Thomas Paine And The American Revolution

The eve of the American Revolution was filled with discontent between the British and the colonists. Extraneous taxes, unfair trade laws and trials left the colonists dissatisfied with British rule. This disrupted the order of society by increasing smuggling, encouraging people to violate tax collectors and suchlike. The intensifying tension amongst the two sides presented a very important question: should there be a war or should these issues be solved in a peaceful manner? As a result, influential members of society during the pre-revolutionary era possessed conflicting ideologies on whether or not war was the solution for the problems that divided the British and the colonists. Some propounded that bloodshed was necessary, while others advocated

He is perhaps best known for his pamphlet, “Common Sense.” In his pamphlet, he asserts three major points: he argues that Britain was too far away to rule, her treatment of the colonies was abhorrent despite the fact that the colonies were always pulled into wars and trade was always limited and interrupted due to British regulations. Paine also refutes other counterarguments such as, “as America has flourished under her former connection with Great Britain, the same connection is necessary towards her future happiness,” and “she (Great Britain) has protected us,” by declaring that Britain’s interests were invested only in the well being of the empire, not the actual colonies. He further exemplifies his arguments by adding that “France and Spain never were, nor perhaps ever will be our enemies as Americans, but as our being the subjects of Great Britain,” capitalizing on how the British empire essentially used her colonies as a means of resources. These continuous wars, fought on a completely different continent (the majority of the time) had also taken a toll on the American economy as heavy trade regulations befell