Analysis Of Common Sense By Thomas Paine

​Thomas Paine's Common Sense is a seminal piece of American literature and American history; arguably it's the most important piece. Paine wrote Common Sense in 1775-1776, and it's theme was to spread his political beliefs. He wanted American independence from the British monarchy. The pamphlet was anonymously released on January 10th, 1776, and it explained to the reader why the colonies needed to rebel against their British oppressors. It was sold far and wide across the colonies, and it was successful; it inspired many of the soldiers during the initial summer of rebellion in 1776. The whole idea of the pamphlet revolves around persuading the reader to side with the rebels in their valiant fight for independence, and he absolutely uses contemporary persuasive techniques in his writing. He uses facts about the present, he looks towards the future, and he uses religion to persuade his readers. In fact, it's a testament to how the act of persuasion has been very similar over the last 238

Paine's vehement use of schemes exposes the intertwined relationship between the government and the governed, as he interjects, "Interchange will establish a common interest with every part of the community, they will mutually and naturally support each other and on this…depends the strength of the government, and the happiness of the governed"(par. 2). This delicate, yet critical balance of the people versus the state is what this country has been about from the very beginning of it, a place where there will not be the acted upon, but those who act, a place where choice has become the most important part of life, the very center of life itself, affecting both individuals, communities, and this nation as a whole. This catching parallel structure is also used in the final paragraph as Paine expresses: "However our eyes may be dazzled with show, or our ears deceived by sound; however prejudice may warp our wills, or interest darken our understanding, the simple voice of nature and of reason will say, it is

Thomas Paine expresses his feelings toward the English constitution and its flaws specifically the crown. According to Paine, "because the

Common Sense is a pamphlet in a series of pamphlets called, The American Crisis, which was written by the enlightenment philosopher and author, Thomas Paine. Thomas Paine was a significant character in the American fight for independence by using his radicalized writings to inspire the colonists to conclude it was time to break away from British rule. Common Sense was critically successful due to it selling 500,000 copies a few months after it’s publication in 1776. Common Sense is a pamphlet that has many key ideas that show the many strengths of Paine’s argument while also having some weaknesses that could damage the credibility of his argument.

Thomas Paine was an England born political activist, theorist, philosopher and revolutionary. He was an influential writer of essays and pamphlets. His works included “The Age of Reason, “Rights of Man” and the widely known and well accepted “Common Sense”. He is one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and had a major influence on the American Revolution by helping shape many of the ideas that marked the Age of Revolution. His extremely popular Common Sense pamphlet (which I will be discussing in this essay) was the first pamphlet to advocate for American Independence. Common Sense is the best-selling book in American history, a statistic that speaks to the power that the book held.

During the late 1700's, the colonies and their mother country, Great Britain, were butting heads with immense taxation and the unreasonable laws England placed on the colonies. Thomas Paine was a journalist at the time and published one of his famous works "Common Sense" in 1776. The pamphlet was intended to challenge the British government authority that was overruling the colonial power. The arguments Paine states in Common Sense became some of the deciding factors of the colonies breaking away from Great Britain.

If Thomas Paine never published Common Sense Americans today would not only fail to fully grasp the many aspects as to why colonist wanted independence so bad, but it also might have taken American’s many more years before they earned their independence, and it is possible that America may not have ever got its independence. Common Sense was a crucial turn for American’s opinion against Britain. It was key factor in pursue colonies to fight for complete independence. So if Common Sense was never written, American’s today would be oblivious to how the colonist felt back then.

Although Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense to express displeasure towards the british regime, his greater purpose was to rally the colonist against the tyranny of the mother country, therefore establishing inalienable rights that would become the groundwork of the United States.

Thomas Paine was responsible for some of the most influential works of the revolution. Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense was a very crucial part to America and its movement of independence from Britain. Paine was effective with his writings by being very plain. He wanted both farmers and officials to understand what he was talking about and be able to comprehend his ideas. Paine wanted to put his ideas out to the people of the American colonies so that they could understand it just by reading and not have to analyze and decipher what he was really trying to get across. He wanted to let the colonist know that there was no more room for talking about a split from English rule but it was time for the colonies to unite and take up arms against their British oppressors.

In 1776, a young man who had been unsuccessful for most of his life, Thomas Paine published the pamphlet Common Sense. The pamphlet persuaded the colonists to declare independence from England, and take up arms in the Revolutionary War. Common Sense was highly effective in motivating the colonists to permanently separate from England and form a new nation. In American history, Thomas Paine became known as one our founding fathers. Paine’s influence on American history is vastly significant, and remnants of that influence continues to be an aspect of our nation today. When analyzing Common Sense as a historical source, it can be seen that Paine utilizes the rhetorical appeals of ethos and logos to gain support for independence from England, and support for liberation from the hereditary succession in a monarchy.

It was this variance in heritage that nurtured both Paine’s familial recognition of the common man’s adversity in a monarch’s dominion and his natural predisposition for the written word and self-edification. Liell draws on this point citing Paine’s short lived days at a grammar school near his homeland.(pg.27) Such an opportunity was uncommon for the son of a corset maker and although it would have been more anticipated that he would simply follow his father’s vocation, his parents stressed the significance of pursuing knowledge. Paine further established his kinship and compassion of the common man when he ventured out as a privateer, despite his father’s previous attempts of curtailing such adventures. Not much is known of Paine’s days as a privateer other than it was short lived. It is assumed that he had grown distaste for the lifestyle, perhaps because he simply found it disagreeable or found disdain for the lack of principles for which privateers’ stand. Nonetheless, the experience left Paine with a greater understanding of the soldier class. Not too long after his days as a privateer, Paine finds himself under the employ of the government, a peculiar position for the man who would inspire a revolution against the same government not but a few years later. Furthermore, Paine was an excise man. Not the position a man of the people would be expected to fill. However, Paine,

The next point Liell makes that was significant in the creation of Common Sense is the time and place in which Paine arrived in America. In November of 1774, the ship Paine was travelling on docked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the time, the colony had a population of 30,000, making it the largest city in America (45). John Adams expressed his first impression of the city, saying that “the regularity and elegance of this city are very striking” (45). Philadelphia was the center of colonial events. From the first continental congress to the everyday flow of information, there was always something going on (48). Paine was fortunate enough to be right in the middle of it. It was here that Paine began writing for Pennsylvania Magazine, the most widely read magazine in the colonies (51). Through his work at the magazine, he began to find pleasure in his writing and was glad to have found a way to express his voice (51). It was an innovative time and place, and if not for Paine’s timing, he would not have gained the cultural influences that the city provided for him.

“In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense…” (Paine, 455), the opening line of a book which changed a nation. The renowned American author Thomas Paine writes this straightforward sentence with one task in mind, persuade the American people to declare independence from Britain. Discussing the controversy between the separation of England and the newly formed America 's, the author conveys that America must not only isolate herself from England, but America must also reject a monarchical government. Emphasizing that “Now is the seed-time of Continental union, faith and honor,” (Paine, 456), Paine stresses the urgency of the topic, that what is written must come to pass in the near

Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, is a major document of American history written between 1775-76. In this, Paine argues for the independence of the colonies. He begins his argument with general reflections about government and religion. He then specifies issues that dealt with the colonies.

Thomas Paine was an English-American philosopher, political theorist, political activist, revolutionary, and one of Americas Founding Fathers. He was born on February 9, 1737 in Thetford, United Kingdom. His early life in England consisted of little education, other than reading, writing, and arithmetic, and numerous jobs such as stay maker, corset makers, and an officer. He never exceeded at any of these tasks. It was 1772 where he published his first political article pertaining to the higher pay excise officers should receive. After this, Paine moved to America where he went on to work for Pennsylvania Magazine and write several essays and pamphlets that influenced many Americans during the American Revolution. Some of his crucial pieces of work consist of African Slavery in America, Rights of a Man, The Age of Reason, and perhaps Paine’s