Which historical event or events in Pre-Revolutionary America do you think the author referring to when he writes in lines 3 and 4: "...Then tell me whether you can hereafter love, honour, and faithfully serve the power that has carried fire and sword into your land?…"

The author is referring to the departure of the first colonizers from England to America.

Explanation:

The excerpt shown in the question above was written by Thomas Paine, in Common sense. In this passage, he reinforces the idea that it is impossible for America to reconcile with England, since England persecuted, killed and tortured the ancestors of the Americans. This is because, as everyone knows, the first colonizers left England to escape a religious persecution that did not allow him to live fully.

Paine claimed that England promoted a persecution of the colonists and now promotes a persecution against its descendants, which means that Americans never make peace with England.

the authority to tax.