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Comparing Two Treatises Of Government By Thomas Paine And John Locke

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Thomas Paine and John Locke were two influential figures, who contributed in the American revolutionary spirit. While Common Sense deliberate enthusiastically the most common but unstated truth: America should be free from control of Britain, John lock claimed the property, the social contract theory with calmness. Revolutionary ideology was generated in the colonies thanks to the Common Sense Pamphlet’s indisputable contents and the wide circulation. On one hand, it is Thomas Paine who first point out that America belongs to itself, exemplified by histrionical, economic, religious, politic, and even geographic evidence. Thomas Paine wrote in this book “Our land force is already sufficient, and as to naval affairs, we cannot be insensible, that Britain would never suffer an American man of war to be built while the continent remained in …show more content…

He wrote in this book that, “This fatherly authority there, or right of fatherhood, in our A.’s sense, is a divine unalterable right of sovereignty, whereby a father or a prince hath an absolute, arbitrary, unlimited, and unlimitable power over the lives, liberties, and estates of his children and subjects; so that he may take or alienate their estates, sell, castrate, or use their persons as he pleases, they being all his slaves, and he lord or proprietor of every thing, and his unbounded will their law (Locke, 12).” He told people that there are rights own by every mankind, which can not be taken away by others, and he stated that government is needed for subduing chaos in the state of nature, where people protect and gather resources of their free will. To sum up, civil society is built upon need for protection of property, which includes people, and the rights and estates they own. Another important augment, the social contract, stated

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In Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, Joseph Ellis, Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Ellis explores many events and problems faced by the Founding Fathers as the United States seeks a new form of government. Ellis quotes Tom Paine, an English-born political philosopher, by saying “claimed that it was simply a matter of common sense that an island could not rule a continent”(Ellis, 3). Principles were at stake while the country was at a constant state of war with other countries, including the mother country England. Ellis paints many mental pictures of the American revolutionaries and their troubled hardships while maintaining balanced decisions on quite decisive events that were later to be shaping the ideas of

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406 Words | 2 Pages

England-born political philosopher and persuasive pamphleteer , Thomas Paine helped shape many of the ideas that marked the Age of Revolution. Considered by many to be one of the most influential pamphlets in United States history, Paine’s Common Sense (1776) was published during the American Revolution and utilized many rhetorical strategies in order to persuade his audience to share his view. Through his use of rhetorical devices, such as syntax and diction, Paine displays his argument that the American Colonists should strive for independence away from England. He believed that independence was the right and “obligation” of the American colonists to part from the oppressive rule of its mother-country.

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Despite Thomas Paine’s numerous contributions to the world, he is often overshadowed by John Locke, the so-called father of democracy. However, by modifying the public’s understanding of Locke, Paine altered the character and destiny of both American and World History. Thomas Paine’s ideas and efforts inspired and focused the American Revolution; he provided the colonists with the ideals and courage needed for the founding of a new nation. In his efforts to unite and direct the colonists, Paine created what may have been one of his greatest phrases: The United States of America. He provided Americans and Europeans with the rational thought, inspiration, and confidence to reject outmoded social and political structures of the past and the courage to implement ideals of freedom, equality, and human rights to provide a better future for mankind.

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1269 Words | 6 Pages

Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense on January 10, 1776 in which he put forth many effective and assuring reasons as to why the colonies should fight for complete independence from the king’s rule and no longer conform to a significantly smaller island thousands of miles across the sea. Around the time when this argumentative piece was published, tensions with Britain were at their peak and colonies were extremely agitated with the number of taxes and trade restrictions imposed on them. Additionally, British soldiers had been great nuisances to American people as they occupied our towns and ultimately prohibiting the colonies from ever progressing. As Britain kept tightening its grip on the colonies, Thomas Paine, one of the many

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739 Words | 3 Pages

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was a pamphlet he wrote to encourage Americans to rebel against the British which led to the American Revolution and America gaining its independence. Paine thesis was destroying America’s loyalty to the British and convince them to revolt. In the pamphlet Paine’s strong thesis on American rebellion on British oppression and some strong key points Paine discussed led to encouragement for the American People to rebel against the British and gaining their independence. Paine sections his pamphlet to four sections called of The Origin and Design of Government in General”, “Of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession”, “Thoughts on the Present State of Affairs in America” and, “On the Present Ability of America, with some

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545 Words | 3 Pages

While the choice of whether to remain loyal to the crown or join the revolution became popular in the late eighteenth century, two men, Jonathan Boucher and Thomas Paine, decided to voice their beliefs and later became well known for their arguments. Though Boucher stated strong points about why remaining loyal to Great Britain was the correct choice, Paine’s argument was more appealing because he clarified that America would offer various inviting benefits that Britain was not able to provide. Paine compelled people because of the clarity in his argument. He avoided utilizing language that people were incapable of understanding, and he made his points sound appealing by using “a new style of political writing” (#31, p.95). Paine informed

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743 Words | 3 Pages

Thomas Paine had successfully contributed to the declaration of independence and his 47-page pamphlet, “Common Sense”, impacted numerous Americans. “Common Sense” allowed citizens of the colony to

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192 Words | 1 Pages

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence were both articles that added fuel to the fiery American Revolution. Both articles were influential in their day because of their strong diction and convincing appeal. They both captured the essence of the colonist agitation in the mid-seventies, encouraged Americans to become more aware of their conditions, and frowned upon the actions of their absolute ruler, the King of Britain. However they had some distinctively different ideas and purposes. While the Declaration of Independence focused more on outlining the basic rights of men and providing rationale for the American Revolution, Common Sense urged people to become aware of the right violations and mistreatment

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In the eighteenth century there was a mix of opposition of independence, and a hope that the new nation would become a home of freedom. Thomas Paine’s argument was that America needs to gain independence from England. Some of the reasons Paine wrote Common Sense is because of unnecessary wars, monarchial government, and the way Britain treated America. Regardless of Paine’s popularity with Common Sense, Jonathan Boucher was a minister who explained his opposition of the revolutionary movement in his sermons. He believed if God wanted America to be independent it would have happened, and it is our duty as citizens to obey the laws because we will be disobedient to God.

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“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind” (Paine 1). With the Revolutionary War beginning in 1775, and the publication of Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, only a year later, this statement was widely recognized and addressed the issue at hand: the fight for independence. According to Paine’s assertion, America’s desire for peace and freedom is a basic necessity of life; it is what all men desire. Despite this innate thirst for liberty, many residents of America’s thirteen colonies were fearful of Great Britain, and because of this fear, complied with Great Britain’s every whim. Consequently, most colonists were hesitant to fight against the mother country for independence.

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1374 Words | 6 Pages

In 1774, the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, home to Thomas Paine, to achieve two objectives: list American grievances and plan for resistance against British rule, thus creating the Declarations of Rights and Grievances (Norton, 2012). From 1774 to 1775 resistance movements were gaining momentum against Britain, however a statement of total separation from the monarch had not been explicitly declared. A year later, in 1776, when Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was published, American independence gained support. Paine’s Common Sense, which argues against the corruption of a ruling monarchy, condemns British treatment of Americans, and advocates America’s “natural right” to institute a new government presents compelling arguments for an American declaration of independence. This pamphlet held its popularity because it plainly presented arguments towards independence in “a formula anyone could understand” (Oliphant,

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654 Words | 3 Pages

Before this many Colonists did not know of the harsh injustices done by the British. They also did not believe that the cause for revolution was urgent. Thomas Paine showed them that the cause was urgent by explaining the wrongs the British had committed and why King George was a tyrant. He also showed them that America did not need the British Empire 's protection. This quote shows his reasoning “Small islands, not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.”

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635 Words | 3 Pages

Many circumstances have, and will arise, which are not local, but universal, and through which the principles of all Lovers of Mankind are affected, and in the Event of which, their Affections are interested (Paine, 1776)”. Thomas Paine disagrees with the British government and the way they handling business he encouraged Americas to declare their independence. The Declaration of independence was a documented created by Thomas Jefferson that announced the split from the colonies and Great Britain, it. The Declaration of Independence states “we hold these…all men are created equal...with certain unalienable rights...that when any form of government becomes destructive... It is the right of the people to alter or abolish it (Jefferson, 1776)”.

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513 Words | 3 Pages

In the winter of 1776, during American Revolution, the still young America faced three major dilemmas: their seemingly imminent defeat, the moral debate between the Whigs and the British loyalists, and the panic and confusion of the American public. In efforts to settle the three American dilemmas, Thomas Paine wrote The Crisis No. 1 in December of 1776. In his work, Paine aimed to calm the American public and convince them to stand up to the British, and turn the war into an American victory. Paine was very successful in this, and his paper was proclaimed as one of the most persuasive works of the American Revolution. Paine’s

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146 Words | 1 Pages

While many applicants and parents may find themselves on the outside looking in after the college admissions season, for many top state universities, community college is an excellent end-around into school, with many offering automatic admission based on GPA. Community colleges have particular leverage among many elite public universities such as Berkeley and UCLA where upwards of 20 percent of the undergraduates come from community colleges. Second, all schools allow their applicants an out of a binding admission if they can demonstrate that they cannot afford to attend.

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