Thomas Paine And Roger Williams Contribution To Democracy

History experienced an abundance of political figures and written work that have contributed to democracy and the democratic practices for political liberty and popular government. Important persons such as Thomas Paine and Roger Williams both contributed towards the journey of democracy whilst the written work of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and Samuel Adams’ The Rights of the Colonists (1772) helped make democracy tangible and referenceable for future generations.

Thomas Paine, Englishman and author of the pamphlet Common Sense, argued against the British government and outlined the Colonies’ necessity to become an independent nation. Firstly, Paine argued that a monarchical government was a mark of chaos. He argued

this because when power is concentrated in a single being who represents the common man, it is impossible to adhere to every individuals’ wants especially when it concerns a large nation; therefore, a single man’s motives overwrites the common man’s wants and discourages the protection of natural rights (133). The inconsideration towards natural laws threatened society which, according to Paine, is vital because it disallowed individuals’ ability to conjoin in the mission to accomplish goals that fit that group's agenda. The government, because of Common Sense, exists to protect rather than enforce. Therefore, governments’ sole purpose should be to protect the people and their natural law under the circumstances that men, who often oppose one another, threaten to abolish another’s’ natural laws in their effort to enforce their perspectives, beliefs, and rule.
In relation to the purpose of government, Roger Williams discussed what boundaries should exist between government and religion.

Williams contributed to democracy due to his argument that religions’ influence and rule over society is limited. As a clergyman who founded Rhode Island and aimed for freedom of religion, he believed that governments that imposed religion upon their people are the sole reason for revolts against the government (26). For example, Britons left to America for religious opportunities because Catholicism was the traditional religion and was religiously intolerant (Class). Williams reinforced Paine’s argument because he argued that the government should exist to protect natural rights but when the government enforces certain restrictions such as religion, men no longer have the ability to follow what he sees fit. In other words, when the government limits ones’ religious freedom, it restricts one’s political liberty as well because politics enforces a particular

agenda.
Thomas Paine and Roger Williams are both important political figures in the journey towards democracy because they comment about a government’s purpose is to protect the people and their natural rights and laws as a creation of God, not of government. They define democracy as the commitment towards political liberty or the freedom to express oneself without repercussions and government is to ensure the people that political liberty is protected.
Due to important political figures like Thomas Paine and Roger Williams, written works like the Declaration of Independence exists.

The Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, is an official statement of how the British monarchy was limiting the colonies in terms of the Lockean theory of natural rights and the people can rebel when it is felt that government is overstepping their power and is no longer following the wants of the people that it protects (153). The colonists felt that the separation from British rule was inevitable and justified due natural rights, specifically the pursuit of happiness, and the belief in God. Colonists were brilliant in their mentioning of religion because British was heavily Catholic and they opposed going against God’s plan (152). Also, the colonies have given Britain multiple opportunities to correct its wrongdoings. For example, King George III prevented the colonies from having representation in Parliament when they were under his rule (153). The colonies saw this action and other actions, as an abuse of power. The Declaration of Independence is a written expression of the colonies beliefs in government and people. The belief in government determined that it cannot restrict the natural rights that God has given to the people while the belief in people argued that it is a social unit that contains multiple individuals. Although society contains a grouping of people, each person is an individual and must be treated as

such without the assumption of automatically defending the majority party or political opinion.
However, not all the written documents that helped shaped democracy was sound. The Constitution was seen as undemocratic and in order to shift oppositions, the Bill of Rights was created.