Civics question 83 of 128

The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

Source: official USCIS question list for the 2025 version of the civics test. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.

Background

Any one of these answers: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, or Publius. The last was the pen name all three shared, so a reader in 1788 had no way to tell one author from another. The papers were eighty-five essays published in New York newspapers to argue for ratifying the Constitution, a campaign document rather than neutral commentary, and New York was a state where the outcome was genuinely in doubt. Hamilton wrote the majority, Madison the most quoted, including No. 10 on factions and No. 51 on separated powers, and Jay only five, having fallen ill. Courts still cite the essays as evidence of what the framers meant, which is unusual weight for writing that began as political persuasion.

This background section is written by US Citizenship Test Practice to explain the civics fact. It is not part of the USCIS question list, and the official answer above is the one to give at the interview.

Where this question sits

It is part of Colonial Period and Independence, inside the American History section of the test.

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