What part did james madison and alexander hamilton play in debate over the u. s. constitution? a. they argued in support of ratification (acceptance) through political essays called the federalist papers. b. they created a state’s rights document to limit the authority of the federal government. c. they planned protests in several states to resist the formation of an executive branch. d. they wanted a national election to decide the issue by majority vote.

A. They argued in support of ratification (acceptance) through political essays called The Federalist Papers.

Explanation:

Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, along with John Jay, were Federalists that strongly favored the ratification of the newly proposed U.S. Constitution. In order to gain support for its ratification, they wrote a series of 85 essays in 1787 that addressed constitutional principles and explained the deficiencies of the Articles of Confederation (the former U.S. Constitution) and the details of the new Constitution, arguing that its ratification would preserve the Union and empower the federal government to act firmly and coherently in the national interest. This collection of essays were known as The Federalist Papers.

James Madison and Alexander Hamilton played an important part in the debate over the US Constitution because they argued in support of ratification (acceptance) through political essays called the Federalists Papers.

Further Explanation:

The Federalist Papers were a series of essays published anonymously during the era of the Constitutional Convention. It was later noted that James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote these documents.

The goal of these essays was to convince American citizens that the new US Constitution being created to replace the Articles of Confederation needed a strong central government in order to be successful. These authors especially feared that if the central (aka federal) government was not strong enough, then the new constitution would fail just like the Articles of Confederation did.

However, these federalists faced backlash and protest from anti federalists. Anti federalists feared a strong central government for many reasons. Ultimately, the debate between these two sides helped to shape the creation of the US Constitution used today.

Learn More:

Comparison of Federalists and Anti Federalists-

Key Details:

Topic: American History, Constitutional Convention

Grade Level: 7-12

Keywords: Federalist, Federalist Papers, Anti Federalists, Constitutional Convention, Articles of Confederation