"Every quiet method for peace hath been ineffectual. Our prayers have been rejected with disdain; and only tended to convince us, that nothing flatters vanity, or confirms obstinacy in Kings more than repeated petitioning—and nothing hath contributed more than that very measure to make the Kings of Europe absolute." – Thomas Paine, Common Sense How did this excerpt motivate colonists to support the creation of the Declaration of Independence?

In the excerpt, Thomas Paine is pointing out at the fact that peaceful means have been ineffective, or are likely to be ineffective, in convincing the British King, to grant the American colonies independence.

He is using a metaphor to illustrate what would happen if the American leaders continued to ask for independence through peaceful ways: the King would practically become flattered, instead of convinced, and double down on repression.

For this reason, Thomas Paine is, in a elegant way, advocating for the use of force in order to obtain the goal: independence.