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How Did Thomas Paine Influence The American Government

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Introduction: Thomas Paine was an English American writer of essays and pamphlets in the 18th century. He was born in England and moved to the American colonies in 1774 after Benjamin Franklin encouraged him to. His most notable work was called “Common Sense” which was printed in January of 1776, a fifty-page pamphlet that inspired the colonies to fight for their independence. Prior to its publication, the colonies had been in revolt for a few months against England, namely in the battle of Lexington & at Concord. There was a big discussion in the colonies on whether they should go for full independence against England or go for an improved representation within their political system at the time. Although most of the colonies have made up …show more content…

It was divided into four sections. The first section provided a strong foundation for his argument about why America should become a republican government, writing that the English constitution is “imperfect, subject to convulsions, and incapable of producing what it seems to promise.” The succeeding sections were an assessment of the monarchy and its nature affecting social systems, which was in conflict to the idea of the biblical equality of all men, elaborating its historical consequences and future repercussions. He also expounded on how the rulers should be chosen by the citizens through an election. Moreover, emphasized that the colonies were more than capable on their own with all their natural resources and the increasing population to support themselves as their own country and that fighting for independence was in the best interests of the colonists. His work ultimately swayed majority of the undecided colonies in favor of full-on independence from Great …show more content…

It touches too many families throughout our nation. The scars it left behind will be there for years. We, as a nation, have the power to do something about this and yet our government refuses to do so. Common sense isn’t as simple as breathing in air; it comes with a lot of “ifs” and “buts”. The ill bureaucracy, the biased rules and regulations, the malfunctioning law - these have all become so fundamental to our daily lives that we no longer recognize a life without these burdens. We continue to watch the poor get poorer and the rich get richer. We continue to watch the oppressors do as they please. We have eyes, yet we are blinded by the belief that we are safer if we stayed out of their business, not realizing that this is everyone’s business. We have ears, yet we refuse to listen to the cries of the helpless. We have hearts, but we don’t feel the pain of those who lost their loved ones. Or at least, not until we lose a love one too. We have brains, oh yes we do. But to say we have common sense – ah! That just might seem a bit of an

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Thomas Paine had many reasons for America 's need to separate from the British Empire, beginning with the fact that Great Britain was taking advantage of America by using America only as a source of new commerce or a new investment, instead of truly caring for the colonies. In addition to taking advantage of America, another reason Paine said to fight Great Britain was because, although they protected America, Great Britain was only fighting for their own investment in the colonies, instead of for the people within the colonies. The colonies were also persuaded by Thomas Paine in "Common Sense" to separate themselves from Great Britain because the only reason the colonies were connected was through the mother country (England), and the colonies

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Thomas Paine Thomas Paine became so influential because he was a respectable, well-educated man who was writing in support of the ideas of the people. Despite his education, his books and pamphlets were written in a simple manner so everyone could understand what he wanted to say, and his book `Common Sense` had sold around 150,000 copies by 1776. This shows his audience was clearly made up of a wide range of people of many different classes. The two main ideas in his book were clear: his want for independence from Britain and for the creation of a democratic republic.

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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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During the America Revolution period, many pamphlets were written in support of or in opposition to the growing independence movement of the American colonies. One of these authors was Thomas Paine, a thirty nine year old English immigrant in 1776 who worked as a journalist in Philadelphia. Paine opposed King George III policies towards the colonies and supported independence of the American colonies. (Shi, Tindall 147) One of his pamphlets was “The American Crisis, Number 1”, which was written December 19th, 1776 in the New England area while he was marching with George Washington’s Continental Army.

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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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Due to his many experiences while living in Great Britain, he grew a desire to fight for the oppressed and often questioned the authority the British Monarchy had over the American colony. Thomas Paine wrote an influential Pamphlet “Common Sense” a scathing attack on the monarchial tyranny over the American colony and the significance of American independence. Thomas Paine’s ideas in this pamphlet were not original, however were more accessible to the masses due to the clear and direct way he wrote. His pamphlet helped to inspire The Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence contains a list of grievances against King George III and justifications for the assertion of the right for independence.

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According to Foner, “Paine had arrived in America when the conflict between the colonists and England was reaching its height”. After the Battle of Lexington and Concord, Paine argued that the cause of America should not be just a revolt against taxation but a demand for independence. (Foner, Philip S). Thomas Paine strongly supported the idea of American Independence and inspired many people to fight for it. He boosted the morale of soldiers and inspired them.

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Thomas Paine Runs the Game Thomas Paine had been a highly acclaimed English- American writer, Politician, and civil advocate during the 1770’s, otherwise known as the revolutionary war period. He is in large part the spark that ignited the fire in the colonial people’s hearts that led the beginning of the revolutionary war. Although Thomas Paine had left England for the United States in 1770, he instantly fell in love with the colonies and what they stood for.

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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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Throughout the excerpts of Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” he makes many compelling points on why America during that time was in the perfect position for independence. In the first paragraph Paine writes about how the economy of the colonies could thrive if they were not under the rule of the Britain. He makes points on how if America was not limited in trade by Britain and the colonies had its own legislative branch the economy would be a lot stronger. In the second paragraph Thomas Paine talks about how in the past if the colonies tried to rebel their military would not have been ready but during the time “Common Sense” was written the American military was ready. Another factor in why Paine supported Colonist independence was because it was

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Thomas Paine was a great writer and was the editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine. Paine was strong in his beliefs and wrote Common Sense. The Declaration of Independence and Common Sense are two well known documents that share remarkably similar ideals regarding the ongoing crisis in America, but they also have some differences. Common Sense is a pamphlet consisting of forty-nine pages on why Paine believes the thirteen American colonies should break off from Great Britain. Throughout the Pamphlet, Paine creates a political argument in an attempt to rally the people together to fight for independence.

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Common Sense was an important stepping stone towards independence. Thomas Paine was a person who advocated and supported egalitarian principles. He believed that all people are equal and deserved equal rights and opportunities. Thomas goal was to influence to people in the Thirteen Colonies to stand for independence from Great Britain. The thirteen colonies were a group of British colonies on the east coast of North America.

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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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Introduction The American Revolution was a very long and extensive war that lasted from 1775 until 1783, and as a result America gained its independence. It is very imperative to highlight the significant role that women played during the American Revolution. During this era a woman was often portrayed as illiterate, child-bearing mother, and a homemaker.

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Following the account of how man should seek “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” (The Declaration of Independence) the writer lets the people know that everyone has the right to overthrow a government if the human rights are unfair and unjust. And

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