What was the main importance of Thomas Paines Common Sense?

The literary work most often credited with inspiring the American Revolution was a 47-page pamphlet called Common Sense. Published on January 10, 1776, and written by Thomas Paine, a recent immigrant from England, it caused everyday Americans to begin seriously thinking about an independent United States.

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Thomas Paine and the Creation of Common Sense
From Common Sense Towards the American Revolution
Publication, Impact and Response

At the time of its publishing, America was a country already at war. The Siege of Boston was in its eighth month, following the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the terrible fight at Bunker Hill. The Second Continental Congress had been meeting since the previous May in Philadelphia, and rebellion was in the air.

To fully appreciate Common Sense, you must consider it from the perspective of someone living in colonial America at that time. All the colonists had ever known was a state of dependency on England and a government run by a King. Now Common Sense challenged them to consider separating from that powerful nation and replacing the King with something called a democracy.

Importantly, Paine put Common Sense into the words of the everyday man, not the rhetoric of those educated at Harvard or William and Mary. He wrote it so those gathered in taverns and coffee houses and around kitchen tables could understand its meaning.

Paine begins his work by explaining that people form societies to gain security. He declares, “Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil.” The goal of the people, therefore, should be to find the form of government that “appears most likely to ensure it (security) to us, with the least expense.”

Paine then discusses why a hereditary monarchy like England’s is the worst form of government, one with no natural reason to exist. He points out, “all men being originally equals, no one by birth could have a right to set up his family in perpetual preference to all others forever.” Those words rang true in the minds of most Americans.

Next, Paine gets to the core of the argument, offering “nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense” about why a complete separation from England is the best course of action for the American colonies.

Paine famously states, “The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth.” He believes, “Now is the seed-time of Continental union, faith, and honour” and any chance at reconciliation with England ended with the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Given the recent bloodshed, most Americans heartily agreed.

Additionally, as Paine points out, Great Britain’s motive in protecting America “was interest, not attachment; she did not protect us from our enemies on our account, but from her own enemies on her own account.” America was just an asset to be protected, and that alone was its value to England.

Paine mentions the false claim that England was the “Mother Country” suggesting the existence of a maternal attachment. As Paine explains, colonists fled to America “not from the tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster.” Moreover, he reminds his readers that less than one third of the inhabitants in America were of English descent, a point most colonists overlooked.

He further argues that America, even though it is in its infancy, could sustain her independence. As he sees it, the population of America is “sufficiently numerous”, and the continent possesses virtually limitless natural resources. His words gave encouragement to the colonists that they were up to the task at hand.

Given the bloodshed already expended, Paine also questions the wisdom of reconciling with England and entrusting her with our future safety. He writes, “Common sense will tell us, that the power that hath endeavored to subdue us, is of all others, the most improper to defend us.”

He closes with a practical reminder that “while we profess ourselves the subjects of Britain, we must, in the eyes of foreign nations, be considered as Rebels.” Thus, only by a full declaration of independence, could America truly justify its righteous cause in the eyes of the world.

Paine’s well-reasoned argument resonated with everyday Americans and his timing was perfect. As they say, the rest is history.

WHY IT MATTERS

So why should Thomas Paine’s Common Sense matter to us today? When Common Sense was published in January 1776, Paine’s work helped turn the general population in the colonies away from a reconciliation with Great Britain to a complete separation and an independent America.

Paine took a concept previously discussed primarily in political circles and made it into an American public debate. As Thomas Paine pointed out, common sense dictated America should declare its independence.

SUGGESTED READING

Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine, is a must read for all Americans. It provided the inspiration to hundreds of thousands of our ancestors to declare America’s independence.

PLACES TO VISIT

The Thomas Paine Cottage in New Rochelle, New York is on a small parcel of the farm given to Thomas Paine by the State of New York in 1784 for his services to the country. The house, completely renovated in 2009, and the adjacent museum are worth a visit.

Thomas Paine was born in Britain, on January 29, 1737. Paine's formal education lasted only until the age of thirteen, at which point he began working for his father. Eventually, took low-paying job in tax-collecting, educating himself further in his free time. In 1772, Paine was fired for publishing an article arguing that raising tax-collectors' salaries would reduce corruption. Shortly thereafter in London, Paine met Benjamin Franklin, who convinced Paine to move to America.

Paine emigrated to America in late 1774, only a few months before the revolutionary war began on April 19, 1775. Paine immediately became involved in American political life, editing Pennsylvania Magazine and writing a variety of articles. After the first battle of the war, Paine began to argue that the American colonists should seek complete independence, rather than merely fighting to free themselves from unfair British taxation. Paine made this argument in his pamphlet Common Sense, which first appeared in January, 1776, and immediately became popular and widely read. Paine's ideas played a central role in rallying public opinion and were an important precursor to the Declaration of Independence, which was written six months later. The pamphlet thrust Paine into the national spotlight, earning him a prestigious government appointment later on during the war.

The roots of the war for American Independence can be traced back at least as far as the French and Indian war of 1763. Although the British won this war, they incurred immense costs, and began to increase the monetary burden placed on the American colonies. With the Townshend Acts of 1767, Parliament imposed new taxes in the American colonies, and although these were repealed in 1770, the tax on tea remained. Colonial frustration erupted in 1773 at the famed Boston Tea Party when Americans stormed a ship owned by the British East India Company and dumped large volumes of tea into Boston Harbor. In retaliation, the British Parliament imposed a variety of restrictions aimed at reasserting their control over the colonies.

These measures, known in America as the intolerable acts, spurred the convening of the first continental congress in 1774. Although the American colonies now had a centralized forum in which to discuss policy, their path was far from clear. Even after a battle erupted on April 19, 1775 at Lexington and Concord, the colonies lacked a clear plan. Opinions on the purpose of the war with Britain and the future the colonies varied widely. Many, of the delegates to the continental congress were not convinced that complete independence was desirable.

In Common Sense, which was published at this time, Paine argued that the colonies should seek full independence from Britain. His pamphlet convinced many who were unsure of the purpose of the war and played a profound role in influencing the opinion of laymen and lawmakers alike. Common Sense was crucial in turning American opinion against Britain and was one of the key factors in the colonies' decision to engage in a battle for complete independence.

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Thomas Paine and the creation of Common Sense
The contents of Common Sense
Its impact on the American Revolution
Impact and response towards the publication of Common Sense

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was written in plain language and applied contemporary examples that captured the minds of the colonists and united them in demanding independence from Britain. It is considered the pretext to the Declaration of Independence and the foundation of the American republican form of government.
“Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America. This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe. Hither they have fled, not from the tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster; and it is so far true of England, that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home pursues their descendants still.” - Thomas Paine 1776

Thomas Paine and the Creation of Common Sense

Born in Thetford, Norfolk, England in 1737, Thomas Paine was a philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionist. During his teenage years, he worked as a corset maker and later on, a sailor and school teacher, before becoming a prominent pamphleteer. In 1774, he arrived in Philadelphia to support American independence. After two years of continued support, he wrote his 47-page pamphlet called Common Sense.
Common Sense, specifically published on 9 January 1776, was written in plain and persuasive language, using simple reasoning and examples contemporary to the time that the average American could relate to.
It was originally published anonymously during a time when most colonists considered themselves Britons. When it was published, it fundamentally changed the colonists’ perspective of Britain as it advocated independence for the American colonies that were under the Crown. Thus, it is often credited for its remarkable role in uniting average citizens and political leaders towards the American Revolution.
As his work was undoubtedly unpopular to the still-monarchical British government, Paine fled to France. Despite his efforts to escape, he was later arrested for his political opinions. In 1802, he returned to the US and died in New York seven years later, on 8 June 1809.

From Common Sense Towards the American Revolution

Among the arguments posed by Paine in Common Sense were the following:
America should be independent from Britain, as the mother colony only cared for its own profit and not the interests of the colonists.
He urged readers that independence should be immediate, as tension between the American colonies and Britain were out of control. He pointed out that, as a young nation, America had little to lose in the event of war.
Paine believed that monarchies, as a form of government, violated nature and religion. He emphasised that all people are born equal so no family or person was better than another.
Paine also emphasised the great possibility to bring America to open trade and better international relations by becoming independent from Britain.
He discussed how American trade should no longer be limited by British laws, therefore opening up to more trading partners like Spain and France.
Moreover, America would no longer be stuck in the middle of wars between Britain and its rivals.
Common Sense advocated for independence from Britain and the establishment of a democratic government in the United States. It was instrumental in shifting the identity of Americans from thinking of themselves as British colonists to citizens of a country with a distinct and unique character from Britain, which then led to the American Revolution.
It began by distinguishing between government and society by describing theoretical reflections and then using those reflections to build contrasts concerning the colonial relationship between America and the Crown. Society, according to Paine, “is all that which by the unity of all is reasonable”. The government, he suggested, is a necessary evil, whose primary objective is to protect society from its own vices by protecting life, liberty and property.
Common Sense demonstrated the extent to which America was different from Britain by asking its readers to consider a scenario in which a group of people are placed on an island and cut off from the rest of society. It notes that the people on the Island will form connections with one another and develop for themselves a set of laws that govern them.
Through this, Americans began to see their distinct identity that did not emerge from Britain but from greater Europe and the new cultures and systems that accompanied the distinction.
The British system, its constitution and the monarchy, were suggested in Common Sense to be substandard. It contended that all are born equal, and that distinction between the Crown and the subject was unnatural.
Furthermore, Paine traced the origins of the monarchic systems to the Jews in the Old Testament. Paine demonstrated the sinful origins of monarchy systems and the evils and challenges Britain has faced because of the hereditary system, noting that some kings were incompetent, corrupt, selfish, and led the country to troubled times, including civil wars.
Common Sense also described the ideals of a representative system of government with each of the colonies being equal to one another. The effects of the publication united the people in seeking independence from Britain and not just to be reconciled to the Crown during the period after the restoration and the creation of the Dominion.

Publication, Impact and Response

Within the first year of the publication of Common Sense, about 25 editions of it were legally printed. Given the relatively small population of 4 million, about 150,000 copies were sold, which made it a colonial bestseller. Months later, Thomas Jefferson, one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence, used the pamphlet as a template and source of ideas.
The establishment of a democratic federal government was also part of Paine’s Common Sense. He stated the power of the people to elect its leaders (president and members of Congress). The only structure that was not part of Paine’s original plan was the judicial body and the Constitution.

The publication was widely read by more than a third of the total population of the 13 colonies and six months later, it became the pretext to the Declaration of Independence. Furthermore, the republican ideas for the formation of a non-hereditary system of government with equality among the colonies became the foundation of the American Constitution.

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