Common Sense
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| Common Sense |
Common Sense is a revolutionary pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776, advocating for American independence from British rule. Paine's work was instrumental in galvanizing public opinion and support for the American Revolution, and is considered one of the most influential political writings in history.
In Common Sense, Paine argues that it is common sense for the American colonies to break away from British rule and establish their own independent government. He criticizes the British monarchy and argues that it is absurd for a small island to rule over a vast continent like America. Paine also challenges the idea of hereditary monarchy, arguing that it is unjust for power to be passed down through generations rather than earned through merit.
Paine's writing is passionate and persuasive, appealing to the common people and urging them to take action against British tyranny. He argues that it is the right and duty of the American people to fight for their freedom and establish a government that represents their interests. Paine's call for independence resonated with many Americans and helped to unite the colonies in their fight against British oppression.
Common Sense was widely circulated and read throughout the colonies, sparking a wave of support for independence. Paine's arguments were so compelling that they helped to sway public opinion and push the colonies towards declaring independence from Britain. The pamphlet played a crucial role in shaping the political landscape of the time and laying the groundwork for the American Revolution.
Overall, Common Sense is a powerful and influential work that helped to inspire a nation to fight for its freedom. Thomas Paine's passionate writing and persuasive arguments continue to resonate with readers today, making it a timeless and important piece of American history.
Except from the prefece:
The North American Republic consists of twenty-four regularly organized States, and an immense extent of territory not yet formed
into States, which, with the exception of some
mountain ridges, is wholly susceptible of cul- tivation. It contains upwards of two millions
of square miles, and is therefore thirteen times
as large as France, twenty-three times as large as England, and would, were it peopled as densely as these countries, contain four hundred millions of people. It is watered on its eastern, western, and part of its southern sides by the ocean, and on part of its northern
frontier by immense lakes. It is intersected in This clear and concise statement of the origin of the American war for independence is from an
edition of Common Sense published in 1848 by
J. Watson, 3 Queen's Head Passage, Paternoster Row, London. At that time the English publish-
ers were permitted to print Paine's political
writings u mutilated, as they now appear, with-
out molestation by the government: but the early editions of both Common Sense and the Rights of Man were issued in a very imperfect form to avoid prosecution; all adverse criticism of the king or parliament, of tyrants and tyr- anny, being- sternly suppressed.
The vacant lines in the pages of the edition of Common Sense
published by J. Almond, opposite Burlington- house in Piccadilly, 1776, and the many sup- pressed passages in the Rights of Man published by H. D. Symonds, Paternoster-Row, 1792, of
J. S. Jordon, 166 Fleet-street, 1791, and many others, are all mute yet eloquent witnesses of the injustice and tyranny exercised by the British.
