What Is Paine's Argument For Independence

In 1776 Thomas Paine published his most popular and influential pamphlet known as “Common Sense”. Its extreme popularity was due to the fact that at the time of publishment the relationship between England and her colonies were at its lowest point. Paine’s pamphlet was groundbreaking because it was one the first documents that blatantly argued for independence from Great Britain (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 640). Citizens of the colonies wanted rebellion because they saw themselves as, “abused citizens of Britain,” (Common Sense: Critical Reception). Paine centers his arguments for the immediate separation from Great Britain around the relationship between America and England.

In Paine's Introduction he calls into question

the long abuse of power The King of England has had, and how the king would do everything in his power to keep parliament happy, which usually comes at the expense of the people. The abusive nature of the King has lead Paine to believe that, “The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind”, because the problems that happened are not, “local, but universal” (Thomas Paine Common Sense 641).
At this time, many people want to reconcile with Great Britain instead of completely cutting ties with Her, but Paine explains that by staying connected to Great Britain, it would do more harm than good.

One of the first arguments against separation is that America thrives under Britain’s control, and in order to continue to do so, a connection with Her is a necessity, Paine rebuttals back that this is completely “fallacious” and says that is basically the same as saying that, “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 next twenty” (Paine 642). He continues on by saying that, “…America would have flourished as much, and probably much more, had no European power taken any notice of her.” (Paine

642).
One of the other arguments against separation was about the protection Great Britain provides for the American colonies. Paine Points out Great Britain was protecting the colonies out of personal “interest not attachment” (Paine 643). Here Paine is trying to prove that Great Britain truly only has its own welfare in mind, and does not care about the American people as individuals but only as a source of income. Paine saw England’s govermenet as “inherently exploitive.” (Common Sense: Themes and Construction).
Additionally, while on the topic of protection, Paine points out that Great Britain “did not protect us from our (America’s) enemies on our account; but from her enemies….

Who no had quarrel with us on any other account.” (Paine 643). Which is Paine’s way of saying that by staying affiliated with Great Britain, the American colonies will be inadvertently dragged into pointless wars, and have unnecessary enemies with nations.

Another argument against our separation from Great Britain that Paine dismisses is about how the colonies supposedly have no ties to each other except the connection that England, our “mother country”, provides. Thus making all the colonies “sister colonies” because of England (Paine 643). He goes on to say that the term mother country had been implemented by the King to play on the human psyche, because naturally no one wants to fight with “family”.

Eventually, Paine switches from countering the reasons against the separation and starts proposing his own reasons for the immediate separation from Great Britain. Paine states that, “The authority of Great Britain over this continent is a form of government, which sooner or later must have an end” (Paine 643), because in his opinion, he believes that “this government (one ruled by England) is not sufficiently lasting to insure anything which we may bequeath to Posterity” (Paine

643).
Paine mentions four different types of men who he believes would support reconciling with Great Britain instead of immediately cutting ties immediately. The first being men who are not to be trusted, the second being weak men, the third being prejudiced men, and the fourth one Paine described as, “moderate men who think better of the European world than it deserves” (Paine 645). Paine also suggestions that men with passive temper towards the way Great Britain has been treating the colonies, are the ones denying America the chance at a better future. That if the colonies tried to fix the connection with Great Britain, it would be forced and based off of convenience; eventually creating a worse situation for the colonies. From there, Paine goes on the tangent naming a bunch of different terrible atrocities some of the America citizens have had to endure because of the British Government, finishing off that if a man could still feel passive towards England, that he had the, “Heart of a coward, and the spirit of a sycophant.” (Paine 646).
Finally, Paine makes the claim that it is a natural right of the American colonies to have a government of their own, one who fights for what is in the best interest of the American people. Paine states that, “…it is infinitely wiser … to form a constitution of our own in a cool deliberate manner, while we still have it in our power.” (Paine 646), then wait for some random person with popularity to back him up to gain control of the government and turn the situation into an even more desperate one. Because of this Paine says that, “Ye that oppose independence now…. are opening a door to eternal tyranny by keeping vacant the seat of government” (Paine 646-647). At this point, Paine believes that England has hurt the colonies one to many times and there is no chance at reconciliation. The only option is to go all the way, completely rebel against England and fight for our independence.