Christopher Barajas The 18 Century Throughout the 18th century numerous conflicts concerning issues of nationalism and patriotism emerged in Great Britain. James Chalmers and Thomas Paine argued whether or not they should depart from their home-land. James Chalmers illustrates in “Plain Truth, Addressed to the Inhabitants of America” that Independency is imminent. In other words, he states that if the colonist didn’t acquire liberty, America would collapse under the influence of injustice imposed by its’ mother country. He also supported the acts of Great Britain as opposed to Thomas Paine, who firmly believed the colonists should separate themselves from Great Britain in order to abstain from being taken advantage of for the sake of a society located an ocean away at the expense of their own well-being. Thomas Paine conveys this idea through highlighting occurrences where this type of discrimination was explicitly having an impact on the citizens; speaking of riots held by the citizens of the colonies and making the connection that this behavior was tied to an unwillingness of the people to be burdened with additional taxes without any voice in the matter.
One of Thomas Paine’s greatest strategic triumphs was to give the colonists an argument for why they needed to be free from the insensitive and disconnected power of Great Britain through a pamphlet he wrote, naming the piece “Common Sense”. Though Paine wasn’t religious at heart, he knew in order to captivate the hearts and relay his message upon the ears of others that he needed to establish a common vision to rally the people. By bringing the will of God into his argument, Paine was able to evoke empathy and a sense of purpose to the colonists. During this time most people in America had an overall knowledge of the Bible and this pamphlet utilized well known religious quotes in order to create an image for the people that displayed Thomas Paine as an honest man, intent on carrying out the will of god through his word. With the intention of bringing colonial sorrows to light, Thomas Paine asserts that the Constitution of England is a tyranny, ruled by a king whose intentions were ill-suited for the benefit of his people.
James Chalmers (born on August 4, 1841) was loyal to his homeland and gave his support to the king and his battles such as the Battle of Saratoga in which France partnered with the United States, as well as the Battle of Yorktown. He explained how independence and slavery were identical in meaning and in consequence, labeling both as destructive states of being based on his idea that becoming independent only