Question

european papermaking came to the american colonies in the late seventeenth century. although most paper made today is produced from wood pulp, paper in colonial days was made from cotton and linen fibers.
from paper
1
the history of paper offers insight into why the colonists wanted independence from britain. a coin, a paper mill, a newspaper—whatever it was that the colonists wanted, the crown often prohibited it. and then the british tried to earn revenue by taxing the goods the colonists were forced to import from england because local production was stifled.
2
in 1764, the british, looking for revenues in an economic recession that had hit both england and the colonies, proposed the stamp act. this required all american colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper, including shipping documents, legal documents, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, and even playing cards. the tax did not cost the average colonist a great deal, but they objected to the principle of the new legislation. the stamp act went beyond the normal practice of regulating commerce: it was a fund - raising measure, and one that was being done without the consent of local legislatures.
3
but for newspaper publishers, the stamp act was a true hardship. it assessed a halfpenny on each copy of a newspaper printed on what was termed \half a sheet.\ if a newspaper used a larger format, it was assessed a penny per copy. the act also charged two cents for an advertisement—and some of these ads only earned three cents—and a halfpenny for each copy of a pamphlet. an additional tax on publishing in foreign languages killed a thriving german - language press in pennsylvania. lawyers, whose documents were also taxed, were harmed by the stamp act as well, and together, newspaper...
part b
select two excerpts from the passage that best help develop the correct central idea from part a.

1. \this required all american colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper, including shipping documents, legal documents, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, and even playing cards.\ (paragraph 2)

2.
ewspapers themselves became committed, for the first time, to printing on american - made paper\ (paragraph 5)

1. \americans vowed to content themselves with inferior american paper, even if, due to the competition created by the townshend act boycott, it cost more.\ (paragraph 7)
2. \the thirty - four paper mills operating in the thirteen colonies in the 1760s did not have the capacity to meet americas paper needs\ (paragraph 7)
3. \once the revolution began and british imports cut off, american paper mills, by this time numbering eighty, still could not meet the demand for paper.\ (paragraph 8)

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each excerpt to see how it relates to the central idea (likely about colonial paper, taxes, and independence):

Excerpt 1 (Paragraph 2):

Explains the Stamp Act (tax on printed paper) and colonists’ objection (no consent, revenue - raising). This connects to colonial unrest over British policies, supporting the idea of why colonists wanted independence.

Excerpt 2 (Paragraph 5):

States newspapers printing on American - made paper. This shows colonial self - sufficiency efforts, but less directly about the conflict leading to independence.

Excerpt 3 (Paragraph 7):

Americans’ vow to use inferior American paper despite cost (due to Townshend Act boycott). This shows colonial resistance to British policies, supporting the central idea of colonial unrest.

Excerpt 4 (Paragraph 7):

Discusses paper mills’ inability to meet needs. This is about production capacity, not the conflict for independence.

Excerpt 5 (Paragraph 8):

American paper mills’ inability to meet demand during Revolution. This is about production during war, not the cause of wanting independence.

The two excerpts that best develop the central idea (colonial unrest over British policies leading to desire for independence) are:

1. "This required all American colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper, including shipping documents, legal documents, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, and even playing cards." (Paragraph 2)
2. "Americans vowed to content themselves with inferior American paper, even if, due to the competition created by the Townshend Act boycott, it cost more." (Paragraph 7)

Answer:

1. "This required all American colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper, including shipping documents, legal documents, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, and even playing cards." (Paragraph 2)
2. "Americans vowed to content themselves with inferior American paper, even if, due to the competition created by the Townshend Act boycott, it cost more." (Paragraph 7)