ipl-logo

Analysis Of Thomas Paine's Common Sense

988 Words4 Pages
Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense to convince the American people that they needed independence from England. In order to make it widespread and popular, the pamphlet had to be accessible, with language that everyone could understand. Of course, the language that was considered accessible in 1776 isn 't necessarily accessible in 2018. Enter Lin-Manuel Miranda (she says in parentheses). His musical, Hamilton, modernizes Common Sense 's wordy view on America: the country is on the brink of chaos because being England 's income creates pointless enemies for America. And through this modernization, Miranda ignites the same spark of revolution in his audiences that Paine did with his pamphlet. England 's interest in America primarily came from its potential as a cash cow. The land provided ample space and resources to make money, which England quickly capitalized on. Thomas Paine confirms this in his counterpoint to England giving protection to America: "That she hath engrossed us is true, and defended the continent at our expense as well as her own, is admitted; and she would have defended Turkey from the same motive, viz., for the sake of trade and dominion" (326). In other words, England protects America for the purely selfish reason of money. The English monarchy does not care about the people: America is a business investment and it will be treated as such. A similar sentiment from England 's perspective is expressed in "You 'll Be Back" when King George sings, "The price of
Open Document