46 Pages and Common Sense Analysis and Review
| 46 Pages: Book Review | | Tim IveyMarch 13, 2012Daryl SequeiraHistory 111 - 5001 | | |
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In 46 Pages author Scott Liell is able to poignantly illustrate the colonies metamorphosis from a dependent arm of the English Empire to an independent country, the catalyst for which was Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Liell is able to not only articulate the turning point of the American consensus towards independence, but he also very intelligibly depicts the sentiments of all facets of colonial dogma and the torrential effect that Common Sense had in loosening the cement that held those beliefs. Using fantastic examples of the opinions of Tories, Whigs, and those ambivalent towards independence, Liell efficiently and eloquently establishes that, although turning the populous mentality towards independence happened almost overnight, it did not happen easily. Paine, an unsuspecting hero from a modest upbringing, was met with both fervent praise and grave dissension upon publishing what could accurately be referred to as his "master work." Never in the history of mankind has a singular document been so powerful to bring men to act for a cause, a cause they were, just prior to reading Common Sense, trepidatious and hesitant of. In 46 Pages few stones are left unturned leaving the reader with a comprehensive and complete understanding of one of the most important documents not only in American history, but in human history as well.
Liell found a difficult task in accurately reporting Paine’s legacy prior to his rise in American popularity. This is greatly in part to the lascivious attempts of royal propagandists to smear Paine’s unblemished reputation by muddying the realities of his heritage.(pg.24) Notwithstanding the difficulty, Liell aptly delivers valuable particulars of Paine’s past and associates them succinctly to the events leading up to and following the authoring of Common Sense. Like many of his American contemporaries, Paine came from
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In 46 Pages author Scott Liell is able to poignantly illustrate the colonies metamorphosis from a dependent arm of the English Empire to an independent country, the catalyst for which was Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Liell is able to not only articulate the turning point of the American consensus towards independence, but he also very intelligibly depicts the sentiments of all facets of colonial dogma and the torrential effect that Common Sense had in loosening the cement that held those beliefs. Using fantastic examples of the opinions of Tories, Whigs, and those ambivalent towards independence, Liell efficiently and eloquently establishes that, although turning the populous mentality towards independence happened almost overnight, it did not happen easily. Paine, an unsuspecting hero from a modest upbringing, was met with both fervent praise and grave dissension upon publishing what could accurately be referred to as his "master work." Never in the history of mankind has a singular document been so powerful to bring men to act for a cause, a cause they were, just prior to reading Common Sense, trepidatious and hesitant of. In 46 Pages few stones are left unturned leaving the reader with a comprehensive and complete understanding of one of the most important documents not only in American history, but in human history as well.
Liell found a difficult task in accurately reporting Paine’s legacy prior to his rise in American popularity. This is greatly in part to the lascivious attempts of royal propagandists to smear Paine’s unblemished reputation by muddying the realities of his heritage.(pg.24) Notwithstanding the difficulty, Liell aptly delivers valuable particulars of Paine’s past and associates them succinctly to the events leading up to and following the authoring of Common Sense. Like many of his American contemporaries, Paine came from