Question

why did thomas paine question british authority to rule the colonies in common sense

Answer 1

Paine feels It was absurd for an island to rule a continent and that America was not a "British nation"; it was composed of influences and peoples from all of Europe. He also stated that if Britain was a mother country, that her brutality on her children would be considered horrendous. Paine concludes that the colonies are for Britain's interest and not care about the interest of the colonists.