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Thomas Paine was one of the great supporters of the American Revolution. He was a journalist and used his pen and paper to urge the public to break free from Great Brittan. He wrote anonymously, yet addressed the public as he spoke out about his beliefs. The first pamphlet he published, influencing independence from Brittan, was called Common Sense Paine believed that America needed to break free of the British clutches. He spoke out against slavery and joined the army to help fight the war. He did not agree with hereditary monarchy and wrote another paper to argue this point (Franklin 321). Paine was very aware of his criticizers, and worked very hard to persuade them toward his way of thinking. In his pamphlet Common Sense he writes: "I have heard it asserted by some, that as America has flourished under her former connection with Great Britain, the same connection is necessary towards her future happiness, and will always have the same effect"(Paine 323). Paine states the following argument: ."..for I answer roundly, that America would have flourished as much, and proba...
His exceptional writing and simple style reached many receptive ears across the Colonies. He also spoke plainly as was with de Crevecoeur yet tended away in his writing from the rural and the pleasant and more towards politics and the ugly truths that were part of colonial life. Consider his most famous work “Common Sense” it is an agitation against the crown of England, this would become a pattern with the man. In its most basic form “Common Sense” is a call to arms and revolution. It is also a great if very lengthy argument for what should happen after the war is won establishing a republic. “The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth. ’Tis not the affair of a city, a county, a province, or a kingdom; but of a continent—of at least one-eighth part of the habitable globe. ’Tis not the concern of a day, a year, or an age; posterity are virtually involved in the contest, and will be more or less affected even to the end of time by the proceedings now” (Paine 136). This is Paine’s original thoughts on the matter and his beginning argument. He continues with “We have boasted the protection of Great Britain without considering that her motive was interest, not attachment; and that she did not protect us from our enemies on our account, but from her enemies on her own account, from those who had no quarrel with us on any other account, and who will always be our enemies on the same account.” (Paine 137). It seems a pretty simple argument to the author that Americans are only entangled in foreign wars because of the association with Great Britain. He makes another assertion that “America would have flourished as much, and probably much more, had no European power taken any notice of her. The commerce by which she hath enriched herself are the necessaries of life, and will always have a market while eating is the custom of Europe.” (Paine 137). Paine’s call to a republic
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were two important men who affected our nations independence and the beginning years of our country. They helped form this nation into a free and sovereign country. Yet, they were different in many aspects they shared a few common features. Both Washington and Jefferson grew up in the southern state of Virginia and like most owned land to grow and harvest crops. In growing up they came from two different class levels of living. The Jefferson family was more famous and richer than Washington’s giving him a greater advantage and opportunity to succeed, especially in higher education. After Jefferson finished regular schooling he was able to attend the College of William and Mary were he studied law. He did so under the teaching of George Wthe who was considered perhaps the greatest teachers of law in Virginia at the time. Washington however was taught by his mom mainly in mathematics and received no higher education. Washington was still knowledgeable and began to put it to use in the army to become as a young British soldier. He interred the army at the young age of nineteen were he began to learn leadership and military strategy which would prove useful in the Revolutionary War to come. Jefferson on the other hand was involved in the laws, courts, and small politics. At the young age of twenty-five Jefferson was elected to the House of Burgesses in Virginia were he served for five years. Washington was known for his great motivational speeches that would rally troops together to prepare for war and lead on to victory. Jefferson was more of a writer not a speaker and by using his skill he wrote and brought forth fresh ideas of independence and freedom.
Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 in Virginia (Whitehouse.gov, n.d., para. 2). He came from a rich family, which afforded him to be very well educated. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence; served as minister of France, governor of Virginia, secretary of state during George Washington’s presidency, and vice-president under John Adams (Thomas Jefferson, n.d., para. 1.) He was also the third president of the United States. Jefferson was an avid opponent of royal ruling and the suppression of individual’s rights, “…I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man” (Whitehouse.gov, n.d., para. 1).
There were many men involved in the establishment of the government, the laws regulating states and people, and individual rights in the construction of the United States of America. Two men stand out as instrumental to our founding principles: Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.
Paine had not entertained the idea of independence from Britain when he arrived in America. He thought it was “a kind of treason” to break away from Britain. It was not until the Battle of Lexington in 1775 that he considered “the compact between Britain and America to be broken” (Claeys). This idea of a broken compact allowed Thomas Paine to write a political pamphlet.
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and The Crisis, No. 1 deal directly with the colonist’s rejection of British rule. According Paine, the British Crown had over stayed its welcome in the political and cultural development of the colonies. The introduction of Common Sense clearly states that the British monarchy has “a long and violent abuse of power,” and that the people of the colonies have the right to be involved and have meaningful representation to the king and Parliament (325) This is a core value of the colonists. Settlers of the English colonies saw the New World as a way to start a new government and new culture, especially when they were given no power in the Parliament. Paine further casts a light on the problems between Britain and America in the third section of Common Sense. He states that Britain is not connected to America anymore, even if the people are descendants of the country. The passage also expresses the selfishness of Britain protection of the colonies to gain truth and control of the people. (326-328) The writings of this section reflect how colonists felt and further helped them to realize that their former mother country, Britain, was an enemy rather than a
way that made people easily to understand, comfortable, and comprehensible to the uneducated, underclass in the America. Eventualy, Paine’s ideologies became the basis of popular American beliefs. He came to America while the conflict of England and American was aligned, as an excise man. After many years, live and see the dark side of the English government was created for Panie the disagreements that can not resolve. Those disagreement was the advances for Paine in a revolution against the same government.
Thomas Paine was an activist for many causes throughout his lifetime including the abolition of slavery, government rule by democracy rather than a monarchy, and in later years about what he believed were falsehoods in the Bible. He was an advocate for freedom of the people and his writings were often controversial. He believed in democracy and leaned toward rule by the common man. After becoming a friend of Benjamin Franklin, he traveled to the colonies. While in the colonies his writings on the American Revolution caused him to become an enemy of the British Government. When he returned to Great Britain his writings as a proponent for the French Revolution caused him to have to flee to France to avoid arrest. His political stance in France eventually caused him to be imprisoned and he eventually had to flee again to the United States to escape long-term imprisonment. He traveled quite a bit and was able to see firsthand the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Thomas Paine was a gifted writer, and he was very devoted to his causes. He is extremely famous for his pamphlet Common Sense which he wrote about what he felt was the necessity for American independence and later had an input into the Constitution of the United States of America. There were a number of gifted male writers during this timeframe who wrote about the same issues, including Edmund Burke, so even though he was a revolutionary writer, he was not unique.
Along with many who had been loyal to Britain, there were quite a few who opposed. For instance, one man who is most recognizable for his opposition of Britain was Thomas Paine. Paine, thought it best to express his views on paper about why independency from Britain was substantial. With regard to his action, Paine knew not of the magnitude of which his pamphlet had created. This pamphlet was known as Common Sense. Due to its popularity the influence it exerted persuaded many. Common Sense had many aspects that aided in the mass appeal it projected. For instance the diction, the wording, analogies,
Thomas Paine anonymously wrote “Common Sense”, a pamphlet discussing the ideas of independence from Britain. This helped the colonists put their frustrations with their government into words. Paine wrote it so simply that anyone could understand his ideas, and it was quite persuasive. He says, “The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth.” (Baym 326) Essentially, Thomas Paine explains how independence from the monarchy would be a really wonderful thing, and he ultimately explains that this independence is inevitable. He talks about how Britain is the parent of America. He compares America to a child growing independent of its parents. Although at one point, America was “flourish[ing] under her former connection with Great Britain”, he says that now it is time for America to grow independent. He uses the example of a child who has been raised on milk never moving on to eating meat. Although the child grew a lot on milk, that doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t continue to grow by eating meat, by gaining more independence. (Baym 326) And he says that while Britain is their parent country, parents shouldn’t “devour their young,” or “make war upon their families.” (Baym 327) He’s using this extended parent example to show that America really doesn’t need a parent country anymore. This idea of total independence from Britain put a lot in perspective for Americans at the time. They became empowered and confident in this idea of
The American colonists were under British rule before the Revolutionary war. Thomas Paine believed that the colonists should gain their independence from England because the British government was taxing only the colonist to pay for England’s massive debts. He believed that the colonists should not be the only ones to pay for the England's debt. “... Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but “to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER” and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth” (the Crisis). He distinguished the British as a tyranny who enslaved America because he knew that the American colonists wanted their freedom from England. The British were taking over the
He uses the analogy of “… because a child has thrived upon milk, that it is never to have meat …” in a sarcastic tone to emphasize how fallacious the argument of the future happiness of America depending on its connection with Britain is. Furthermore, Paine believes that the colonies would have flourished even more if no European nation had ever been involved. In order to support this point, Paine references specific aspects of the relationship between America and Britain. The first is how Britain’s protection over America is purely based on “INTEREST not ATTACHMENT” and only needed due to the “ENEMIES on HER OWN ACCOUNT”. By this, Paine means that America was only involved in war and in need of protection due to its connection with Britain, not to any fault of its own. Consequently, America’s economy suffers during these times of war. When separated, the colonists can start focusing on commerce and securing allies with all of Europe. Here, Paine also protests the Navigation Acts and how the belief in mercantilism, the idea that imperial powers should regulate the colonial economies to benefit the mother country, can only benefit Britain. If the Navigation Acts were not in place, America could start to form trade with other nations. Paine continues to bring in other factors of imperial rule that only benefit Britain and do not make sense in the lives of the American
Thomas Paine did not know it at the time, but he was predicting the future of American diversity. The intelligent, patriotic, pamphleteer wrote about the glorious country that was emerging in the West. He wrote about the benefits of being an American and the unexpected success of the new nation.
Thomas Paine was one of the most influential people on the matter of the American Revolution. Despite being born into poverty and having a very low education, his ideas were not limited. He strayed from the common religious beliefs of the world and went his own way, despite persecution, which showed that his personality was that of a leader and free-thinker.
In the first point about the connection with the British, Paine states that America can benefit much more if it was not connected to the British for many reasons. One of them is trade with other European countries will decline or even go to ruins because if Europe breaks out into a war other countries will not trade with America because of the connection with the British. Second is the fact that the British does not protect us unless its in there interest or benefit to do so. Paine states that when the British fought off Spain and France, it was to protect Great Britain’s interest not Americas. He states this because if America was not benefiting Great Britain with trade and money or anything else; the British would not protect America. Paine’s third point is the fact that Britain is a monster. In this point he states that England brings tyranny to America because of the persecutions of emigrants that came to America in the first place and that Britain still pursues the descendants of the first emigrants.