Behold the Paine
In 1776, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet called “Common Sense”. It provided reasons why the colonies should claim their independence from Britain, and was a key part in persuading the colonial minds into a war that was inevitable for Americas future. Paine addressed many arguments in this pamphlet. The one I want to prove and emphasize is his counter for the argument that America was too dependent on England and if they were to break away from England, America wouldnt be able to survive or fend for itself as an independent country.
Paine addressed the need to claim independence from the mother country of America. By saying that “because a baby has flourished on milk, it should never eat meat.” Paine referred to the argument that America had flourished under British rule, and should have continued being dependent on Britain. Paine argues that such an argument failed to identify the capabilities of America as independent. He claimed that with the dependency on Britain, America would not have been able to evolve and prosper, as it should as if it were to be independent. Britains only reason to selfishly protect America is purely due its desire to thrive financially off of the colonial people for its own economic well-being. The colonies gained little from remaining attached to Britain. In an economic perspective, commerce would have been better with the rest of Europe, only if America were to become independent. Their affiliation with Britain consequentially rendered them to fall subject in being enemies to foreign powers that quarreled with Great Britain.