Similarities Between Common Sense And Declaration Of Independence

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Common Sense & Declaration of Independence Amanda Stark Post University Common Sense & Declaration of Independence In January 1776, an Englishman by the name of Thomas Paine, wrote and circulated a pamphlet titled “Common Sense”. Common Sense was the forerunner to our Declaration of Independence. Within this paper, to the best of my understanding, I will mention many facts to show the similarities, differences and effectiveness in both documents. Paine’s “Common Sense”, in my opinion had the greatest influence on Revolutionary America. The reason I say this is because, as mentioned above, “Common Sense” was the forerunner to the Declaration of Independence; without “Common Sense” being written, who knows how our Declaration of Independence …show more content…

The first, and most obvious similarity that I found was that both documents were written during the same year of 1776, but written only six months apart. Secondly, both were written to discuss and initiate the breaking away and ultimately gaining independence from Great Britain. Another similarity that is very obvious throughout both pieces of work is the great offenses that were being committed against American colonies. Some of the major offenses that were being committed by Great Britain are, over taxation and purposely crushing the colonist’s interest in partaking in Parliament. If I’m correct, I believe that both documents form some sort of assumed contract stating that the government is not endowed with power, that actually if they are not supporting the citizens, that they can and will be replaced. The last comparison that I will mention, is that within both documents, it is stated that they made a great effort to reconcile their issues with the King, but still felt that their needs as citizens were still not being met by English …show more content…

The biggest and most obvious difference that I feel anyone that reads it could quickly find is the length of both documents. “Common Sense” is by far longer than the Declaration of Independence. It is said that “Common Sense” was 48 pages long, whereas the Declaration of Independence was merely just a single page long. With Paine’s pamphlet being so lengthy, I feel that he was able to touch on many more issues that the Declaration of Independence was able to. Jefferson’s document is a very short, and merely touches a few subjects about how the American colonies have the right to be able to break away from Great Britain. Both documents are supposed to portray the same message, but with Paine’s being as long as it is, he goes into far more detail on the issues, therefore making it more informative. For an example, “Common Sense” goes on to mention the reasons why the British system failed to deliver adequate checks on the king. Although the Declaration of Independence does point out the way the King was abusing his powers, “Common Sense” goes on to describe in great detail what the King is in fact doing wrong, and Paine even explains why it is such a great time to rebel and fight for their

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