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Common Sense Summary By Thomas Paine

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The pamphlet Common Sense was written by Thomas Paine.It was unanimously ratified in 1776.Thomas Paine was an influential writer and he became one of the most influential figures in the American independence movement, "Common Sense," was published during the American Revolution.It is the first pamphlet to advocate American independence and to openly request freedom from British control. The pamphlet stated his opinion on the British government and the idea of government as a whole. Thomas Paine wrote about how the colonies deserved to be free from Great Britain. In the introduction, he was trying to say that Common Sense would go against traditional thought and would be very controversial. "Common Sense" is referred to by one historian as …show more content…

Paine says the society and government are two very different things and he does not want the people to confuse the ideas of government and society. He thinks that a society is formed when people work together to accomplish a common goal, He argues that society brings us together and encourages happiness, but the government is formed to prevent the wicked behavior..In his opinion, government is only there to punish people who do bad things , provide security for those who obey the law and keep people from doing wrong things. He describes the government as, “even in its best state, but a necessary evil.” Paine says that government's main purpose is to protect life, property. and liberty. Paine then considers an imagined scenario.A small group of people starting a new country and cut off from the rest of society. He argues that in time, unable to live alone, they would soon find themselves interacting and they will form a society because they can accomplish more if they are united. Eventually, they will have to form a government to control selfishness. Paine says the people will be much happier if they are responsible for the creation of the laws that rule them. Paine sums up the first chapter by saying that the needs of the people as a whole should be what the government focuses

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1069 Words | 5 Pages

According to Paine, “Even though people of the colonies were paying taxes and were pushed into wars caused by British, they were unfairly not represented in the British Parliament”. (109) Since Paine’s main goal is to target the common man of the society; he directs his argument by using the Bible and emotions to back up his own discussion. Paine indicates that all people are born equally and there is no one given the power to rule over other human beings. Then he uses Bible quotes to explicitly disagree with the presence of Monarchy rule used by the Great Britain.

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431 Words | 2 Pages

Both the English Bill of Rights and Thomas Paine's Common Sense displayed interesting and creditable views regarding how to develop and maintain a well-functioning society through a well-structured government. The English Bill of Rights aligned a list of basic rights granted to individuals which included fair taxation and forbid cruel and unusual punishment. Common Sense is a well articulate essay that urges for the independence of the thirteen colonies from the British. In his text, Paine noted the importance of differentiating society and government, and condemned the practices of British monarchies (Paine, 62). Both documents theorized that political authority over the people should be fluid and well-constructed through a fair and equal governing body in order to ensure a equal and well-functioning society .

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THOMAS PAINE’S COMMON SENSE Thomas Paine, born on February 9,1737, Thetford, United Kingdom, was an English American writer and pamphleteer whose ‘Common Sense’ and other writings helped shape many ideas influencing the American Revolution and helped pave the way for the Declaration of Independence. He worked as an officer of the excise, hunting smugglers, and collecting liquor and tobacco taxes but he did not excel at this job. In 1772, he published "The Case of the Officers of Excise" which was a 21-page article in defense of higher pay for excise officers; which was his first political work.

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70 Words | 1 Pages

Do you think Thomas Paine was the one who thought out the common sense. Well he actually didn 't others like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Ben franklin also came up with some ideas. The common sense persuaded many to fight for independence. More than 120,000 copies were made even thought it was hard to print because of the treason going on.. Its was a bestseller.

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754 Words | 4 Pages

“In Common Sense, Paine addresses the problems of monarchy, the advisability of separation, the nature of society, and makes modest proposals for a new form of government” (Thomas Paine -- Common Sense -- Reading Revolutions). Paine used the comparison of people becoming

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654 Words | 3 Pages

This essay will be discussing and analyzing the document: Common Sense by Thomas Paine. Thomas Paine was an American founding father and very influential in the the enlightenment movement that started in 1714. Thomas Paine wrote common sense so people would begin thinking and discussing the way the British had been treating the colonies in the recent years. Paine believed that King George and the British parliament were tyrannical and that the colonies should do something about it. Common Sense appealed to many of the colonists because of the plain language Thomas Paine used.

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182 Words | 1 Pages

On January 10, 1776 (during the American Revolution) Thomas Paine published a pamphlet titled “Common Sense”. In this he sets his arguments in favor of American independence, the pamphlet was written in clear and persuasive prose. It inspired people in the Thirteen colonies to declare and fight for egalitarian government from Great Britain and because of this the pamphlet was an immediate sensation. The pamphlet was originally published anonymously and was one of the most influential pamphlets in America.

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America, the land of the free, was founded upon the standards life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In America’s early years, Thomas Paine, in his book Rights of Man characterized this country’s government as functioning in unison with no difficulties. When you break it down and look at the big picture, some people will argue that increased diversity has brought the nation to an all time peak, in terms of unity. Meanwhile, others maintain the idea that Thomas Paine’s assessment is mistaken for what is to one day be achieved. Yet while we would like to believe in his visionary, it unfortunately does not hold true today regarding both our modern politics and social principles.

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A government’s improvement revolves solely around recognizing the rights of men: “There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly” (Thoreau, 1847/1998, p. 146). The people form the government. A

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1100 Words | 5 Pages

Though they began with similar principles, each man arrived at drastically different solutions for what could be deemed a successful and prosperous government. Observing the innate nature of man, both More and Paine agree that mankind is prone to wickedness and ought to be kept in check. This they propose to accomplish by creating a community in which men could live peaceably with, and benefit from, one another. Where More and Paine do not agree, however, is on the limitations that a government should be able to impose upon its people. More finds that creating strict regulations and limiting men’s freedom will result in a happy and successful society.

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Paine, Thomas, and Sidney Hook. Common Sense: The Rights of Man, and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine. New York: Penguin, 1984. Print. Annotated Bibliography Collins, Paul.

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Common sense was a short and powerful pamphlet you can more or less say that without it America wouldn’t have gain its independence. The way it was written simple. We have to remember that back then people didn’t had much education so Pain had to write something the common person could understand. And he did and it work he convince people all over the Thirteen colonies to want independence. Also the way it was laid out it didn’t went directly to the point of independence no he first build up to it.

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149 Words | 1 Pages

Without the concern of defense or sell protection,individuals are able to live in security. Jefferson offers the purpose of government. It exists to acid in the well-being of both the nations and it citizen. Government exists to control the lives of citizens. A government must establish

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324 Words | 2 Pages

In “Common Sense,” Thomas Paine wrote that the “cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.” I believe his claim to be correct. By this statement he meant that America’s goals are peace, freedom, and democracy. There are many similarities between The Deceleration of Independence and Common Sense like the need for freedom and to break away from Brittan and its rules.

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1232 Words | 5 Pages

Thomas Paine opposes the ideology of government, stating that, “Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil,” (Paine 3). Essentially, the purpose of government is to protect people from preforming vices, and defend their natural right to Locke’s ideology of life, liberty and property. Without government, coercion would occur, and destroy one’s ability to express their natural rights. For America, Paine believes that the establishment of a strong fundamental government could allow for the cohesion of citizens to form a society respected by other nations

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