Thomas Paine: Should The Colonists Support The Revolution?

434 Words2 Pages
In the source “Introduction to Common Sense (1776),” Thomas Paine, a writer who moved to America in 1774 attempts to influence other colonists to support the Revolution. Paine begins by stating that “the cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind (78).” He then describes that government should be based on the “the simple voice of nature and reason [saying], ‘tis right (78).” Paine then discusses reasons why the colonists should support the revolution. The first is that while he has heard that “America has flourished under her former connection with Great Britain” he knows that America could have flourished as much, or more so without the help of a European nation (78). He states that America has created a market with everything she needs and that England is simply taking from it. His next point is that the colonists “have boasted the protection of Great Britain, without considering, that her motive was…show more content…
This is because Thomas Paine, a patriot, provides commonly held Loyalist beliefs in order to give counter arguments for them. One example of this is Paine’s third point. He writes that many believe England is the parent of America, but then he provides evidence to how that is not true: “the new world hath been the asylum for [people] from every part of Europe,” and states his final conclusion, “Europe, and not England is the parent company of America (79).” It is through this technique that Paine is able to provide his message clearly and influence more people. By presenting both views, it was easy to see why some colonists wanted to stay with the crown, and why others wanted to become independent. Paine presents a clear and convincing argument in this document that the American cause is the most important and that America does not need Britain to flourish, in fact Britain is holding America

More about Thomas Paine: Should The Colonists Support The Revolution?

Open Document