Social Studies Block 4

12/10/10

Thomas Paine DBQ

Thomas Paine strongly argued that America should break away from Britain. “Paine
exerted enormous influence on the political thinking of the revolutionaries. His pamphlet
Common Sense, which sold as many as 150,000 copies in the year after it was published in
January 1776, (after battle of Concord and Lexington), demanded a complete break with Britain
and establishment of a strong federal union. It was along a powerful attack on the idea of
monarchy and hereditary privilege…” (Excerpts from Common Sense by Thomas Paine).
Thomas Paine argued that being a part of Britain would drag America into unnecessary European
wars and keep it from the international commerce, at which America excelled. It was a perfect
argument because America had not developed militaristically enough to have an intervention
policy, while Britain had one of the biggest and strongest military powers in the world and
intervened in many wars. Between the years 1700-1800 Britain fought in 18 major wars1. Eight
of these wars were fought before the American war for independence. This means British-

1
“War of the Spanish Succession (1702–1713) - England and Scotland/Great Britain,
Germany, Portugal and Holland v France ,Spain Queen Anne's War (1702–1713),War of
the Quadruple Alliance (1718–1720) - Great Britain, France, Austria and Holland v Italy
and Spain, War of Jenkins' Ear (1739–1742) - Great Britain v Spain, War of the Austrian
Succession (1742–1748) - Great Britain, Austria and Holland v France and Germany,
King George's War (1744–1748), Seven Years' War (1756–1763) - the first "world war",
French and Indian War (1754–1763) - Great Britain and Germany v Austria, France,
Russia, Sweden, Spain and Portugal, Anglo-Cherokee War (1759–1763) - North
America. Pontiac's Rebellion (1763–1766) - North America. First Anglo-Mysore War
(1766–1769) – India. American War of Independence (1775–1783) - North America,
civil war. First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782) – India. Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
(1780–1784), Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–1784) – India, Third Anglo-Mysore
War (1789–1792) – India, French Revolutionary Wars (1793–1802) - Great Britain,
Austria, Spain, Russia, Germany v France, War of the First Coalition (1793–1797), War
of the Second Coalition (1798–1801), Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798–1799) – India,
Irish Rebellion (1798)”(Wikipedia)
America colonies were in war with and had trade cut off from Spain, France, Holland, Germany,
Austria, Russia, Sweden, Portugal and Italy because of the British. Therefore British trade
regulations cost American businesses income and delayed the American economy’s
development. Thomas Paine made a justified point that Britain dragged America into European
wars and denied the American colonies’ commerce. Britain was a small island with a powerful
navy and a great army, but they lacked wood to produce large quantities of ships. America had
the potential to build more ships because of the huge forests in North America. More American
ships could allow America to have a stronger navy and win a naval war of attrition to defeat the
British navy. . Even Thomas Paine said “The colonies could become a navy power that could
rival the Royal navy by using the great amounts of lumber available in the country.” (Paine’s
Arguments Against British Rule)America also had a better army than the British because they
were able to defeat the British in the American war for independence. ”It was absurd that an
island could rule a continent’ (Paine’s Arguments Against British Rule) and as I stated before
American colony’s had the potential to patch or excel past the Royal Navy’s ability and had a
better army. So why should they dictate trade and laws to the 13 colonies. Thus, so Thomas
Paine’s argument that being a part of Britain would drag America into unnecessary European
wars and keep it from the international, commerce at which America excelled at, that supported
the British-America colony’s to rebel against Britain was justified and reasonable.