What Did Thomas Paine Say About Fighting For Our Freedom?

One of our greatest leaders, Abraham Lincoln, once argued, “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves” (Letter to H.L. Pierce, April 6, 1859). As Lincoln was fighting for freedom for all, he believed that it was morally wrong for one human to own another. He also thought that it was wrong to take away a chance of freedom from others. This relates to Thomas Paine's beliefs: He believed that if someone supports freedom, then they must to join the fight, and if they don’t then their children will have to suffer the consequences. On November 20, 1776, the American forces retreated from Fort Lee because the colonist were struggling to fight against the British. After the American forces retreated, Paine, a political activist and governor of Virginia, wrote a series of sixteen pamphlets called The American Crisis to lift the colonist's sagging spirits due to the devastating loss. In The Crisis No. 1, Paine implements language, a hopeful tone, and diction, to convey his purpose of persuading the men in the colonies to enlist in the war in an effort to retaliate against Great Britain, and assist the army to victory so the future generations don’t have to suffer.

A pamphlet authored by Thomas Paine, became a real best seller and many after reading such literature were ready to fight for their freedom. These legislatures were derived from the King of England George III. He soon became the most disliked man in American homes. The Revolution War brought the people together in a patriotic manner. Soon, a document that would change the lives of many was constituted for the citizens of America. The Declaration of Independence was then formed and granted all men freedom and equality.

The first reason the revolutionary war was justified was because the king ignored a myriad of petitions. In return, their “petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.” (7) Can you serve, respect, and honour a country that has brought death and soldiers into your land? Even after the King George III received the pleas of the settler, he continued to send more troops to their land, waging a silent war with the colonist’s. In Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, makes a very bold point that supports a big reason why the colonists were not guilty of declaring independence from Britain. He says “But...then tell me whether you can hereafter love, honour, and faithfully serve the power [ English Parliament ] that hath carried fire and sword into your land?” (6)What Paine

America’s triumph in the Revolutionary War against the British brought pure joy and glory. The Americans won! However, it was not without its struggles. It was essential to invoke passion and feeling from the people, otherwise the war would be lost in fear and doubt. One of those who urged people to join the movement, successfully strengthening their Patriotism, was Thomas Paine, an English-American political activist. In Thomas Paine’s “The Crisis,” he utilizes specific elements of style to persuade the Americans to unite and fight against Britain for liberty.

As the year 1776 began in the American colonies, tension with King George III’s England was at perhaps an all-time high.  Americans were frustrated with the actions of their rulers overseas.  Taxes and trade restrictions had been placed on them, and British and mercenary soldiers occupied their towns and cities.  There had even been fighting at Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill.  As America grew, England’s hold on it tightened, and a few voices began speaking of independence.  The loudest and most convincing of these belonged to Thomas Paine, born in England and living in Philadelphia.  His pamphlet, Common Sense, expressed the argument for American independence in a way no one had before and had a great influence on the Declaration of

The American Revolution, which resulted into the creation of The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, and several other important individuals would make horrendous contradictions that would create a double standard for African Americans. To this day our society is still plagued, and greatly affected by these double standards.

“We are in the very midst of the revolution, the most complete, unexpected and remarkable of any in the history of the world.” (McCullough 127) This dynamic quote was given by John Adams. The American Revolution started when Great Britain put taxes on the colonies. Feeling that these taxes were unconstitutional, the patriots started revolts like the Boston Tea Party. The American Revolution was fought from 1775 to 1783. America fought hard to win her freedom from Great Britain. This great war was fought in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and many other colonies. John Adams was vitally important during the Revolutionary War. He was at the forefront of America’s realization that she needed to be independent and he worked to accomplish this as a congressman, a great thinker and communicator, and a diplomat.

Today we look back at the American Revolution and picture a united people fighting for inalienable rights, but to grasp the impact that Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” had upon his contemporaries we must understand the situation in the American colonies in 1776. When Paine wrote his pamphlet, the colonist and The Parliament in London, were almost 10 years into a debate over the rights of limited self-government by the colonies. In the months preceding the publication of Paine’s pamphlet the situation had steadily worsened until the April 19th, 1775 armed confrontation between Massachusetts colonists and British Army soldiers. By the end of that day, blood had been shed by both sides, and armed colonists placed the British garrison in Boston under siege. Despite this violence, most colonists viewed the events as a part of a struggle between Englishmen that would be resolved with the continued allegiance of the colonies to the Crown, but with more favorable treatment from London. It was with this popular mindset throughout the colonies, that Paine would deliver his “Common Sense” pamphlet arguing for complete independence from England. Paine understood that to make his argument resonate he needed to appeal to the public in a manner that had yet to be done.

Thomas Paine argued for the need for the independence of the American colonies from Great Britain. In the beginning, he wrote about general theories of government, focusing then on the specific situation in the colonies

In the years of 1775-1776 the American colonist were locked under British control and were stripped away from their rights and their freedom. During this time the Americans came together to unite and secede from the British power. Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine’s purpose revealed through the Declaration of Independence and exhibits the ideal of freedom and justice. Through these actions, determination sought forth for sovereignty.

Native Americans continued to be viewed as inferior, so colonists did not consider them entitled to the same rights as the "freeborn Englishmen" like them. Finally,

After the war, many Native Americans feared that the Americans wouldn’t keep their promise of not taking their land, so on July 13, 1787 Congress signed the Northwest Ordinance that stated, “The utmost good faith shall always be observed toward the Indians; their land and property shall never be taken from them without consent; and in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed by Congress,” (Doc O). This was the first time a law was created to protect the rights of Native Americans. Along with the Native Americans, the African American community was seeing the changes that the American Revolution was bringing. Prior to the end of the end of the American Revolutionary war in 1783, three Northern states, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, had abolished slavery; after the war, more Northern states followed the first three’s example and abolished slavery, and later all the states ended slavery (Doc. K). This was the start to African Americans eventually becoming free of their bonds, and it was the American Revolution that started this movement. The social revolution of America changed the way people feel about different cultures and people, and it lead to the lives of Native Americans and Africans Americans changing in ways never thought of

I think the American Revolution wasn’t really revolutionary. The Speech Made By a Young Free African-American in 1819, Valedictorian of his New York Free School informed people that a young African American boy with the highest academic achievements in his class was still not treated like an equal by the white people. This speech was declared after the Revolutionary War, which shows that the war did not cause the relationship between whites and blacks to become better. He wrote, “No one will employ me; white boys won’t work with me,” and this is an example of how the relation between the two races wasn’t influenced by the war. The document, “Utmost Good Faith” Clause from the Northwest Ordinance, 1787 did not support that the Revolutionary

In 1776, America was starting stand to up against the British government. America hated being taxed and having to house the solders. The British thought that the taxes that was imposed on the colonies was normal, their people were used to paying, but the colonies were so angry about the constant taxes. They rebelled against the government and it eventually led to a revolution. During that time period Thomas Paine, one of the American founding fathers, an English-American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary was in favor of declaring independence from Britain. In the doing, he wrote a phaplet called Common Sense that was meant for the colonial people to be inspired to revolt against Britain. Charles Inglis, Irish clergyman and bishop, responded to Thomas Paine’s Common sense with The Interest of America. From these two I will compare the two and decided who’s argument is more persuasive and if I would be a revolutionist in 1776.

Between 1763 and 1775 resentment toward Britain grew dramatically as the American colonies steadily realized they weren’t being treated fairly. Discontentment grew because of lack of protection and lack of effective government from Britain, as well as no representation in the colonial legislature. Samuel Adams initiated protest and gained support in organizing people to do something about it. Eventually, members of the Virginia assembly independently adopted new agreements of nonimportation resulting in boycotting British goods. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense pamphlet encouraged the Patriots to assert their independence and spurred on the Revolutionary