Critical Essay Question: Thomas Paine's Common Sense

HIST 105: Essay Question: Thomas Paine's Common Sense
Common Sense was a pivotal piece of writing by Thomas Paine that consequentially resulted in many a people aligning their political ideologies together in favor of complete autonomy from the British rule. Paine through his short pamphlet written in clear prose was able to appeal to a broad array of people on the issues of government structure, monarchy and its flaws, the current state of America and its ability to govern itself. Paine's pamphlet possessed mass appeal because by being able to break complex philosophies into relatively simple terms he successfully attracted the common people, and infused a revolutionary rhetoric with a democratic strain. Through his pamphlet he was able to bring the rising revolutionary sentiment into sharp focus by tactfully and rightly placing blame for the suffering of the colonies directly onto the reigning British monarchy thereby paving the path for the imminent revolution.

Paine in his pamphlet touched on a lot of subjects that resonated very well amongst the then American majority population.

Paine instigated the populous to not be complacent and be actively in charge of their own future. Paine sums up very well how "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason." He urged people to realize how the British had historically unfairly taxed them for example the Stamp Act, and would continue to do so if they were to not take a less complacent attitude towards it. He preempted the populous about the self centered monarchy which would continue to exploit them by saying, "To say, they will never attempt it again is idle and visionary, we thought so at the repeal of the stamp-act, yet a year or two undeceived

us…".
The aforementioned points were one of the few raised by Paine, that culminated into an effective argument in favor of the Declaration of Independence.
A loyalists biggest concern and argument with Paine's 'Common Sense' might lie in the improbability of the unified America to beat Britain at a war. Before Paine's idea of revolution caught on, the populous in colonies even after having entered the revolt was split between the idea of declaring America as an independent state, or just merely asking for improved representation within the current British political system.
A loyalist would have been likely to underestimate the consolidated power of the colonies when revolutionized and thereby might have been unable to foresee the inevitability of America's independence from the British. At the given time it would have been comforting for a loyalist to be allegiant to the British, which was the greatest naval power of the given time and the sheer idea to revolt against such power, and raise a naval force of one's own in the future to protect its trade might have seemed unfathomable.
A loyalist also might have argued that dropping the revolution altogether might have been in the American populous best interest given that plenty of able men had fallen so far, and further perpetuating the revolution would only prolong the calamitous war. Whereas according to them ending the animosity between the British and Americans might just bring the much needed peace to the continent ,an eventual reconciliation and a sense of economic stability. To the loyalists the misaligned interests of the crown with the people of America weren't really ever visibly apparent.
Written at the brink of the Revolution, Common Sense became a timeless classic. It stirred the colonists to strengthen their resolve, resulting in the first successful anti-colonial action in modern history an example for the entire world to follow and replicate.

Works Cited
Paine, Thomas, Common Sense (New York: Penguin, 1976).