Thomas Paine Common Sense

Historical Context of Common Sense

In 1776, American Patriots moved toward Independence with a reborn fervor after the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. The British spilled American blood, and there was no turning back on complete Independence for many Patriots. However, many colonists still retained an affection for England. Colonists celebrated in the streets when King George III ascended the throne just sixteen years before. There were other open celebrations in 1766 when Parliament repealed the Stamp Act.

But by late 1775, Americans began to turn away from the King and his Parliament. Many accused King George II of supporting oppressive legislation and ordering armed reactions toward the colonists as military conflicts increased.

American society was in flux. Wealthy, influential loyalists devoted to the King and the mercantile system that had earned their wealth and allegiance attempted to sway public opinion to their cause. In opposition, a mix of radical Patriot sentiment for Independence found more receptivity with laypeople and merchants. They saw not just the idea of questioning the King as a good prospect but were even open to questioning the very existence of a monarchy.

Thomas Paine Common Sense Main Points

Let's look at how one pamphlet changed the tide in this period.

Thomas Paine Common Sense Date

A single pamphlet tipped the scales in favor of the Patriot cause, with popular sentiment in flux. Thomas Paine published "Common Sense" in January 1776.

Thomas Paine Common Sense Purpose

Its purpose was a rousing call for Independence and a republican government. The pamphlet exploded in popularity. Within three months of publication, it sold approximately 120,000 copies.

Thomas Paine Common Sense Summary

Thomas Paine was an English author who had only lived in America since 1774. Having moved to America after protesting low wages in England, the young adopted patriot called stridently and stirringly for Independence.

Fig. 1 The title page of Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Source: Library of Congress.

More than that, Paine challenged many common American assumptions about government and the colonies’ relationship with England. Rejecting the notion that a balance of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy was necessary to preserve American freedoms, he advocated establishing a republic.

Instead of acknowledging the benefits of a connection with Britain, Paine insisted that Britain had exploited the colonies unmercifully. Despite the frequent assertion that an independent America would be weak and divided, he substituted unlimited confidence in America’s strength when freed from European control.

Fig. 2 A Portrait of Thomas Paine.

Paine presented these striking statements in equally remarkable prose. He adopted an angry, raging tone, ignoring the polite, rational style of his classically trained and educated contemporaries. His work was written in the language of ordinary people and relied heavily on the Bible - the only book familiar to most Americans - as his primary source of authority.

Thomas Paine Common Sense Analysis

In Common Sense, Paine opens an attack on the traditional monarchy in a language that stirs the emotions of the ordinary person. “Monarchy and hereditary succession have laid the world in blood and ashes,” Paine stated, targeting a personal attack on King George III, “the hard-hearted sullen Pharaoh of England.”

Paine mixed insults with biblical quotes to highlight the British system of “mixed government” issues among the aristocracy, lords, and everyday people. Paine admitted that the system “was noble for the dark and slavish times in which it was created.” Still, it created only “monarchial tyranny in the person of the King” and “aristocratical tyranny in the persons of the peers,” referring to British Parliament.¹

Fig. 3 A Statue of Thomas Paine in Bordentown, New Jersey.

Paine made a compelling argument for American Independence by turning the traditional metaphor of patriarchal authority onto its head. “Is it the interest of a man to be a boy all this life?” he asks in his booklet. Meaning that is it for the American colonies - a continent - to be ruled by an Island? At what point do the Americans grow up and lead themselves? Paine called on Americans to create independent republican states, “A government of our own is our natural right, ‘tis time to part.” ¹

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense: Significance and Influence

By reading Common Sense, there is no way of knowing how many people converted to the cause of Independence. But by the late spring of 1776, Independence had become inevitable. On May 10, 1776, the Second Continental Congress formally recommended that individual colonies “adopt such governments as shall, in the opinion of the representatives of the people, be the best to conduce to the happiness and safety of their constituents in particular, and American in general,” as quoted in the new constitution of the state of Georgia in early 1777.² The sentiments of Common Sense clearly influenced them.