Question

Base your answer to the question on the passage below and on your knowledge of social studies.

„As to government matters, it is not in the power of Britain to do this continent justice: the business of it will soon be too weighty and intricate to be managed with any tolerable degree of convenience, by a power so distant from us, and so very ignorant of us; for if they cannot conquer us, they cannot govern us. To be always running three or four thousand miles with a tale or a petition, waiting four or five months for an answer, which, when obtained, requires five or six more to explain it in, will in a few years be looked upon as folly and childishness. There was a time when it was proper, and there is a proper time for it to cease.” Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776
What is the main argument Thomas Paine makes concerning the relationship between Great Britain and its American colonies?
a) Britain wants to make America a part of the European continental system.
b) America is too distant for Great Britain to govern effectively.
c) America lacks representation in Parliament.
d) American colonial leaders believe British officials want to use them to fight European wars.

Answer 1

Option b. The main argument Thomas Paine makes in the excerpt concerning the relationship between Great Britain and its American colonies is that America is too distant for Great Britain to govern effectively.

Step-by-step explanation:

In his pamphlet known as "Common Sense" that was published on January 10th, 1776, Thomas Paine expresses his opinion on why Great Britain is not able to effectively govern its colony in America. The political activist states that the physical distance that separates both territories makes it inconvenient for the British to be proper rulers, as every single petition or exchange made between the two parts ends up with the Americans having to wait for months for a reply. In his own words, this style of communication will be seen in the future as "childish and folly".

Answer 2

The main argument Thomas Paine makes as regards the relationship between Great Britain and its American Colonies is option b) America is too distant for Great Britain to govern effectively. Thomas Paine was one of the Founding Father of the Unites States and advocated for the independence of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain. He inspired the American Revolution by writing the Common Sense pamphlet in which he exposed the political and moral reasons why United States should not be govern by Great Britain.