for another place. The federal and state governments are in fact but different agents and trustees of the people, constituted with different powers, and designed for different purposes. The adversaries of the Constitution seem to have lost sight of the people altogether in their reasonings on this subject, and to have viewed these different establishments not only as mutual rivals and enemies, but as uncontrolled by any common superior in their efforts to usurp the authorities of each other. These gentlemen must here be reminded of their error. They must be told that the ultimate authority, wherever the derivative may be found, resides in the people alone, and that it will not depend merely on the comparative ambition or address of the different governments, whether either, or which of them, will be able to enlarge its sphere of jurisdiction at the expense of the other. Truth, no less than decency, requires that the event in every case should be supposed to depend on the sentiments and sanction of their common constituents.
| 1. | What can we infer about the author's feelings about the Constitution based on the passage? |
The author likely opposes the Constitution because he believes that it will create too strong of a federal government.
The author likely has mixed feelings about the potential of the Constitution to create an effective federal government.
The author is likely a supporter of the Constitution.
The author opposes the Constitution because he believes that it will create a federal government that is too weak to govern effectively.
The author is neutral about the Constitution but feels that its detractors have been overly zealous.
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