Question

What was the intended purpose of revolutionary pamphlets and articles, such as Thomas Paine's Common Sense and "The Crisis, No. 1"?

A. to argue that the worldwide British colonies should unite and fight back against British domination
B. to convince the American colonists to declare independence from Britain
C. to inform the American people about the views and actions of the British Government
D.to persuade American colonists to seek assistance from members of the British Parliament

Answer 1

I would also have to agree that the answer is B: to convince the American colonists to declare independence from Britain. To persuade the Americans to declare independence from Britain and to not loose hope in the battles they were fighting. Back in Thomas's time many were not educated so in his pamphlets he used simple terms that even the commoners knew and still had the power to inspire them.

The pamphlets became so popular that George Washington had his soldiers read them. They read these pamphlet's to boost the spirits of the soldiers because they has fought and at times it felt like the British had the upper hand and in many ways they did.

They were published from 1776 (I believe) to 1783, which was the time span of the War of Independence/ The American Revolutionary War. Hopefully this helped.

Answer 2

The correct answer is B, to convince the American colonists to declare independence from Britain. The pamphlet was written in simple language, so that mostly everyone living in the Thirteen Colonies could understand it and was published anonymously. It was a hit and paved the way for the American Revolution which took place that summer. The pamphlet clearly stated that the people living in the thirteen colonies needed immediate independence and stated all the advantages independence would bring. Since the thirteen colonies were established by people who strongly believed in the Christian faith, he wrote about biblical passages, which the colonists were able to relate to easily.