COMMON SENSE
Thomas Paine
January 10, 1776
Rallying, Influencing,
Motivating.
Thomas Paine
• Born in Britain,
January 29 1737
• Self taught
• Immigrated to
America 1774
• Involved in American
political life
• “The bearer Mr Thomas Pain[e] is very
well recommended to me as an ingenious
worthy young man.”
-Benjamin Franklin.
“I offer nothing
more than simple
facts, plain
arguments, and
common sense,”
Argued strongly for
COMPLETE American
Independence, Not just
freedom from British Taxation
• Revolutionary war Pamphlet
• English, 48 pages
• First Published anonymously January 10, 1776
• Printed & sold by R. Bell, Third street
Philadelphia
• Sold 500,000 copies in first year & 25 editions
• Precursor to the Declaration of Independence,
which was written six months later.
‘How did Common Sense
succeed in inspiring so much
revolutionary feeling?’
• Used forceful everyday language, influencing
both Blue & white collar workers.to attack the
idea that the British King should rule the
American Colonies
• American independence would be a victory for
humans everywhere
• Words convinced many Americans' that the
cause of independence was a just one.
• Played a central role in rallying public opinion,
Convinced many who were unsure of the
purpose of the war
• ‘The sun never shined on a greater cause
of worth, tis not the concern of a day, a
year or an age. Prosperity will be affected,
even to the end of time’
– T. Paine.
• “There is something very absurd in
supposing a continent to be perpetually
governed by an island,”
• “We may as well assert that because a
child has thrived upon milk, that it is never
to have meat.”
- T. Paine
Chapter I. ‘Of the Origin and Design of
Government in general, with concise
Remarks on the English Constitution.’
• Introduces idea that there is a
difference between Government and
Society.
• “Society in every state is a blessing,
but government even in its best state
is but a necessary evil; in its worst
state an intolerable one…”
- T. Paine
Chapter 2 - ‘Of Monarchy and
Hereditary Succession’
• Paine argues that all men are born equal and
there should be no distinction between kings and
subjects.
• ‘In England a king hath little more to do than to
make war and give away places; […]A pretty
business indeed for a man to be allowed eight
hundred thousand sterling a year for, and
worshipped into the bargain! Of more worth is one
honest man to society and in the sight of God,
than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived.
-Thomas Paine
Chapter 3 - ‘Thoughts on the
present State of American Affairs.’
• Examines hostilities between American
Colonies and Britain.
• Argues for independence.
• Continental Charter "should come from
some intermediate body between the
Congress and the people… [we must
ensure] freedom and property to all men,
and… the free exercise of religion.”
Constitution of the United States as proposed by
Thomas Paine in Common Sense
Chapter 4 – ‘On the Present Ability
of America, with some
Miscellaneous Reflections.’,
• Paine's optimistic view of America's
military potential.
• “It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our
great strength lies; yet our present
numbers are sufficient to repel th force of
all the world”
• T. Paine
Paine’s PAIN.
• It was absurd for an island to rule a continent.
• America was not a British nation
• Britain the "mother country" should take better care of it’s
‘child’, the colonies.
• Being a part of Britain would drag America into unnecessary
European wars,
• The distance
• Puritans believed that God wanted to give them a safe
haven from the persecution of British rule.
• Britain ruled the colonies for its own benefit, and would not
let the colonies have a say
Common Sense Succeeds?
• ‘The instant formal government is abolished, society
begins to act. A general association takes place, and
common interest produces common security’
• ‘It is not a field or a few acres of ground, but a cause that
we are defending, and whether we defeat the enemy in
one battle or by degrees, the consequences will be the
same.’
• ‘It is the direction and not the magnitude which is to be
taken into consideration’
• ‘Lead, follow, or get out of the way’
• ‘Until an independence is declared the continent will feel
itself like a man who continues putting off some
unpleasant business […] continually haunted with the
thoughts of its necessity.’
• 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
• Continental congress in 1774 not all convinced
that complete independence was desirable.
• "Without the pen of the author of Common
Sense, the sword of Washington would
have been raised in vain.”
– Adams, John.
Success again
• December, 1776, New Jersey
• ‘[to] reap the blessings of freedom, [we] must
undergo the fatigue to support it’
• “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 their
country; but he that stands it now, deserves the
love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny,
like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have
this consolation with us, that the harder the
conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”
T. Paine
Conclusion
• Thomas Paine created written revolution
• Common Sense forever renowned as
instruction, motivational, and revolutionary
• He INDEED created feeling of revolution.
• ‘To say that any people are not fit for freedom, is
to make poverty their choice, and to say they
had rather been loaded with taxes than not.’
-T. Paine
Bibliography - Textual
• Paine, Thomas, 2004, Common Sense,
Penguin Books, Suffolk, England.
- Primary Source
• Paine, Thomas, Rights of Man, 2006,
Allen & Unwin, Sydney Australia
-Primary Source
• Nelson, Craig, Thomas Paine; His Life,
His Time and the Birth of Modern Nations,
Profile books, 2006, London England
Bibliography - Web
• SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Common Sense.” SparkNotes LLC.
n.d.. (accessed March 22, 2011).
<http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/commonsense/ >
•
Lepore, Jill, 2006, ‘Was Thomas Paine too much of a freethinker for the
country he helped free?’ (accessed March 22, 2011).
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/10/16/061016crbo_books
• IMAGES
• Many artists, 2009, ‘Oil Painting Reproduction of Thomas Paine’.
(accessed 4/4/11) <http://www.oilpaintingsonlineshop.com/page-c48_79.html?cPath=48_79&perpage=48&sort=2a&page=36>
•
tcmsmontulli1-2a, 2007, ‘Commonsensepamphletcpoy[1]’ (accessed
4/4/11) http://tcmsmontulli1-2a.wikispaces.com/Commen+Sense
• Gauthier-Pilote, Mathieu, 2007, ‘Diagram representing the constitution of
the United States as proposed by Thomas Paine in Common Sense’
(accessed 4/4/11) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Constitution-usathomas-paine.png>
Bibliography - Videos
• Wiley Studios, 2010, ‘The Wisdom of Thomas Paine’
(Accessed: 3/4/11)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBTrfy8HuEQ&feature=fvwr
el
• How Stuff Works, 1998, ‘Assignment Discovery: Thomas
Paine.’ (Accessed: 3/4/11)
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/29500-assignmentdiscovery-thomas-paine-video.htm
• Goldenage, 2008, ‘The American Revolution: Common Sense’
(Accessed: 3/4/11)
http://www.videopediaworld.com/video/25337/The-AmericanRevolution-Common-Sense
• Jwhitlockhale, 2009, ‘Thomas Paine's Common Sense’,
(Accessed: 11/4/11)
<http://www1.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title=Thomas_P
aine_s_Common_Sense&video_id=100953>