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What Is Paine's Argument Against Heredity?

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Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” was an impressive critique of colonial fears of separation from parent country and on hereditary monarchy in British Government. Paine possessed a unique ability to reach out to his audience through a variety of different methods. By using ordinary language and religious scriptures Paine painted a vivid picture on the fallacy of hereditary monarchs and for the need for American independence. However, his work wavered some by way of ignoring some factual evidence and suffered heavily by way of its own hypocrisy. In the end though his literary piece provided a means for thorough and lengthy debates on the future of America. Paine stated that society was a blessing, but government was a necessary evil. Men, he believed, gave tribute (land/wealth) to their government in exchange for safety, security, and the wills of those in positions of power. However Paine noted that in Britain heredity in both the monarchy and the House of Lords acts as a barrier and created a sense of isolation for those who govern and those who are governed. This is an important step in Paine’s argument against heredity as he expressed dissatisfaction to …show more content…

Through the examination and propagation of William the Conqueror, Paine sought to remove the colonists’ cultural and historical perceptions of the monarchy. Paine explains that the English monarchy is one of both French origin and of French conquest. A fact that, he believes, the English monarchy refuses to acknowledge. He expresses his anger as the English monarchy was achieved by a French foreigner with armed banditti establishing a system without the consent of the people. The explanation of the English monarchy’s origins was an effective way to breed dissatisfaction in colonists. It showed to them that their trust in the English monarchy system, which was based on divinity, was a

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In Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, “The Crisis, No 1” (1776), Paine propounds that the colonists establish a sovereign American nation free of British tyranny. Paine fortifies this declaration using pathos: giving this idea of living in a joyous America without a ruthless tyrant promotes the emotion of hope, and supplying people a vision for a brighter future. Paine’s purpose is to reveal how uplifting living in a free country would be like in order to motivate the colonists into uniting and fighting for their independence. Paine is aiming his work at both soldiers and colonists who are struggling with the outset of war against

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Thomas Paine believed the selection of kings to be unnatural because people are born as kings and nothing assures that they'll be good leaders. He argues that nature disapproves otherwise there wouldn't be "an ass for a lion." He says that mankind is originally equal in order of creation. Says that the colonists have been wronged too many times to attempt reconciliation with the

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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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(Common Sense, P.24) He believed that Britain had nothing to offer the Americas any longer. America was no longer just colonies that grew crops, they had formed into something much great, a country that could stand on its own in the world. To top that off America was no longer just British colonies, it became a safe haven for many types of Europeans of different religions. Which is why Paine said, “Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America.”

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He truly believes that Great Britain will have an extremely difficult time controlling the colonies for any long period of time. Specifically, Paine states that “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered”. He uses plenty of figurative language, such as similes and metaphors, to make his speech as thought provoking as possible. Although, Paine obviously tries to make the speech as understandable as possible so any common man or woman can interpret

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He argues that all men are initially equal at their time of creation meaning that the distinction between kings and their subjects (as in England) is false due to their actual equality at birth. Paine then discusses and gives examples of some of the problems caused by kings and monarchies in the past and concludes that “In England a king hath little more to do than to make war and give away places; which in plain terms, is to impoverish the nation and set it together by the ears. A pretty business indeed for a man to be allowed eight hundred thousand sterling a year for, and worshipped into the bargain! Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that ever

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Compare the backgrounds of Jefferson and Paine; did Paine have an advantage or disadvantage by not being born in the colonies? Explain. Paine had the advantage of being able to see the issues from the outside and from a lower point of society. To be able to understand a bigger group of people is far more of an advancement than to always target the smaller group. Which was the cause of the colonies not wanting to be under rule.

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The author begins by invalidating any rally for peace maintained by the loyalty of hereditary succession, saying “The whole history of England disowns the fact” (Paine 21), followed by evidence of the many civil wars fought by the English. By evaluating these facts, the reader is able to clearly see how hereditary succession does the opposite of its purpose: it establishes quarrels and thwarts peace. Paine also considers the belief that the British government is credited with American prosperity, and because of this, Great Britain will always be of necessity to America. Though Paine refutes this immediately comparing the belief to these absurd notions: “…because a child has thrived upon milk, that it is never to have meat, or that the first twenty years of our lives is to become a precedent for the nest twenty” (Paine 25). Paine even disproves the necessity of reconciliation between the colonies and Great Britain with two major points.

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Throughout his writing Paine makes many different arguments based on simple common sense such as the fact that England is only a small island while America is a large continent. In addition, Paine makes the argument that it is unreasonable to expect America to stay under the control of England because of the fact that most Americans were descended from the English. Paine states that by that type of reasoning England should be ruled by

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He says that over a certain period of time those people will develop certain relationships, and some will create laws no matter what. He states that the people will be much happier if they make their own laws and live based on laws that they alone create. Paine also obviously expresses his opinion that a representative system like the people would form would be better for the colonists. After sharing his disgust of the British government Pain accuses it of many flaws. He claims that the British government is far to complicated, that it is full of meaningless complacencies, and the monarch within the system has too much power as well.

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Paine is against America having a connection with Britain and a single person having power. As Paine expresses, King George III is not and should not be able to be in power of the colonists because mankind is created to be equal and therefore kings should be “disapproved by nature” (Paine 217). Not only does Paine express his anger at the topic of a ruler for all, he also voices that America is connected to whatever Britain does and whatever problems Britain has: implying that America has no say what so ever under Britain (Paine 218). Paine is suggesting that Britain is not only hurting but also is subordinating America and its colonies, so a declaration of independence is in need.

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“It is wholly owing to the Constitution of the people, and not to the constitution of the government that the crown is not as oppressive in England as in Turkey.” We should give power to someone who is fair and not self-centered. Paine stated “from the errors of other nations, let us learn wisdom” to advise us to avoid repeating the past in the future from learning about bad past experiences. Paine argued for American’s separation from England by comparing the Kings that Great Britain has had to what a government should be

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Thomas paine’s Common Sense was one of the most influential documents to the American Revolution. This essay also tries to argue that without Paine’s Common Sense the

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Supporting Paine’s claims was the lack of justification in nature or scripture, both equally credible sources to the American people. Numerous examples of monarchy’s natural evils exist within Common Sense, the author goes so far as to list monarchy as a sin in the Jewish faith. Even worse in

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A government which them, themselves, create. For instance, he gives the example of people on an island who have come together and shared a common interest, eventually causing them to create their own effective form of government, by their own rules. These laws which they understand, and are their own creators. But, Paine does bring in that if the people wait, and the population grows, then it would be harder to separate from Britain and create a successful government of their own. Keeping along, Paine brings up the issue of monarchy.

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