Thomas Paine's Characterization Of America

Thomas Paine’s Influence on the American Revolution Despite many peoples’ current beliefs that the thirteen colonies should go to war, in the 1770’s it was unthought of, and repudiated by numerous people living in what would soon be the United States. One famous person that went against what a majority of the people thought was Thomas Paine. Paine undermined the king in his pamphlets Common Sense, which was the primary influence on the Americans’ decision to go to war. Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737 in Norfolk, England.

Paine's essay presents that the government was always in God's hands. In paragraph 3 he says, 'my secret opinion has ever been, and still is, that God Almighty will not give up a people to military destruction,' which means he believes that God was in charge of the govt. In paragraph 3 it also says, 'Neither have I so much of the infidel in me, as to suppose that He has relinquished the govt, of the world,' what that means is he believes in no religion but believes that god has relinquished the government. Also, in paragraph 1 there is some talk about how the government is unfair, which is another thing Paine presents in his essay. Citizenship is presented as being very hard to show loyalty to Britain.

Thomas Paine was an English-born American political activist and revolutionary. In 1791 he published a book titled “Rights of Man.” In this, Paine describes the natural rights of the people and what may happen if governments choose not to protect these rights. In this he states that America is a place against all odds doesn’t have oppressed poor, and that the rich are not overly privileged. Thomas Paine’s characterization of America doesn’t hold true today because the government is no longer just and that poor people are oppressed.

He argues that a democratic system based on continual elections and rights of the people protected by a written constitution would be more beneficial to society. To strengthen the concept of democracy, Paine speaks of a hypothetical society brought up in an isolated part of the world, away from other inhabitants. This supposed society represented the first people. Thomas Paine claims that some of its people will have many accomplishments other will not; thus through hunger, disease, misfortune and death it is inevitable that the people will set up some form of government that “…will establish a common interest with every part of the community, they will mutually and naturally support each other, and on this (not on the unmeaning name of king) depends the strength of government, and the happiness of the governed” (Thomas Paine, Common Sense). This statement reassures his beliefs towards democracy while showing how pointless English rule is to society. Thomas Paine is attempting to promote American independence with this document by explaining the benefits of democracy, in doing so he is demeaning the English government. Paine emphasizes the prejudices the English may have had by stating, “And as a man, who is attached to a prostitute, is unfitted to choose

Thomas Paine was a revolutionary, intelligent, and a supporter of America gaining their freedom from England. Paine has written many books on his beliefs and thoughts on many different topics concerning America. The passage we read in class highlights how America is one unified and diverse nation. We have little taxes, because of how our government is just and we are all equal. I disagree with what Thomas Paine says, but on the other hand I agree too. We are a diverse nation, and for the most part our government is just, and in hard times we do come together. Then on the other side of things the rich are privileged, we have tons of taxes, and riots break out all the time.

Another problem which Paine found with the society of his time was social injustice. In Agrarian Injustice Paine expresses that “it is wrong to say that God made rich and poor, He made only male and female; and He gave them the earth for their inheritance” (Agrarian Justice). Paine is trying to show that people of all kinds of social standing are equal and it is a government’s responsibility to treat them that way. He goes on to explain that poverty is not natural but is a creation of humans as a result of civilized life. Paine explains the main way that humans have created social injustice is through the division of private property among citizens. He states that division of property “has dispossessed more than half the inhabitants of every nation of their natural inheritance, without providing for them, as ought to have been done, an indemnification for that loss” (Agrarian). Paine explains this to show that those in poverty are unable to control the situation they are in so all people should have a mutual obligation to help out everyone in

In 1791, Thomas Paine wrote the book Rights of Man, in which he expresses his thoughts on the unity of the American people. Walter Russell, however, claims America "has always been a division of man. There has always been the conqueror and conquered - the master and the slave - the ruler and the ruled - the oppressor and the oppressed. There has never been content nor unity. There has been only discontent and disunity". While in the United States there are people similar to Paine who strive for freedom and diversity, there are also those, as Walter Russell illustrates, who promote racism, violence, and disunity. Thomas Paine's viewpoint is mostly inaccurate because while there are times of peace, justice, and concord, there are far greater instances of oppression, privilege, and riots in America.

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

Upon turning on the news in America, the media is not reporting stories of wholeness and community, which one would expect upon reading Thomas Paine 's passage. It instead is littered with videos of protests and fights, church shootings, riots, racist graffiti, and other hate crimes. Paine has an idealistic view of America, and while Americans have the capacity to join together (as shown following the 9/11 terrorist attacks) we also have struggled throughout history with racism, and continue to today. At the time Thomas Paine wrote his passage, America was hard set in its racist ways, and has continued its history of oppression to modern day.

2) Some flaws that Paine finds with the current English government is the King of England holds all the power in the government and the Constitution of England is far too complex. The Constitution is too complex for the people to understand so that creates numerous problems, which will never be able to be solved. He believes that the government is contradicting itself when it explains that they have a union of three powers that are checking each other, but in reality no one has power over the king. England is allowing the king to have all the power to do pass any law that he chooses without any consequences. The current English

Government is a necessary evil because a government is needed to regulate a society and “protect life, liberty, and property”. He proposes the American Colonies are in need of a new government. He gives suggestions on how government officials should be elected. He also suggests that a “Continental Charter” be written at a Constitution Conference”. The type of government he proposed was a republican government. Paine suggests that only representation is crucial to “the strength of

Thomas Paine, a revolutionary, intellectual, and supporter of American independence from England published a book titled, “Rights of Man” which deals with the government shielding the natural rights of its people. Initially, the book captures the diverse aspect of this nation, but it fails to reveal the struggles that arise to preserve and adapt to such a society. Paine expresses his optimism towards the supposed perfection of American society, as one “made up...of people from different nations,” with certain expectations. Additionally, the time gap between “Rights of Man” and modern America cannot be neglected. Paine wrote during an era in which “constructing a government on the principles of society and the rights of man” was the essential objective of the country. However, modern-day America experiences opposite ideals and Paine’s theory no longer remains true because of the educational gap between the rich and poor, terrorism, and racial profiling.

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

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