Common Sense : Thomas Paine

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.

Paine presented his argument by defining the distinctions between society and government. He writes, “Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but

Common Sense was written by an Englishman, Thomas Paine, who came to the American Colonies in 1774. He had strong opinions about the British Monarchy – and monarchy in general – including the fact that by nothing more than an accident of birth one man had rule over so many other humans. He viewed this elevation to monarch unnatural as all men are created equal. Additionally, Paine notes that “there is something exceedingly ridiculous in the composition of Monarchy; it first excludes a man from the means of information, yet empowers him to act in cases where the highest judgment is required.” To add weight to that argument that the Monarch is irrelevant to government, Paine also wrote that “Of more worth is one honest man to society, and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived.” Paine appeals to the every man with this statement. Throughout the section on monarchy he criminalized the King and laid all manner of pitfalls and corruptions at his feet.

Paine believes that Britain has never really been a part of a representative democracy because of the monarchy. Also, because of the lack of a House of Commons, which is chosen by the people, because of hereditary succession, which is obviously not chosen by the people, but people born into the royal family. Hereditary succession has basically eliminated the people’s chance of having a voice or say so in what decisions are made for them. Paine

Paine describes society as very constructive and good as people come together to accomplish good things. Then he goes

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, on the surface, is a call for the dissolution of British monarchial hold on American society. Upon closer inspection of his rhetoric, historical references, and his concept of independence, his audience witnesses more than just an incitement to revolution. Paine is redeveloping the American concept of rights and, thus, redefining its roots. By eliminating British ties in this pamphlet, he creates a “rights foundation” that relies on discourse and national institutions.

Paine begins his essay more generally, focusing on theoretical reflections about government and religion. He identifies the difference between society and government by saying, “Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, where the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercouse, the other creates distinctions. the first is a patron, the last is a punisher.” (Paine 69) By this he means that society unites people in constructiveness and accomplishing goals. Government, on the other hand, merely protects us from our own evils making government itself a “necessary evil.” (Paine 69) Paine claims that government’s sole purpose should only consist of protecting life, liberty, and property.

According to Thomas Paine 's pamphlet, he had supported the American Revolution that refers to “American Independence”. The objective to write “Common Sense” is that challenged to the British government and motivated American to follow their own destiny. Furthermore, His written work was the first time that asked for independence from Britain. The inspiration of Thomas came from the suggestion of Benjamin Rush who is an outspoken defender of American rights from Great Britain. Common Sense was both reveals independence from England and the creation of a democratic republic. In the revolution, the thirteen colonies supported this revolution by rejecting the British government. Additionally, denying the monarchy and aristocracy of British as well as resisting British oppressive government. As Paine having an argument in his small book, he encouraged American to chip off and declared independence from the Great Britain. The declaration indicated three main points is that the natural right, British wrongs and independence.

According to Paine, the government is “evil.” Monarchy, as stated by Paine, is one example of the evils of government. Originally, the world had no knowledge of what a monarch was until the Jews adapted customs from the Heathens. Placing an individual,

In his pamphlet Common Sense, Thomas Paine begins to argue that American should claim full independence from Britain rather than merely fighting to seek freedom from unfair taxation. Thomas Paine begins his arguments with distinguishing the concepts of society and government. According to Paine, Society is when people come together to support each other and to accomplish something by working together. On the other hand, Government as an organization whose sole aim is to prevent the evil in the man. To illustrate his point, Paine presents a small group of people, placed in an isolated island, making them the only beings on that land. Soon, they would find themselves interacting with each other to survive and form a basic sense of community. However, as the size of society continues to grow, they would need to choose representatives to make the law. Paine expressed his disagreement on how British ruled in America, thus he plans to invade on the system of British government. According to Paine, British system is too

Common Sense, a pamphlet* written by Thomas Paine about why America should pull away from England. In this pamphlet Thomas Paine stated that everything King George had done was cruel to the colonists, and enough is enough. To the loyalist's surprise, the pamphlet spread across the country and even they had to agree. There are many reasons that this pamphlet was so successful: anyone could get it and it was exactly what was on almost everyone's minds.

Common sense is a pamphlet created by Thomas Paine for the American colonies to get their independence from the British government and for the people to be able to choose the rulers or officials to govern over them. In Thomas Paine pamphlet he had four sections which where origin and design of government in which he states that elections where the right thing for any government because it represents the people, of monarchy and succession that lineage of kings should not be the head of government because it requires a man that is honest and known by the people rather than a king in which few of the citizens know who he truly is, thoughts on the present state of American affairs states that independence is what the American colonies should strive for and not partial representation, and of the present ability of America is how a government and people can sustain themselves without the need of outside aid. The impact of common sense in the colonies was a motivation for the American people to be able to get their independence from Britain. After five months that common sense was published the second continental congress meet in Philadelphia to write the declaration of independence in which they said that it was time to break away from great Britain’s grasp and become an independent nation. Thomas Paine pamphlet common sense made arguments some of which were political, economic, religious, and emotional to get British colonial citizens to be able to separate from Great Britain.

Thomas Paine believed that government was a necessary evil that had to occur because of the ill morality of man. He believed that the society brought about all of the positive and beautiful things in man. Paine made it easier for people to understand what he was talking about by

Paine was the “firebrand of the American Revolution.” His writings brought courage in times of crisis. At the time Paine wrote “Common Sense” the colonies were still split on the question of declaring their independence from Great Britain. Some instructed their delegates in the Continental Congress to act against separation from the mother country. Thousands of colonists were undecided. To rally the faltering Paine wrote: “Freedom has been hunted around the globe. Asia and Africa have expelled her…and England has given her warning to depart. O, receive the fugitive and prepare in time an asylum for mankind!” Colonists up and down the coast read Paine’s pamphlet, which stir call to action. George Washington said it turned doubt into decision for independence.

The ideas of the writers during the enlightenment served as a great inspiration for the government in America. In Thomas Paine’s writing Common Sense show ideas from Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, as well as the Virginia Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Independence. These ideas served as the philosophical underpinnings of the United States of America today.