Arriving in the New World during November of 1774, it did not take long for the political revolutionary, Thomas Paine, to realize that it was time for drastic change in the British colonies (106). Shortly before Paine’s arrival, the Sons of Liberty, a rebellious group of colonists, threw 343 barrells of tea into the Boston Harbor (Tindall and Shi 128). The actions of the defiant colonists may have seemed radical at first, but the numerous taxes and restrictions that the British government had given unto them caused many Americans, including Paine, to believe that The Boston Tea Party was justified. When Paine traveled to America, or “the Continents” as he called them, he was given a fresh start. Paine left his misfortunate work and marriage
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Addressing one of the arguments, he writes, “I have heard it asserted by some, that... America hath flourished under her former connection with Great-Britain” (107). Paine undermines this statement, calling it “fallacious” due to his opine that the Continents would have been in a much better position if it were not for the royalty of Great Britain. In the 1660s, the British Parliament passed a series of Navigation Acts, taking control of much of the trading within the colonies. The first Navigation Act, passed in 1660, forced products such as tobacco and cotton to become exclusive imports for England. This proved to be detrimental to the colonies due to their reduction of exports. Additionally, the Navigation Act of 1663 required all colonial imports coming outside of England to first stop and pay a tax at British ports. In many cases, this caused England to be the sole source of imports for the Continents due to inflation (Tindall and Shi 104). The myriad of restrictions put on American commerce by England could be considered the reason why Paine believes that the colonists could experience a plentitude of trade opportunities with nearly all of Europe if they decided to become …show more content…
Thomas Paine predicted this epidemic, using the situation as an additional tool of persuasion. In his pamphlet, Paine discussed how “trade will always be a protection” along with claiming that “our corn will fetch its price in any market in Europe” (108). His projection of America’s fiscal state was corroborated shortly after the American Revolution when “American seaports were flourishing as never before.” Within five years of the rebellion coming to an end, the United States had developed trade treaties and opened markets with European countries such as the Dutch, Swedes, and Prussians along with other outlets in Africa and Asia. As a result, American merchants had more ships than ever before and farmers were selling twice as what they had been (Tindall and Shi
Addressing one of the arguments, he writes, “I have heard it asserted by some, that... America hath flourished under her former connection with Great-Britain” (107). Paine undermines this statement, calling it “fallacious” due to his opine that the Continents would have been in a much better position if it were not for the royalty of Great Britain. In the 1660s, the British Parliament passed a series of Navigation Acts, taking control of much of the trading within the colonies. The first Navigation Act, passed in 1660, forced products such as tobacco and cotton to become exclusive imports for England. This proved to be detrimental to the colonies due to their reduction of exports. Additionally, the Navigation Act of 1663 required all colonial imports coming outside of England to first stop and pay a tax at British ports. In many cases, this caused England to be the sole source of imports for the Continents due to inflation (Tindall and Shi 104). The myriad of restrictions put on American commerce by England could be considered the reason why Paine believes that the colonists could experience a plentitude of trade opportunities with nearly all of Europe if they decided to become …show more content…
Thomas Paine predicted this epidemic, using the situation as an additional tool of persuasion. In his pamphlet, Paine discussed how “trade will always be a protection” along with claiming that “our corn will fetch its price in any market in Europe” (108). His projection of America’s fiscal state was corroborated shortly after the American Revolution when “American seaports were flourishing as never before.” Within five years of the rebellion coming to an end, the United States had developed trade treaties and opened markets with European countries such as the Dutch, Swedes, and Prussians along with other outlets in Africa and Asia. As a result, American merchants had more ships than ever before and farmers were selling twice as what they had been (Tindall and Shi