Thomas Paine was a political writer who fervently supported the American Revolution. In this excerpt from his popular work Common Sense, Paine uses an analogy to refute a common Loyalist claim.

Why are rules protecting private property some of the most important rules in free-market system? a. private property protects individuals from unnecessary government control. b. individuals need to own resources in order to make free choices. c. consumers all desire to own as much property as they can. d. producers want to protect the profit they make by selling property to consumers.