Analysis Of Thomas Paine's Common Sense

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1776 marked a pivotal year for the New World. In January, a pamphlet from a Mr. Thomas Paine is published that ignites the fires of revolution in the hearts of early Americans. Later that same year in July of 1776, the United States of America would declare independence from their parent country in England, and establish a democratic republic to manage their government. How could this novella-sized article generate such a response from a blossoming people? To what extent must this paper have pushed the bounds of common knowledge that it would drive a nation to disconnect from their homeland? Paine’s Common Sense is a primary document of insurmountable historic value that provides priceless insight into the minds of the colonists in the 18th century. Common Sense includes many compelling arguments, but there is one overarching point Paine attempts to convey; “First, that it is the interest of America to be separated from Britain.” Paine’s core belief in his article is that it’s in the best interest of Americans, having struggled its way through over a hundred years of turmoil to establish a functioning society, to detach themselves from the British monarchical system. They had operated under Britain’s rule for the past 170 years, back to the establishment of Jamestown in 1607, and it was high time to revisit the state of America’s current affairs with some new perspective. According to Paine, the British constitution had numerous flaws, so he wrote Common Sense to refute the

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