Find out more about what Paine means here and how he framed independence in cosmological terms in Anthony DiLorenzo's essay, "To Begin the World Over Again”: Common Sense and the English Radical Tradition"

Edmund Burke was a British statesman, political thinker, and Parliamentary orator who was active in the major political issues occurring in Britain in 1785. He was part of the controversy between King George III and Parliament, who, he believed, were attempting to exert too much control over the executive. He argued that though the king's actions did not legally defy the constitution, they went against the constitution in spirit. Similarly, during the American imperial crisis, Burke argued that the British government's treatment of the colonies followed the letter of the law, but lacked consistency and respect for the colonies' claims.

As a Whig Parliamentarian, Burke supported Americans grievances against Great Britain, especially in the area of taxation. However, he criticized the French Revolution for being destructive to society.

King George II died on October 25, 1760, and was succeeded by his grandson, George III. During his reign, George II's reign oversaw the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. As Secretary of State, William Pitt the Elder directed the policy of the Seven Years' War.