Common Sense By Thomas Paine Summary

The book Common Sense by Thomas Paine was an American pamphlet written during the American Revolution, which was around the time when America was trying to gain independence from Britain. Paine discusses government, religion, and colonial issues. In the first chapter Paine differentiates between the society and the government. He described the society as being positive and constructive and he described the government being a necessary evil. Meaning the colonist needed to have some form of government to protect themselves from the basic rights. Paine also confronts the British government saying that their government is far too complicated and controversial, and that it would eventually cause problems for the colonists and the hierarchies. He makes up a pretend situation with a group of people on an island who are cut off from the general population. After developing relationships with one another the lawmaking portion becomes unavoidable. Paine says the people will be better off if they make up the rules they have to abide by instead of having set rules the King comes up with himself.

Unequivocally one of the most historically and culturally-significant pieces of literature, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense has been meticulously analyzed for its effectiveness in eliciting the reaction that Paine himself intended in 1776. At the forefront of Paine’s pamphlet is “Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs,” notable for its first sentence: “In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple, facts, plain arguments, and commonsense” (7). Within, Paine “elaborates” on three main points that strengthen the option of independence: the effects of British rule on the colonies; the plausible relationship with Britain upon reconciliation; and the actual role of England as a parent country as opposed to England’s optimal role. However, upon analysis of the text, I discerned that Paine does not develop his main points to the extent that he does his almost-propaganda-like statements regarding England. Despite this, adding historical knowledge to Common Sense can help one corroborate Paine’s views to an extent. Overall, when expressing his views on the colonies’ relationship with England, possible results of reconciliation, and England as a parent country, Paine does not elaborate, but information regarding the Navigation Acts and mercantilism can assist one in understanding the significance of Common Sense.

It claims all monarchs are despots, cut off from their people and craving for absolute power.  “Male and female are the distinctions of nature,” Paine wrote, “good and bad the distinctions of heaven; but how a race of men came into the world so exalted above the rest . . . is worth enquiring into” (Paine 9).  Government is a necessary evil, a “badge of lost innocence,” that tends to get in the way of civilized society.  Modern civilizations should organize themselves into local, self-governing societies with only representational government, suggested Paine, not an all-powerful monarch. “Of more worth is one honest man to society, and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived” (Paine 17).

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

The document Common Sense by Thomas Paine was written in 1775, and published in 1776. Though, in order to be shared with the public, Thomas Paine had to be inspired first. Some of the more common inspirations were derived from the ideas of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. The main points of Thomas Paine’s document were to separate from English rule and to form a democratic nation. Some of John Locke’s most common ideas of the human nature were that humans needed independence to thrive, a statement aligning with Paine’s strongly.

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.

That type of government in which he proposed was representative democracy. He introduces this idea by saying “LET the assemblies be annual, with a President only. The representation more equal. Their business wholly, domestic, and subject to the authority of a Continental Congress.”(pg. 96) Paine is indicating that the American colonies must gain their independence and cut off ties from Britain. He provides counterarguments and rebuttals to show that his reasoning behind America gaining independence is valid and crucial. He challenges a particular assertion that he has heard by some which says “…America hath flourished under her former connexion with Great-Britain…the same connexion is necessary towards her future happiness.” He rebuts this counterargument by using an analogy of a child thriving on milk. Because the child has thrived on milk does not mean it should never have meat, he essentially says. Britain has never had America’s best interest at heart, they treated the colonies as a piece of property and nothing more. Paine suggests that if America breaks its ties with Britain, there will be no need for Britain to defend them against the rest of the world. The reason being that if America becomes a trade partner that is mutually beneficial and adequate enough with the other countries in Europe, no individual country will allow it to fall because they would prefer to keep America free. He stresses that “A government of our own is our natural

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.

In his writing, Paine acknowledges that, “Volumes have been written on the subject of the struggle between England and America.” (Paine, 683) He further states that these writings had proven

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 a time of uncertainty and alliances Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense provided the American people an easy way to understand the breakdown of who they were going to go to war against and why they should. Paine offered opinions with intellectual backing, opinions that were soon backed or opposed by other colonists and debated from taverns to law offices all over the colonies. In this paper, I will be discussing Paine’s intended audience, his perspective, the major problems he sees between England and the American colonies, and why his writing was so persuasive to support the revolution and weaknesses in his argument.

Paine may not have been the perfect man but he did have great ideas at least for some people in America. In Hogeland sure essay he describes how pains ideas are greatly divided here in the 21st-century. For example pain talks about not getting religion and politics mixed in with each other, as in don’t let your beliefs in God affect the way a country should be ran “Those objecting to religious-right projects like teaching creationism in schools invoke Paine the Deist, exponent of scientific inquiry. Yet WallBuilders, a conservative Christian organization, cites a 1797 speech in which Paine criticized science teachers for overemphasizing reason and ignoring the "Divine Author." (Hogeland, p69) this is the main theme Hogland is trying to get at. People today are very particular about their politics and how they should be run based on ideas of the past for example, the constitution that was written in the 1700s by the founding fathers of America. People today find this document to be life or death if you want to go against it, its is considered un-American or completely against republicanism and democracy. He is saying people change their views based on what is most acceptable to them at

“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.