''Plain Truth'' is a

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a ...

authored by the

loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

James Chalmers in 1776, as a rebuke of

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...

's ''

Common Sense ''Common Sense'' is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Writing in clear and persuasive prose, Paine collected various moral and political argu ...

''. Chalmers, under the pen name “Candidus”, begins by stating his love for ‘true liberty’, alongside his belief in

’s insidious intent, which he believes will bring the thirteen colonies into ‘ruin, horror, and desolation’. ''Plain Truth'' stated that Thomas Paines' complaints about the British Monarchy were 'invalid' and ' barbaric'. Plain Truth goes on denounce Common Sense’s attempt to utilise religion to attack the institution of monarchy, pithily summarising that Thomas Paine should have added ‘Common Sense, and blood will attend it’. Chalmers then goes on to describe the British Constitution as being one consisting of ‘Monarchy, Aristocracy, and Democracy’. He goes on to argue that without this mixed system, the constitution would devolve into a pure democracy. The author then goes on to denounce the radical democratism which Common Sense extols, quoting

Montesquieu Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (; ; 18 January 168910 February 1755), generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French judge, man of letters, historian, and political philosopher. He is the principa ...

that “No government is so subject to CIVIL WARS and INTESTINE COMMOTIONS”. Another main argument against Thomas Paine’s

is that due to eastern seaboard exposed nature, and the size of the colonist armies, the thirteen colonies alone could not stand up to Britain. Chalmers argues that in the event of Spanish and French Intervention would not be motivated to aid American independence, but merely to divert Britain’s attention away from its empire. James Chalmers finishes the pamphlet with the statement: "Independence and slavery are synonymous terms."

References

External links

An abridged edition of the March 1776 pamphlet written as a response to Thomas Paine's ''Common Sense''.An unabridged version.
Pamphlets 1776 non-fiction books American political philosophy literature Documents of the American Revolution {{Poli-essay-stub