Paine V. Chalmers Maintaining Historical Perspective Is Essay

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 699 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

Page 1 of 2

Paine v. Chalmers

Maintaining historical perspective is a difficult task nearly two-hundred and fifty years after the event but a reading of Thomas Paine's Common Sense (Paine, 1997) and the contradictory pamphlet, Plaint Truth (Chalmers, 2010), prepared by British loyalist, James Chalmers, offers readers an excellent glance at the situation in colonial America in the beginning days of the Revolution. As evidenced by the rhetoric in both volumes, lines were being sharply drawn which would seem to indicate that there were only two sides to the issue but, in reality, the Chalmers and Paine writings are only examples of the two extremes and most of the colonists were philosophically positioned somewhere in between the two extremes.

The significance of Paine's pamphlet cannot be overstated. Relations between the Mother Country, England, and her colonies had been growing strained for a number of years but the impassioned words of a young dissident, who was relatively unknown at the date of his publishing Common Sense, would serve to galvanize the colonists and motivate them to participate in open rebellion.

Stuck Writing Your "Paine V. Chalmers Maintaining Historical Perspective Is" Essay?

View All Our Example Paine V. Chalmers Maintaining Historical Perspective Is Essay

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

Paine put into words the idea that Britain no longer had the right to govern the colonies (Paine: p. 25); that the monarchy was essentially corrupt both in operation and concept (Paine: p. 16); and, that the colonies were capable of sustaining themselves (Paine: p. 27). These were attitudes and beliefs that had been developing in the colonies for some time and particularly since the end of the French and Indian War but it was left to Paine to put them into words and circulate those words.

Breaking away from the monarchy, however, was not a universally held belief. There remained a significant segment of colonial society that held a contrary view. The publication of Paine's pamphlet was met with a certain measure of surprise and those who remained loyal to the crown were not content to sit back and allow Paine's views to go unchallenged. One individual determined to profess the opposing view was a prominent gentleman farmer from Maryland named James Chalmers. Within a few months of Paine's publishing of.....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Paine V Chalmers Maintaining Historical Perspective Is" (2012, June 19) Retrieved June 4, 2026, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/paine-chalmers-maintaining-historical-perspective-80766

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Paine V Chalmers Maintaining Historical Perspective Is" 19 June 2012. Web.4 June. 2026. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/paine-chalmers-maintaining-historical-perspective-80766>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Paine V Chalmers Maintaining Historical Perspective Is", 19 June 2012, Accessed.4 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/paine-chalmers-maintaining-historical-perspective-80766
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example