...Common Sense Written by Thomas Paine By: Alexis Quirarte 4 April 2013 Professor Billingsley History 16: History of The U.S. to 1877 Common sense was an extremely popular pamphlet written during the American Revolutionary War. The author of this great, and historical piece of work was a man known by the name of Thomas Paine. This historical piece of work when it was first released sold more than 120,000 copies in its first year. The pamphlet was released on anonymity due to the origin of its contents. In the pamphlet Pain was the voice of the American people that were concerned about the English radicalism. At the start, Paine explains that in the essay to come he is offering the reader nothing but, “simple facts, plain arguments,” and of course, “common sense” (27-30). He says he asks the reader for nothing more than to read on without prejudice and let their feelings decide for themselves; however, calmly Paine approaches the beginning of his work, though, later he will certainly show himself to be quite passionate. Paine begins his argument with more general, theoretical reflections about government and religion, and then progresses into the specifics of the Colonial situation. It is also extremely important to realize that throughout his pamphlet, Common Sense, Thomas Paine argues two main points: the first being independence from England and the second being the creation of a democratic republic. Paine uses an enthymeme by stating that “in absolute governments...
Words: 1532 - Pages: 7
...Inferences without intentions By naming the piece Common Sense, there has to be an inference made between the reader and the ideas presented by Thomas Paine without really trying. Paine brings in at the start that he is only trying to re-present ideas that should be inherently known by those under any government or royal rule. By using logos and rhetoric strategies to ensure that his point is processed from leaders to the lower classes that may not have any education to begin with. He establishes his conclusion and main point throughout in plain and simple terms and devices; that to go back to Britain or allow England to completely oppress us once more would be idiotic and would lack, very ironic, common sense. The most basic undertaking from...
Words: 565 - Pages: 3
...The Age of Reason, Part I (1794)- Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (1737-1809) - was born in England in 1737, a son of a Quaker. In 1774, Thomas Paine met Benjamin Franklin in London and was invited to immigrate to America. He landed in Philadelphia on November 30, 1774. Working as a publicist, he first published African Slavery in America in 1775, criticizing slavery in America as being unjust to the African slaves. After the Boston Tea party, Thomas Paine had a sensed of rebellion against the British government. He published Common Sense stating America had lost touch with its mother country, Great Britain. “Nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments and common sense.” Thomas Paine had a great influence on the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776. He also fought and volunteered during the Independence War. In 1787, Thomas Paine left for England. He was involved in the French Revolution. He was imprisoned in 1793. He published The Age of Reason while he was imprisoned. He went back to the America in 1802 after invited by Thomas Jefferson, who was a true admirer of him. But he realized he was forgotten by the works he had done for America. The Age of Reason was written by Thomas Paine while he was imprisoned in 1794 due to the opposition of the execution of the king Louis XVI of France. The Age of Reason was a praise of the achievement of the Age of Enlightment. He was also accused as being an atheist because of the book. Thomas Paine presented in a clear style of way to...
Words: 793 - Pages: 4
...Harvey J. Kaye believes that the Americas should have treated Thomas Paine better then what they had been treating him. Although in many of his quotes coming from his political reviews and the ideology that have attacked him of his radical ideas about democracy and the advocacy of revolution he brings about social change. In the book “Thomas Paine and the Promise of America,” Kaye elaborates that regardless of the efforts to curb his control of conservatives of virtually every generation since the 1790’s, to most of the America’s liberal movements Paine have been a spiritual father. After providing a brief summary of Paine’s career, Kaye targets on ways his character was shaped, beginning with men was inspired by Paine’s ideas about true democracy. Kaye symbols among several groups of early feminists and abolitionists, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson from Transcendental movement. Walt Whitman and Herman Melville are writers, and many others politicians along with Abraham Lincoln. Theodore Roosevelt a Republican who slandered Paine in the twentieth century. Woodrow Wilson a Democratic did many things without his acknowledgement; and Franklin Roosevelt who is also a Democratic admired Paine by indicating his work to assembly Americans during World War II. Kaye ironically reports that the...
Words: 449 - Pages: 2
...Human Rights: A Paine in My….Douglass? According to Frederick Douglass, a nineteenth-century northern slave, “Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground.” Thomas Paine, a rebellious eighteenth-century Englishman, finishes and furthermore expands this thought, saying that “those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” While both of these men grew up in separate worlds, miles and years apart, their idealisms and life missions are very much alike. This is evident through the investigation of Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. Frederick Douglass is the...
Words: 1944 - Pages: 8
...Sense Due: November 10, 2013 Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, is a pamphlet that was written in 1775-76. Paine’s purpose for this writing was to be an encouragement to the general people of the thirteen colonies to seek declaration of their independence from Great Britain. Paine’s desire to connect with the common people is evident in his plain and easy to understand writing style; he wrote in an educated, but straight-forward manner. Dubbed a “political quack” by Loyalist, James Chalmers of Maryland in the Plain Truth (New), and accused of producing a “crapulous mass” by none other than John Adams, we see just two examples of the many attacks on Paine, who prevailed to claim such titles as, The Father of the American Revolution (“Thomas Paine's Achievements”). According to history.org, some scholars say that by the end of 1776 at least half of American colonists had read or been aware of the arguments that Paine presented in Common Sense (“Primary Source of the Month”). Because Paine’s belief in the importance of “the Doctrine Itself, not the Man,” he wished for the publication to remain anonymous for as long as possible to keep a focus on the ideas presented instead of him (Paine, n.pag.). Being so widely popular and rumored, Paine’s name appeared on the second edition. In the Introduction, Paine does exactly that, he introduces a basic overview of his grounds for the right to question “a long and violent abuse of power” (Paine, n.pag.), which he details in four main sections...
Words: 890 - Pages: 4
...In some arguments made by those who were opposed to immediate independence from England, there were economic, military, political, and foreign affair concerns. These people believed that there would be no good outcome for the colonies from fighting and separating from England. Thomas Paine addressed these concerns by acknowledging the colonies’ capability of economic independence, explaining the ease of competing with the British Navy, highlighting the flaws in the English government, and assuring their likely beneficial relationships with foreign countries. Paine argued that the colonies would not have many issues in thriving economically without Britain. He brought to light the fact that America’s goal was commerce and the rest of Europe...
Words: 1059 - Pages: 5
...Thomas Paine was born in Thetford, Norfolk on January 29th, 1737. He was born to Quaker parents. His father, Joseph Paine was a stay-maker and his mother was the daughter of an attorney. After leaving his hometown Thomas eventually switched his career from being a stay-maker like his father to that of a customs official. In 1768, he was assigned to Sussex where he lived for the next six years. Throughout his traveling years from place to another, Paine made sure he educated himself. He bought books and scientific equipment from his scanty earnings and attended lectures. In 1770’s he found his first case and he indulged himself in this cause with a passion. Excise officers throughout Britain were appealing for better salaries and so Paine joined...
Words: 1572 - Pages: 7
...not paying attention” (Paolini). Thomas Paine was born January 29th 1737 in England. He was considered a Quaker. “In 1774, he met Benjamin Franklin in London, who advised him to emigrate to America, giving him letters of recommendation” (Humanities commuting). Paine had entered Philadelphia where he felt tension because of the Boston Tea Party. Thomas agreed on people revolting against the government who requires to tax them. He thought the America did not need to be dependent with England. Paine realized that there needed to be a separation of colonies. On June 10th 1176 pain had a lot of ideas about independence...
Words: 1182 - Pages: 5
...Common Sense, Thomas Paine’s expression of the pre-revolutionary America, these ideas were helped Americans finally reach their tipping point to seek independence from Great Britain. Thomas Paine pointed out all of the practical reasons why England had mistreated Americans, and why Americans could when freedom in a war for independence. Paine, a loyal patriot and one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence, put himself at risk by publishing his ideas, and could have been tried for treason in British courts. Thomas Paine began his pamphlet with his ideas of what a real democratic does and does not look like. Paine believed that society and government must be able to go hand in hand, and depend on each other in order to maintain a...
Words: 872 - Pages: 4
...gone accordingly. Of those men, Thomas Paine, was not only a contributor to the document, but also played a role in persuading the push in the army to declare our nations independence. Being from England and coming to America, Paine had a good understanding of what was going on around him. Paine was a free thinker who wasn’t afraid to speak out for what was right. After meeting with delegates from the Second Continental Congress, he went on to write the pamphlet “Common Sense.” The pamphlet consisted of many reasons and arguments simply put as to why the...
Words: 529 - Pages: 3
...Thomas Paine, a political activist and philosopher, was the author of an important document called Common sense. In 1776, this document played a vital role in the American Revolution. In Common Sense, Paine attacked monarchy and hereditary succession in the beginning of his argument because he wanted to gain more support on the revolt against Britain. His approach was straightforward and got right to the point for the independence movement and the rights of all men. He wanted to show that supporting the independence movement instead of remaining loyal to the British Crown was a better idea and would result in happier lives. Freedom was the entire goal here because Paine believed the colonists deserved the right to be free from the British monarchy. If America were to remain under British rule it would only cause more conflict between the countries in Europe because other countries were trying to get a piece of America for themselves. Paine is saying that if America gains independence the fighting will stop among Europe, and America can benefit all countries with trade. On the other hand, some people didn't buy what Paine was trying to get across in Common Sense. Maybe they didn't have any at that time. James Chalmers, a Maryland plantation owner, made a case for the Loyalists. He was on the side for those who opposed American independence. His document Plain Truth, was an instant response to Paine's document Common Sense. "A failure of commerce [would] preclude the numerous tribe...
Words: 439 - Pages: 2
...Establishing a form of government is extremely difficult, especially if the desired form of government is different from the ones that had become familiar. Common Sense by Thomas Paine was written during a time of friction between America and Great Britain – the Revolutionary War. He described the problems of a monarchical government, as well as suggestions for how the new government of the United States of America should be run, in light of the criticisms of the government of Great Britain. In Common Sense, Thomas Paine supported an elected government over hereditary succession due to the lack of guarantee of the success of the nation’s leaders, the diminished right of the people to choose their leader or have a political voice and perpetuated ignorance of the issues of the common people. The practice of hereditary succession is an element of a monarchical government. This practice can pose a problem because this puts all authority in one person – the monarch. The nobles are also “elected” due to lineage. However, when a person...
Words: 1300 - Pages: 6
...In Common Sense, Thomas Paine has two main arguments: American independence, and to create a democratic republic. Paine starts off talking about government and society. According to him, society is everything constructive and good that people come together to accomplish. On the other hand, government is a group of people whose purpose is to protect us from our own weaknesses as a society. Paine says that the governments purpose is to protect life, liberty and property, and that a government should be judged by how they accomplish this goal. Paine then starts talking about a small group of people being put on an island and cut off from everything else. Over time these people will become close to each other, and law making becomes a must. He says that people are much happier if they are the ones that originally came up with the laws and that makes a lot of sense to me. I mean who wouldn’t want to make their own rules? Paine then starts to talk about and attack the British government. He says that their system is too complex and that the monarchy...
Words: 615 - Pages: 3
...Common sense is a famous political pamphlet written by Thomas Paine during the 18th century. It was published on January 10, 1776 in Philadelphia and was signed written by an Englishman to keep the author anonymous. Paine wrote "Common Sense" in 1776, when a great many people still believed a negotiated settlement with Britain was possible. As stated by USHistory.org, "despite all the recent hardships, the majority of colonists since birth were reared to believe that England was to be loved and its monarch revered.” Paine, on the other hand, presented a different picture. He highlighted the abuses perpetrated by the crown, and he described the British as hypocrites who used or dismissed constitutional law when it suited them. Instead, Paine argued that Americans had the right and the necessity to form their own government and determine their own future....
Words: 586 - Pages: 3
