Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
Introduction
Thomas Paine published a booklet on the year 1776 becoming a major turning point for the Americans as it advocated for a revolution. He argued that patriots such as John Adams were meeting in continental congress with an aim of discussing how British North American colonies would obtain independence from the Great Britain. Further, he argued that the cause of the colonies would be achieved without an attempt to reconcile with them. He argued that independence would enable the colonies to maintain their security from a world which was turning hostile thus motivating the Americans to be enduring and earn American place across the globe.
Origins and Purposes of Government
According to Hoffman (373-410), most writers wrote while confounding society and government together despite the two have completely different origins. He argued that government is a result of evil while society was produced by people’s wants. Indeed, society encourages happiness through unification of our affections while government negatively promoted happiness by restraining our evils. Society within any government is a sanctified unlike government which
even in the best form is a essential evil which is not only intolerable but also leads to furnishing of suffering when governments exposes us to same miseries as when we do not have it.
Just like clothes, Paine argues that government is as a result of man’s sins since if people were conscience and obeyed without the need for a lawgiver then they would not have to surrender part of the society to government. Furthermore, government is the means through which men furnish ways of protecting themselves from others and hence security is the beginning and of end of a government. Thus, he argues that governments are better if they are simple since they are less susceptible to disorder and incase of its occurrence then it’s easier to repair. He claims that absolute governments are not complex hence if their people suffer they will know the source of the sufferings and the remedy to them (Paine, 4).
English Government and Hereditary Monarchy
Paine claimed that the constitution of England was a problem since it was such complex that people were likely to suffer for many years without the cause being discovered. The constitution was based on ancient tyrannies but had hidden itself on some new republican materials. First the Monarchial system of the King through hereditary did not make constitutional sense since they added nothing to the liberty of the state. He stated that the king could not be trusted hence he had to be checked meaning only thirst of power was the reason for monarchy. Second he discredited the House of Commons checking the king but later giving the same king powers to reject certain bills hence implying that the king is wiser than those who are supposed to be wiser than him (9).
The constitution of England was absurd with monarchy since it excluded the king from means of information but gave him power to take part in cases that required highest judgment.
Conversely, the king was shut from the whole world but still required him to know a lot hence rendering the parts of the constitution absurd. The government of Kings, Lords and Commons in England arises from national pride rather than reason according to Paine (18). Therefore, despite those in England being safer under the hands of King, this was totally different in the rest of the British colonies since the will of the King was just the law of the land since instead of coming from his mouth it was through acts of parliament. Hence, Paine was of the view that the constitution of the people in England protected them from the Crown’s constitution of government which the King used in British colonies (81).
Reconciliation and Connection to Britain
Although majority of people argue of the advantages of reconciliation but Paine argued that this arguments needed to be examined since the colonies underwent not just material injuries but also had to sustain themselves from these injuries by being connected and dependent of England.
Consequently, there was need to scrutinize connection and independence using the ideologies of common sense and nature as the mirror so as to know what was expected when independent and when connected (34). Though some argued connection of America to Great Britain earned the former future happiness Paine of the dispute and claimed that probably America would have thrived had no European rule taken her as a colony since the commerce in America would have enriched her better without the eating of Europe. Even though she protected these colonies she only did that for the sake of dominion and trade.
Additionally, he argued that although most people were of English decent and that Britain needed to extinguish any other name or title was very ridiculous since despite the first King of England having descendants from France then it would be inappropriate to say France should
govern England. Furthermore, his assertions were that although British and its colonies would have a united strength there was no certainty that in case of war the Americans would support British in case of war (42). Paine argued that not a single advantage did Americans have by being connected to England since its Corn would be harvested and taken to European Market at no costs and sold within any price. Instead of the corn being an export the British would use it as any other commodity within its jurisdiction. Disadvantages were the many and hence America needed to renounce its connection with British since it involved America in European wars and wrangles causing enmity between America and other nations who would rather have been friends. Also, despite Americans trying to steer away from European wrangles that would never happen while it depended on Britain since the latter used America as a the scale of balancing its political power (74).
Conclusion
Overall, Paine was of the view that as long as the powers of ruling remained in the hands of the King in Britain then America would not make any other law apart from what the King wanted. Indeed, no way the king would always pursue his personal interests when laws in America were to be made. Therefore, America remained at the mercy of the British since it would struggle to make America laws which would render it not only low but also humble. Similarly, failure to be independent would mean investments by other countries would be limited since people would not trust a government which was likely to face commotion and threats due to revolts. Lastly, Paine claimed that a continent like America with a stable form of government would keep peace and also protect its citizens from any form of civil war.
Work Cited
Hoffman, David C. “Paine and prejudice: Rhetorical leadership through perceptual framing in common sense.” Rhetoric & Public Affairs 9.3 (2006): 373-410.
Paine, Thomas. Thomas Paine on Liberty: Common Sense and Other Writings. Skyhorse Publishing Inc., 2012.
