Question

By referring the matter from argument to arms, a new area for politics is struck; a new method of thinking hath arisen. All plans, proposals, etc., prior to the nineteenth of April, i.e., to the commencement of hostilities [Lexington and Concord], are like the almanacs of the last year which, though proper [accurate] then, are superseded and useless now. Whatever was advanced by the advocates on either side of the question then, terminated in one and the same point, viz. [that is], a union with Great Britain. The only difference between the parties was the method of effecting it — the one proposing force, the other friendship; but it hath so far happened that the first hath failed and the second hath withdrawn her influence. Paine compares the attempts to reconcile with Britain after the Battle of Lexington and Concord to an old almanac. What does he mean? What did investigations soon reveal?

Answer 1

Thomas Paine's comparison of attempts to reconcile with Britain after the Battle of Lexington and Concord to an old almanac signifies that these attempts were outdated and no longer relevant. Investigations revealed that both sides sought a union with Great Britain but differed in their methods. The British use of force had failed, and Britain's influence had diminished.

Step-by-step explanation:

Thomas Paine's comparison of attempts to reconcile with Britain after the Battle of Lexington and Concord to an old almanac means that these attempts were outdated and no longer relevant. Just like an old almanac, which contains information from the previous year the plans and proposals made prior to the battle were superseded and rendered useless by the events that transpired. Investigations soon revealed that both sides, despite advocating for a union with Great Britain, differed in their methods of achieving it - one through force and the other through friendship. However, the use of force by the British had failed, and Britain's influence had waned.