Use the excerpt to answer the question.
A government of our own is our natural right: And when a man seriously reflects on the precariousness of human affairs, he will become convinced, that it is infinitely wiser and safer, to form a constitution of our own in a cool deliberate manner, while we have it in our power, than to trust such an interesting event to time and chance.—Thomas Paine, Common Sense
What effect do you think these words had on the American colonists?
(1 point)
Responses
a.They most likely inspired fear in the Loyalists of the Patriots.
b.They most likely strengthened the colonists’ desire to act on their wish to separate from Britain.
c.They most likely encouraged the Framers to meet and write the U.S. Constitution at the Continental Congress.
d.They most likely increased colonial acts of civil disobedience by confirming their validity
b. They most likely strengthened the colonists’ desire to act on their wish to separate from Britain.
b.They most likely strengthened the colonists' desire to act on their wish to separate from Britain.
To find the answer to this question, we can analyze the excerpt from Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Paine argues that it is the natural right of the American colonists to have their own government. He emphasizes the precariousness of human affairs, suggesting that it is wiser and safer for the colonists to form their own constitution rather than leaving it to time and chance.
Based on this information, we can determine that the words most likely strengthened the colonists' desire to act on their wish to separate from Britain. Paine's argument for the colonists to form their own government would have resonated with those who already desired independence from British rule, further fueling their determination to take action.
Therefore, the correct response is b. They most likely strengthened the colonists' desire to act on their wish to separate from Britain.