Read the passage.
Founding Fathers and Friends
The presidential election of 1800 was one of the ugliest in American history. The two leading candidates were insulted, criticized, and slandered in every possible way. Sadly, these candidates had been good friends. After the election, they would refuse to speak to each other for more than a decade. But eventually they found their way to friendship again.
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were two remarkable men. Their friendship somehow survived the turmoil of the American Revolution and the challenge of their very different political views. It is an example of what the Founders hoped America could be: a place where people could work together, even when they disagreed, to do what they thought was right.
They met during the Revolutionary War. Adams was from Massachusetts: a short, plump man who argued fiercely for American Independence. Jefferson, the tall Virginian, agreed with many of Mr. Adams’s arguments. Their friendship grew as they worked together to create a new country. After the Revolution, Adams and Jefferson served as two of the nation’s first ambassadors. They also served as the first vice-president and secretary of state. Adams won election as the second president, only to lose to Jefferson after one term. More than a decade after the election, an old mutual friend persuaded them to begin corresponding again. This time their friendship would last until their deaths. As Adams once wrote, “You and I ought not to die before we have explained ourselves to each other.”
They were different in many ways. Adams did not approve of slavery, while Jefferson owned many slaves. Adams believed in a strong federal government, but Jefferson thought the states needed more power. In his view, a strong central government was dangerous. They argued many ideas in their letters, but also wrote about their homes, their families, and the challenges of growing older.
Adams and Jefferson both died on the same day: July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Their legacies included many things: the creation of a new nation, the successes and failures of their respective presidencies. But perhaps most important of all, they provided an example of how people with differing views could work together for the good of the country.
Part A
What is the central idea of this text?
The friendship between Adams and Jefferson was built on their shared views about the proper size and strength of the federal government.
The friendship between Jefferson and Adams ended because Jefferson owned slaves and Adams wanted slavery abolished.
The friendship between Adams and Jefferson demonstrates that people with different views can still work together.
The friendship between Jefferson and Adams was destroyed by the election of 1800, the closest race in American history.
Part B
How does the author of this text use details to develop the central idea expressed in Part A?
The author describes the disagreements between Adams and Jefferson, as well as the common ground the two men found and their affection for one another.
The author describes the tumultuous election of 1800 and the ways in which both Jefferson and Adams attacked one another in order to sway the voters.
The author describes Jefferson’s beliefs about states' rights, as well as Adams' view that a powerful federal government was crucial to the nation's success.
The author describes Adams’s attempts to convince Jefferson to free his slaves, as well as the frustration he felt when Jefferson failed to do so.