Common Sense Analysis

Common Sense In 1775, Colonial America was in a state of disarray due to the confusion regarding separation from England. In this ocean of public opinion, there was a distinct lack of guiding public opinions to rally the general population to action. Thomas Paine, an author, activist, and political theorist, inspired the thirteen colonies through his publication, Common Sense, to take action and fight for independence from Great Britain. The subject matter and simplistic format of Common Sense is responsible for the massive impact it had over the Revolutionary War. To begin, the topics discussed in Common Sense were a major part of the massive influence of the publication. First, Paine discusses the differentiation between society and government by theorizing on the roles of each power in our existence. Paine wrote, “Government even in its best state is but a necessary evil,” in regards to the required, yet often unsatisfying actions of a central government. After citing an island civilization scenario, Paine states his case on how the direct input of the population alongside a system of representation is the most pleasing and effective system of government. Lastly, Paine also discusses how the Americans are currently in a stage of evolution and would be better off leaping out from under the wing of Great Britain. Away from Britain, America has opportunities to improve its commerce, form independent state governments, and even build a sizeable Navy in comparison to that of the British Navy. The sooner we act upon this concept of revolution, the sooner we can improve ourselves in a way not possible while still connected to Great Britain. Overall, the majority of the influence of Common Sense was sparked by its compelling subject matter. Additionally, Common Sense was an influential piece in influencing the viewpoints of many varied types of colonists and others involved in the American Revolution. To start off, Paine attempted to influence the Loyalists of Colonial America by discussing the hated taxation policies that came from Great Britain and the subsequent negative effect of the monarchial actions. The effect of this topic in Common Sense was quickly made evident as a massive quantity of once Loyalists reformed their policies to support the growing Republican government. Moreover, the second group Paine primarily influenced with his writings was in fact the American military. In times of struggle, Paine rose up as a voice of encouragement and praise for the actions of the military, even making it directly to the lips of George Washington. During a period of starvation and low morale in his troops, Washington recited this writing of Paine’s, “These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman,” which instantly instilled the troops with a revitalized sense of morale and patriotism for their developing home country. Basically, through his passionate persuasions, Paine inspired a wide variety of audiences to readjust their current attitude and focus on building a better present and future America. All in all, I would personally recommend Common Sense to an open and curious individual that desires to enrich their knowledge of the Revolutionary time period. It is a simplistic and concise short read (under 80 pages) and contains a great plethora of varying opinions of this time period. I found it to personally be compelling and unique to all other books I have ever read in passion and precise use of language, and it is slowly becoming one of my favorite short publications I have ever had the pleasure of reading.