Thomas Paine's influential pamphlet, Common Sense, provided the inspiration for America's independence from Great Britain. Common sense reflected the common belief that British rule was often heavy-handed, unnecessary, and even unfounded. Thus, the success of Paine's Common Sense can be attributed to Paine's ability to tap into the beliefs of his audience, the American people.
Paine's Common Sense is divided into four key sections, plus an introduction. The first section describes Paine's thoughts on the origin and design of government and the relationship of these spots to the English constitution. The second section presents Paine's arguments against the validity of the English and monarchy in the colonies. Section three is an examination all of American political life in the late 1770s. The final, fourth section, describes the present ability of America to exist as a nation independent of British rule.
Paine's arguments for American independence are based on his understanding of the difference between government and society. To Paine society is what is good and constructive, and what joins people together. In contrast, government exists to protect human life, liberty, and property. Essentially, Paine then argues that British government is abundant with contradictions and inefficiencies that were damaging to American society.
Paine argues that man is born into a state of equality, and that the monarchy defies this natural state. Thoughts, he argues that British monarchy and hierarchical rule is essentially abominable and against the laws of nature.
The American situation, according to Paine,...
Thomas Paine -- Common Sense Thomas Paine wrote "Common Sense" as an argument for American independence from Great Britain. Paine begins his essay with general reflections concerning government. He begins the second paragraphs with "Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one" (Paine pp). With this statement Paine is appealing to the masses by laying
Paine's decision to write of high philosophical and political issues in common speech, and of used "graphic metaphors and his simple sentence structure [to] reflect a language understood at the time by common Americans," (Moss & Wilson, ed) has much the same purpose as a translation of the Bible from Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic into Latin, which is to say the need to initiate common people into profound truths. Paine
Moreover Thomas made people realize that kings are the cause of all wars with his evidence from the Bible: In the early ages of the world, according to the scripture chronology, there were no kings; the consequence of which was there were no wars; it is the pride of kings which throw mankind into confusion." (Thomas Paine) Thomas was an expert in reaching down to the souls of common man and
Common Sense & Fed # Thomas Paine: Common Sense Thomas Paine argues in Common Sense that America should declare independence from Great Britain because submission to, or dependence on, Great Britain tends to directly involve the colonies in European wars and quarrels and sets them at odds with nations that would otherwise "seek our friendship, and against whom, we have neither anger nor complaint."[footnoteRef:1] [1: Thomas Paine, "Common Sense." Constitution Society (1776).
Most nations have let slip the opportunity, and have been compelled to receive laws from their conquerors (Paine). Democracy, the republic, voting, the Supreme Court, debate, etc. are no longer foreign concepts -- the great American "experiment" of 1776 still exists, so contemporary readers do not find issues of individual liberty and law to be either controversial or strange. Common Sense was a seminal event in the way the entire
Throughout the duration of the war, Paine was responsible for publishing a series of propaganda pieces which were published in the Crisis. In these, he often addressed the British Crown and warned of the Americans' united spirit: "In all the wars which you have formerly been concerned in you had only armies to contend with; in this case, you have both an army and a country to combat with,"
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