Kristen Thompson
Common Sense
M/W 2-3:15 Thomas Paine made no secret for his hatred of the British monarchy. This was partially due to their absolutism beliefs, the oppression of his countrymen, and the system of government where the rich got richer and the poor get poorer. He believed that Britain would never have a balanced government so long as monarchy and hereditary succession stayed in place. When Thomas Paine immigrated to Philadelphia, several things had strong influences on his writing of Common Sense. The Intolerable acts as well as the Enlightenment Challenge influenced his writing concerning the view of parliament and British monarchy (maybe switch this sentence for the next one).After Parliament had passed The Intolerable Acts, Paine watched the continuation and control the British Monarchy and Parliament had in America, along with their unnatural behaviors and influence over government issues, the ideological changes that came from ‘The Enlightenment Challenge’. Paine believed change could and should happen; that America could find economic independence and not carry any burden of debt if they separated from Britain since their debt was actually Britain’s in the first place. Paine said that there could be no reconciliation; he understood that to become free and have liberties with an independent government there was no going back, only forward. Paine had a strong desire to see religious freedom become possible, and for people to have the right to choose and
The first similarity between Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson is that both documents called for the independence of American colonies under the British crown. Thomas Paine explained to the colonist the reasons why they should become free from British rule. One of the topics Paine focused on was how the king of Britain abused the rights of the colonist. Some of the mal-practices the crown imposed on the colonist include, the heavy taxation on the colonist to help Britain recover from its war expenses against the French and to help rebuild the nation and wellbeing of its citizens back
Thomas Paine claims in Common Sense that the people living in America do not need to tolerate the oppression from their British overlords. His main purpose for writing this pamphlet was to expose the injustice of the British towards the Americans and to persuade those who still believed that the British were either needed or were beneficial for the Americans in 1776. Paine values the idea that the Americans need to revolt against their evil ,oppressive, monarchical rulers in Britain and to establish pure democracy in the Thirteen Colonies. Paine writes from the perspective of an equal to his fellow American man, thus making him relatable from common folk to the wealthy merchants and upper classes. Paine shows the British tyranny over America as horrific and he wishes to expose British faults and impurities to inspire the colonists
In 1775, the Second Continental Congress created the Olive Branch Petition in an attempt to avoid conflict with Great Britain . The King was disgusted by the audacity that his colonies would attempt a rebellion. Immediately afterwards, King George III had sent half of the English Navy, two-thirds of the English Army, and hired mercenaries from Germany. The rebellion lacked numbers and strength; many Loyalists still resided in the colonies ready to join forces with the monarchy.
The purpose of the excerpt form Common Sense was to discuss all of the unfair things Britain did to America while under their rule. Paine's main argument was to convince others to start their own government. He states facts/reasons why Britain's rule is no longer needed and uses rhetoric in a way where he is constantly repeating how horrible Britain had been.He said a few things to give more emphasis on why they needed to separate from Britain for example;"We boasted the protection of Great Britain, without considering, that her motive was INTEREST not ATTACHMENT; that she did not protect us from OUR ENEMIES on OUR ACCOUNT, but from HER ENEMIES on HER OWN ACCOUNT...".He said this to give an emphasis on how Britain took advantage of the colonies
Paine's remarks abut the British monarchy was that British monarch was not what America supported. Due to brutal laws and rules, colonists were highly upset at Britain. The colonists knew that the taxes the British was imposing were coming from the past and recent war with France and the Indians. Paine was against the British monarch. Paine expressed that the monarhy was headed by a brutal ruler. The people should be ran by a democracy. As for Jefferson, his remarks towards the British monarchy was very close to the statements of Paine. Jefferson saw the governement as non-religious where the people should follow, "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God". Also, he pressed for people to have natural
Paine did this through his publication of “Common Sense”. In this periodical, Paine spoke in simple English so that colonists from different places with different literacy levels could understand him. One of Paine’s main points was that Britain’s government was corrupt and that Americans were being oppressed while being controlled by this government. Paine believed that “thirst for absolute power is the natural disease of monarchy,” (Paine 1.17) as well as “the property of no man is secure,” (Paine A.16). Paine saw what the British were doing, and he believed that corruption and a lust for power oppressed other individual’s rights.
Scott Liell’s book 46 pages: Thomas Paine, Common Sense, and the Turning Point to Independence ultimately describes Thomas Paine’s life and showcases the struggles he went through and the outside forces that influenced him to write Common Sense. Liell’s book also expresses the importance of Common Sense, stating that it is the “single most influential political work in American history” (16). Paine was born and raised in England, in which the King and his monarchial rule would have evident influence in his later
When understanding Thomas Paine's Common Sense it clear that Paine is fighting for American independence. However, his arguments where more complex and more general about government and religion based off of the set of circumstancse in the colonies. In addition, Paine determines the aspects between governement and society as a whole. According to Paine, "society is everything constructive and good that people join together to accomplish." Althoguh Paine belived that the government on the other hand was more like an confined institution with the purpsoe to only protect our own moral downfalls.
Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense, to explain his vision of the ideal government, one where people vote and elect a person to run the country, which is similar to our democracy today( “the great power of government be held in one elected legislature for the nation and one for each individual province”). He mainly criticizes Great Britain and how we need to break away and become our own country or government? After his writing went public and explaining what had happened between America and Great Britain, it was time for America to finally secede.
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.
Thomas Paine, an English political philosopher and writer made his way to the colonies when his good friend, Benjamin Franklin convinced him to do so. He worked as an editor for the Pennsylvania Magazine. Although, published anonymously in 1776, Paine was the man behind Common Sense, a political pamphlet that was distributed between all the colonies and challenged the British government by suggesting American Independency. Paine wrote the Common Sense because in his mind he believed change needed to happen or that eventually change would come. He wanted to inform the common people of this possible independence , motivate them and wake them up from the existing dangers of staying under Great Britain.
Paine writes the passage "Thoughts on the present state of American affairs" in the simplest of language, and he attacked monarchy and hereditary succession because he wanted to gain more support on the revolt against Great Britain. Reading this chapter helped me gain a better understanding of "Common Sense."
Thomas Paine was a man of many opinions; I mean my goodness the man named this “Common Sense”. He did not share in the cookie cutter lifestyle most have, which allowed him to share experiences that privileged said knowledge and opinions. He had an eager rage towards the subject of religion and government. Paine’s thought was to separate church and state. He wanted to protect religion and its freedom but felt that the government should not delegate its feelings toward the subject matter. Thomas Paine did not travel to the United States until the age of thirty-seven. He knew how England worked. The English parliament ruled towards a set national religion. He felt that if the government plugged in its two sense then the same could happen and the people would be obscured at losing one of their rights.
Paine blatantly states in the pamphlet of Common Sense that monarchy is disapproved by nature, that oppression encompasses the entire space of the old world. He further showed that being in the membership of the British empire was creating burdens and conflicts with other countries, and with gaining independence, America could escape the endless regal wars of
He wrote the influential pamphlet Common Sense, which was an assault on monarchial rule and the American colonies independence from Britain. “Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer. ”(Paine) Paine also felt that society as a whole, was produced by our wants, and governed by our wickedness. Paine was once imprisoned in Britain for sedition.