Question

Which sentence in this excerpt from "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine proposes that the American colonies should be neutral in their relationships with foreign nations?

Answer 1

Common Sense is a work by Thomas Paine that tackles on American independence. He first distinguish government and society. And continue in suggesting that America should be independent ans be neutral to all foreign nations. In section three of Common Sense, Paine says "Our crisis today? It’s folly to think we should maintain loyalty to a distant tyrant. It’s self-sabotage to pursue reconciliation. For us, right here, right now, reconciliation means ruin. America must separate from Britain. We can’t go back to the cozy days before the Stamp Act. You know that’s true; it’s time to admit it. For heaven’s sake, we’re already at war!"

Answer 2

The sentence, which proposes that the American colonies should be neutral in their relationship with foreign nations is given below:

As Europe is our market for trade, we ought to form no partial connection with any part of it. It is the true interest of America to steer clear of European contentions, which she never can do, while by her dependence on Britain, she is made the make-weight in the scale of British politics. Europe is too thickly planted with kingdoms to be long at peace, and whenever a war breaks out between England and any foreign power, the trade of America goes to ruin, because of her connection with England.

It can be inferred from this sentence that, the relationships that the Americans formed with foreign nations usually affect their trading with other countries negatively when there is conflict. In order to avoid this in the future, Paine suggested that American colonies should maintain neutral relationships with foreign countries.