Question

“Some people say that, because America has grown wealthy under Great Britain, the same will happen in the future. Nothing can be more false. . . . I answer that America would have become just as wealthy, and probably more, had no European power ever been involved.” - Thomas Paine, 1776 The passage is taken from a pamphlet written in the 1700s. Which of these is the MOST LIKELY purpose of the pamphlet?
a.to convince the American colonies to separate from Britain
b.to convince the American colonies to remain under British rule
c.to convince the American colonies to tax the goods they produce
d.to convince the American colonies to specialize in different products

Answer 1

The correct answer is A)To convince the American colonies to separate from Britain

Thomas Paine's famous pamhplet Common Sense was written as a means to convince colonists that they would be better of without British control. In the passage above, Paine argues that the colonists would have had more financial success without being controlled by England. This is due to the fact that the colonists were often limited to trading just with England as part of its system of mercantilism. This severely limited the colonists and their ability to trade with other countries.

Answer 2

The correct answer is answer choice A