If Thomas Paine, the writer of Common Sense in 1776, was to miraculously rise from the dead, he would likely describe America’s current state of Affairs and the progress of America’s government as impressive yet disappointing. Thomas Paine would likely be disappointed in America’s government due to the inefficiency of the government and its’ poor decisions. On the other side, Paine would be impressed by the power of the government and the good it does.
The United States of America, is known to be one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world. It has often been referred to by many as a global melting pot or as locals may say callaloo, due to the amassing of diverse ethnicities, cultures and nationalities. Within its borders, resides immigrants or descendants of immigrants from almost every region in the world, and each has in some way added to the American culture and way of life. America is known for its stance on freedom, it is a nation that values equality and justice, this can be noted in the last few words of their national anthem ‘indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’ However, for many, high levels of economic and social inequalities are daily struggles, a battle that has been fought for decades to claim the most basic rights, in the pursuit of achieving the American Dream.
Thomas Paine once said, “But where says some is the King of America? I 'll tell you Friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Britain...let it be brought forth placed on the divine law, the word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America THE LAW IS KING.” This quote exemplifies that Paine placed greater faith and value on God than he did on a government that consisted of one supreme ruler; as long as America approved a monarchy government, the only standards people pursued were the laws formed by that leader. Because of Paine’s childhood, dislike of monarchies, and belief in strong state governments, it’s evident why he supported anti-federalism.
This essay will be discussing and analyzing the document: Common Sense by Thomas Paine. Thomas Paine was an American founding father and very influential in the the enlightenment movement that started in 1714. Thomas Paine wrote common sense so people would begin thinking and discussing the way the British had been treating the colonies in the recent years. Paine believed that King George and the British parliament were tyrannical and that the colonies should do something about it. Common Sense appealed to many of the colonists because of the plain language Thomas Paine used. Thomas paine’s Common Sense was one of the most influential documents to the American Revolution. This essay also tries to argue that without Paine’s Common Sense the
The American government acts as the beating heart of the body. The heart allows blood to flow throughout the whole system. Without a heart, blood would remain unable to move as a collective whole. Both authority and its citizens must work simultaneously; one cannot function without the other. Jefferson expands upon the symbiotic relationship and reveals the ideal partnership between the people’s rights and the state. “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” (Jefferson, 1776/2014, para. 2). Authority should not reside over individuals, but with them. A heart cannot run a body alone. Likewise, a government does not operate a nation by itself. Individuals help maintain the justice of authority. To prosper in a just and moral way, America must stand united. Thoreau demonstrates the accountability between the two parties: “The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted” (Thoreau, 1849/1998, p. 127). The people who compose a nation must not be complacent and inactive. Inactivity prevents progress. Immobile people personify immobile blood. What good is stagnant blood? For the heart to function, the blood must stay in motion, fueling the body. Similarly, Americans’ require a government and their
Yes his argument was compelling because he used persuasive words that made the King of Britain sound like a monster and a horrible dictator and that they needed independence badly before things got even worse. In Common Sense Paine says this “For all men being originally equals, no one by birth could have the right to set up his own family in perpetual preference to all others forever and tho’ himself might deserve some decent degree of honours of his contemporaries, yet his descendants might be far too unworthy to inherit them.” Paine was saying that even though the people were born free they would never know how free they really were because they were under harsh dictatorship and basically that is all the people knew back then. Thomas Paine was trying to get to the point that America will eventually become dependent. At times, he introduces this as a simple fact that everyone accepts, but sometimes, he argues for it, quoting the area of the flaw separating the colonies and the English king.
Thomas Paine, a local pamphleteer in the pre-Revolutionary War era, wrote a convincing pamphlet to any colonists who were not already supporting the war for independence from Great Britain. In his argument, Paine uses rhetorical strategy, an emotional aspect, and divine revelation towards the citizens to create a very moving, passionate, and convincing call to arms.
Paine asserts that America is made up “of people from different nations, accustomed to different forms and habit of government, speaking different languages, and more different in their modes of worship,” and this assertion still holds true till this day. America fundamentally was, and still is, a melting pot of different people and culture (Paine). Next, Paine explains that “by the simple operation of constructing government on the principle of society and the rights of a man, every difficulty retires, and all the parts one brought into cordial unison” (Paine).
Furthermore, he claims that “it is impossible to establish any thing that combines principle with opinions and practice, which the progress of circumstances … will not in some measure derange, or render obsolete (Paine, 594),” and that it is the duty of every man to discuss and point out the defect of such laws (Paine, 545). Paine argues that it is important that government be open to improvement, and that “it is best to provide the means of regulating them as they occur (Paine, 594).” Without improvement the circumstances of each generation are not being accommodated which can dramatically weaken the ability for a government to successfully execute its main function.
Thomas Paine wrote a series of articles known collectively as "The Crisis" to support his argument for independence from England during the Revolutionary War. Thomas Paine 's reasoning for writing this collection of articles is rather sound. The call to arms in this document calls “tens of thousands” to arms to battle Great Britain and their unfair rule over their country. Paine was justified in his writing, the unfair rule of the British government did need to be “called out” sort of speak.
The American government that we know today, had many troubles when it first came together when the Constitution was first ratified in 1788. There had been many failed attempts at creating a new and successful government, such as the Articles of Confederation the first plan for the new American government. This proved to be very unsuccessful because the states held all federal power, while the national government had very little. In order to please both the Federalists and the Anti-Federalist, each party agreed to the Constitution with the addition of the Bill of Rights. Documents like the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the above documents are heavily influenced by the writings of John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu,
“I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common scenes.” (Thomas Paine, Common sense) This is the beginning sentence of “Common scene” written by Thomas Paine. Common sense s is a pamphlet written during a time of struggle between the British Monarchy and the American colonies. It was written to convince the colonist that their government had did them wrong and that they should gain their independence from Britain, by using different type rhetorical devices such as ethos, pathos, and others.
Do you think Thomas Paine was the one who thought out the common sense. Well he actually didn 't others like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Ben franklin also came up with some ideas. The common sense persuaded many to fight for independence. More than 120,000 copies were made even thought it was hard to print because of the treason going on.. Its was a bestseller. When printed on january 10,
Accordingly, the ideals of America used to be we were many ethnicities, all blended into one, but now we are a bunch of discordant ethnicities living in one country under one name just with different groups. Two essays on this topic are A Quilt of a Country by Anna Quindlen and The Immigrant Contribution by John F. Kennedy. JFK regarded that “everybody is an immigrant or the descendant of an immigrant” (JFK page 23). Quindlen characterized that “America was held together by a notion that all men are created equal and that America is made up of bits and pieces” (Quindlen page 13-14). America transpired a unique nation made up of different parts.
America’s identity is defined differently by every individual. Ideally it was to be a place of freedom and acceptance, identified by its message of liberty and hard-work, however the question arises whether America is a melting pot in which only one culture dominates or it a mosaic of many peoples’ histories. America’s potential and true identity lies within its ability to assimilate and create a natural individualism despite race, class, and immigration standing.