The Federalist Papers Lesson Plan

How strongly do you feel that America's federal government is present in your life? How do you think your opinion about this reflects what Hamilton calls the "energy" of the government?

Students will probably give a wide range of differing responses to this question. Although a majority of them will at least be aware of national political issues, they may not be so involved in thinking about what federal government does to try to address them. Indeed, some students may be much more involved in local or even school politics, and may only think very little about what happens in other parts of the country. Even still, few students are likely to see that as an indictment of...