Preview

Essay on Thomas Paine

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
911 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay on Thomas Paine
"Common Sense" was written by Thomas Paine in 1776 after he quickly sided with the colonists in their controversy with Britain. The pamphlet delves into the understanding of the difference between society and government. Paine is considered to be one of the "founding fathers" of America, having a large impact on the American Revolution. His work also included writings about Deism and the French Revolution.
Common Sense focuses mainly on the distinctions between society and government, including the distinctions between society and governments origins. This work wasn't entirely difficult to understand, however there were a few points throughout the book that seemed repetitive. Paine seemed to stress the point of separating society and government excessively, something that in my opinion cannot be done without having certain consequences. Thomas Paine's writing sends the message that society is an overall savior, while government is wickedness. This may be so in some cases, but a truly civilized nation cannot function without a government. Society is the overall relationship between fellow members in a community. Just as much as society is needed for people to get through their everyday lives, a government is needed to make laws and to regulate them.
I agree with Paine when he wrote about how a colony needs to have representatives. I also agree with him that the representatives should be elected to office. A point that I would stress more then Paine did is that as a colony grows in population, the amount of representatives should grow accordingly. Through having representatives in a society, this will allow for the people to have a say. If people have a say in the society they live in, there will be less problems. Paine suggests that freedom and security come from society, but without government there is total chaos between those involved in that society.
One philosophy of Paine was that America should deal in gold and silver, and not have to deal with paper

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Thomas Paine' pamphlet, "The Crisis," was one in all the explanations the colonists were convinced of the necessity to fight against the British. Paine, a British subject, went against this in his writings, that stressed that the link between the British and therefore the Colonists had been thus irreparably broken that "'tis time to half. " Paine saw that the British treatment of the Colonists was the elemental reason that this relationship couldn't be salvaged. His arguments consisted of the various infringements of the colonists' political and economic freedoms at the hands of the British.…

    • 222 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Common Sense pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in January 1776. Common Sense was written for the colonist in an effort for a prompt declaration of independence. Paine agues in his writings the cruelties involved in their history and its policy of the British government and constitution. Paine provided convincing details of why the colonies should isolate themselves from Britain, to spark doubt in minds of the colonists so this land could be lead independent from the British rule and allow a new set of laws governed by elected officials.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    v. Widely read, Paine argued how it never did any good for Americans to be…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Thomas Paine had published a book in early 1776 that immediately became popular and widely read. The book was titled, Common Sense. It got the American colonist skeptical of what they were fighting for. Some agreed with the way King George III ruled, others were eager to break away from English Rule.…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776. It was advocating independence from Great Britain to the people of the thirteen colonies. “It captured the imagination of the colonists as had no previous pamphlet” (Paine, page 9). The pamphlet was written clearly and persuasively in the fact of getting the 13 colonies to rebel against King George III and Britain because colonists thought that they should not be ruled by a king across the sea and have all these taxes and rules placed on them. They wanted their own independence. Their own freedom. Paine marshaled moral and political arguments to encourage the common people of the 13 colonies to fight for their own government and their own freedom. At first, people did not think it was a smart idea to go against Britain and betray their mother country. As more and more laws and taxes were placed on the people’s wills and goods, colonists started to become more and more angry and this is when Paine jumped right into the forefront with a pamphlet called “Common…

    • 1318 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Not only does he make the claim that government is inherently evil, he also backs this up with a biblical reference, and “Monarchy is ranked in scripture as one of the sins of the Jews, for which a curse in reserve is denounced against them The history of that transaction is worth attending to.” (Paine pg. 12) This basically tells the audience that the monarchy is a biblical dilemma; this is a call to action to the Christian Americans of the time.…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Founding Father Thomas Paine , England born political philosopher and writer (1727-1809). He helped shape many of the ideas that marked the Age Revolution. In 1776, his high popular “Common Sense” was published and it was the first pamphlet to advocate American Independence. No other figure played a great role in moving the American People from a spirit of rebellion to one of revolution.…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It was America’s first best seller, it asked questions that had never uttered before, and it is a classic rendition of America’s cry for liberty. Thomas Paine’s essay, “Common Sense” set forth revolutionary ideas about republican government as opposed to government with a king. These ideas were revolutionary at the time because Paine dared to accuse what no one had before. He didn’t just denounce the British government but the heart and spirit of their nation, their King. Paine was able to pinpoint what exactly the majority of Americans wanted to change. Tyranny. That was the crime Paine proclaimed we Americans could abide by no longer.…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Paine claims that the only end for a government or any kind of political association is to serve the people. This service that the government gives the people is national security, and protection of liberty, property and against any oppression. According to Paine, these are the only roles that a government should take. I thought that this particular point by Paine was especially interesting given today's modern thought by some that we need a bigger government that has more control of things. When the founding fathers formed this country, they intentionally made the government as small as possible so as not to infringe on human…

    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    At the beginning of class, we learnt about “why we learn History?” and one of the reasons is to understand our society today. I believe freedom is a basic human right and every citizen should fight for it. Every government should respect it and not take it away. Thomas Paine’s argument is convincing because he wrote “The American Crisis” with confidence about his position. He sounded positive and courageous and willing to face whatever comes his way for freedom and liberty in America. Overall the document is very interesting and informative. It open my mind and allows me to see how American became a free…

    • 106 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Best known as the fiery author of the lengthy pamphlet, Common Sense, published in 1775, this was one of the most significant pieces of writing he ever published.…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    "Common sense" was one of the most important pieces of literature in early America because it was extremely influential to many people throughout al of the American colonies. The colonist came to America to escape religious boundaries, so they could worship God freely. Thomas Paine uses this to his advantage by using scriptural quotes, pathos, to convinces his audience that it is common sense for the colonists to break completely with Great Britain. He says that a monarchy is terrible, and to have a king is not only an unsuccessful way to rule a nation, but it is also a sin. Paine undermines the king in his writing by using rhetorical devices to help destroy America's loyalty to the…

    • 120 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Paine expounds that America is so successful and accepting because of the system of government they established, which provided organization and protection of rights. At this time (1791), England, for example, was held under the power of a very strong, dogmatic King, whether they approved of his thoughts and actions or not. There was no organization or protection of rights in this somber system, due to the fact the King did whatever he pleased and did not care to regard or listen to any concerns the British citizens expressed. America was held under the King’s reigns for only a very short time before the colonists became audacious in declaring independence on the fateful day of July 4, 1776. From then on out, and continuing today, Americans are given the choice in who their ruler will be. The American government also currently sustains and ensures the fundamental rights of its population. Paine also admits in his writing that everyone in America is equal and “the poor are not oppressed, the rich are not privileged…” Everyone was to be treated fairly and equal in America in the late 1700’s while residents of England were divided by unprotected rights and freedoms and class systems. Today, everyone continues to be entitled to the same rights and freedoms as the people in 1791. Overall, America has not changed all too much throughout the years, but whenever it does, it is for the better.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    History is constantly changing over time, we learn things to either educate us about our past or to not let history repeat itself. One of the biggest thing that constantly changes is our country, the United States of America, Thomas Paine writes Rights of a Man (1791) arguing that America is a country where concord is least expected. Although Paine makes a compelling argument it’s hard to look at this country today as a land where “the rights of man” exist? Is it a land where the rich aren’t privileged? He characterizes America as this great country that our government created "on the principles of society and the rights of man," it is able to overcome the differences, however, his description of America in 1791, does not hold true today.…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    histroy

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Paine presented multiple arguments in his pamphlet, Common Sense. One of his arguments that stood out to me the most is that regarding the monarchy and hereditary succession. Paine describes how nobody chooses to live poorly and cannot choose the status of their descendants and the importance and idea of equality. He describes the difference between Kinds and subjects as being unnecessary and unethical. Everyone is equal at creation. People of the colonies could relate to this on a religious aspect as well, because the Bible supports his statements. Paine supported the beliefs of freedom of property to all men and freedom on religion. Paine also discussed America and the relationship with Great-Britain. Paine stated that America had become dependent on Great-Brittan and that success and happiness should not be reliant on another country. He wrote that Great-Britain had nobody’s interest in mind but their own. Paine also pointed out the unnecessary quarrels with other countries such as France and Spain, due to the fact that we were involved with Great-Britain and pictured them as the parent country. He introduced the idea of having each colony be independent and have representatives chosen by the people.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays