How Did Thomas Paine Influence The American Government

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

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

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