Common Sense (pamphlet)

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This article is about a political pamphlet. For other uses, see Common Sense (disambiguation).

Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was first published anonymously on January 10, 1776, before the American Revolution. Paine wrote it with editorial feedback from Benjamin Rush, who came up with the title. The document denounced British rule, and through its immense popularity contributed to fomenting the American Revolution. The second edition was published soon thereafter. A third edition, with an accounting of the worth of the British navy, an expanded appendix, and a response to criticism by the Quakers, was published on February 14, 1776.

Paine donated the copyright for Common Sense to the states, and as one biographer noted, Paine made nothing off the estimated 150,000 to 600,000 copies that were eventually printed (various sources disagree on the number of printed copies in Paine's lifetime). In fact, he had to pay for the first printing himself.

Contents 1 Substance of Pamphlet 2 Proposed constitution 3 Quotations 4 Trivia 5 Further reading 6 See also 7 External links 7.1 Book text

[edit] Substance of Pamphlet

Arguments against British rule in Common Sense:

• It is ridiculous and against natural law for an island to rule a continent.
• Europe is unlikely to see peace for long and whenever a war breaks out between England and a foreign power, the trade of America would go to ruin due to the economic connection.
• It is no longer a "British nation"; it is composed of influences from all of Europe.
• Even if Britain was originally the "mother country" of America, that makes her current actions all the more horrendous, for no true mother would harm her children so deplorably.
• Remaining a part of Britain will drag America into unnecessary European wars, and keep it from the international commerce at which America excels.
• That government is best that governs least.
• Society represents all that is good about humanity, government represents all that is bad about it.
• The distance between the two nations makes the lag in communication time about a year for something to go round trip. If there was something wrong in the government, it would take a year before the colonies would hear back.
• The New World was discovered before the Reformation. This was evidence for the Puritans that God wanted to give them America as a safe haven free from the persecution of British rule.
• Criticizes the English Constitution, saying that the right for the House of Commons to "check" the king is ridiculous, as the king is given the right to rule by God, therefore, he needs no "checking".

The publication of this pamphlet was key in the growth of popular support for independence from Britain. Thomas Jefferson took ideas from both this publication and John Locke when writing the Declaration of Independence.

Less-quoted sections of the pamphlet include Paine's optimistic view of America's military potential at the time of the Revolution. For example, he spends pages describing how colonial shipyards, by using the large amounts of lumber available in the country, could quickly create a navy that could rival the Royal Navy.

Common Sense was tremendously popular. Thomas Paine's pamphlet sold as many as 600,000 copies to a population of 3,000,000 (one for every five people) which would be equivalent to 60,000,000 copies sold in present day America.

[edit] Proposed constitution

In the pamphlet, Thomas Paine proposes a constitution of the United States as well as a method to be used for the purpose of drafting a Continental Charter (or Charter of the United Colonies) that would be an American Magna Carta. The diagram on the left provides a visual representation of the proposed system, which featured a combination of elections through ballot voting and allotment in order to select the president as well as the passing of laws with no less than 3/5 of the Congress:

[edit] Quotations

• "Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins (opening line)."

• "I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense . . ."

• "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom."

• "Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher. Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil."

• "Time makes more converts than reason."

• "Every thing that is right or natural pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, 'tis time to part."

• "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. ... so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America the law is king."

• "O ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of the old world is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted round the globe. Asia, and Africa, have long expelled her--Europe regards her like a stranger, and England hath given her warning to depart. O! receive the fugitive, and prepare in time an asylum for mankind."

• ". . . we have every opportunity and every encouragement before us, to form the noblest purest constitution on the face of the earth. We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand, and a race of men, perhaps as numerous as all Europe contains, are to receive their portion of freedom from the event of a few months."

• "That there are men in all countries who get their living by war, and by keeping up the quarrels of Nations, is as shocking as it is true; but when those who are concerned in the government of a country make it their study to sow discord, and cultivate prejudices among Nations, it becomes the more unpardonable."

• "Wherefore, since nothing but blows will do, for God's sake, let us come to a final separation."

Common Sense used many Biblical references to support its assertions, playing to the strong influence of religion in Colonial America."

[edit] Trivia

• Common Sense was attacked by many loyalist writers of the time. One of the more famous examples was the pamphlet entitled Plain Truth written by Lt. Col. James Chalmers under the pen name "Candidus" in 1776.
• The only book to outsell Common Sense at the height of its popularity was The Bible.
• Despite all the success of "Common Sense," Paine died poor and in obscurity.
• A section of Common Sense was quoted in the video game Deus Ex, and can be found in a weapon's dealer's house in Paris.

[edit] Further reading

• Scott Liell, 46 Pages: Tom Paine, Common Sense, and the Turning Point to American Independence, Running Press, April, 2003, hardcover, 160 pages, ISBN 0-7624-1507-X; trade paperback, March, 2004, 176 pages, ISBN 0-7624-1813-3.
• Moncure David Conway, The Life of Thomas Paine

[edit] See also

The Age of Reason, also written by Thomas Paine.

[edit] External links

[edit] Book text

• At ushistory.org .
• Project Gutenberg: #147 & #3755
• Common Sense in mp3 audio at Americana Phonic