“I have heard it asserted by some, that as America hath flourished under her former connection with Great Britain, that the same connection is necessary towards her future happiness, and will always have the same effect. Nothing can be more fallacious [false] than this kind of argument. We may as well assert, that because a child has thrived upon milk, that it is never to have meat; or that the first twenty years of our lives is to become a precedent for the next twenty.”
-Thomas Paine, Common Sense
What is a claim that Thomas Paine is making in this excerpt from his pamphlet?
The colonies were always been happy with the connection to Great Britain; therefore, it should continue as it was.
Even though the colonies were successful under Great Britain, this connection may not be necessary for the future.
It would be wrong to declare independence from Great Britain.
We should immediately declare independence from Great Britain.
1 answer
The claim that Thomas Paine is making in this excerpt from his pamphlet is:
Even though the colonies were successful under Great Britain, this connection may not be necessary for the future.
Paine argues against the idea that past success under British rule guarantees future happiness and prosperity, suggesting that just because the colonies thrived while connected to Great Britain does not mean that this connection is essential moving forward.
