Final answer:
Paine's response is that the British protected America for their own interests, not out of altruism, and this is reflected in their inhibition of the colonies' economic development.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Paine's response to the argument that the British have protected America can best be aligned with the notion that they did so for their own interests, not out of a sense of altruism towards the American colonies. In his critical work Common Sense, Paine argued that while the British government may have initially provided guidance and protection to the American colonies, this was not out of care for the American people. Paine emphasized that the British government had ultimately placed its own interests ahead of those of the colonies, especially when economic growth and trade were being inhibited, thereby neglecting their duty to the colonists.