A Summary and Evaluation of Thomas Paine’s, Book Review Example

Common Sense

As a patriot, Thomas Paine was very concerned about what was occurring in the Colonies circa the early 1770’s, namely, that the Colonists were living under a form of political and social oppression as virtual puppets of the British Crown and the English Parliament. All over the American Colonies, citizens were forced to abide by the rules and regulations set up by King George III of England and by certain members of the English Parliament who considered the Colonies as British property, thus subject to the laws of the powerful British Empire which had colonized many parts of the world by the middle years of the 18th century.

But since Thomas Paine was a patriot, he felt that it was his duty to convince his fellow Colonists that life under the oppression of the King of England had to come to an end. Thus, he decided to sit down one day and write a small pamphlet called Common Sense, composed between 1775 and 1776 and which served as the foundation for America’s struggle for independence. The pamphlet itself is broken down into several sections that discuss the origin and design of government with some remarks on the English Constitution; a discussion on monarchy or being ruled by a King or Queen and its connections with “hereditary succession” or inheriting a noble title or position; some thoughts on the “Present State of American Affairs” in relation to the Colonies being under the domination of the British Empire; and the ability of the Colonies to detach themselves successfully from the grip of the British Crown. Towards the end of the last section, Paine clearly expresses his inner thoughts on revolution and how necessary it is for the American Colonies to separate from England–“Until an independence is declared, the Continent will feel itself like a man who continues putting off some unpleasant business from day to day, yet knows it must be done (and) wishes it over, and is continually haunted with the thoughts of its necessity” (Common Sense).

This is just one of many messages found in Paine’s little pamphlet which after being self-published (something that was rather new in the 1700’s) created a firestorm of debate and controversy. For instance, in the section devoted to his thoughts on the “Present State of American Affairs,” Paine declares that Great Britain and the English Crown are only interested in their own political and financial advancements–“Her (England) motive was INTEREST (Paine’s capital letters) not ATTACHMENT” and England “did not protect us from OUR ENEMIES on OUR ACCOUNT, but from HER ENEMIES on HER OWN ACCOUNT” (Common Sense). This declaration must certainly have infuriated King George III and the British Parliament once word of Paine’s pamphlet had reached England. Also, in the eyes of King George III, Paine was now a traitor and a renegade, simply because he expressed his mind openly and dared to criticize the English Crown.

Paine also compares King George III to William the Conqueror who “subdued England… at the point of the sword.” Therefore, “until we consent that the seat of government in America be legally and authoritatively occupied, we shall be in danger of having it filled by some fortunate ruffian,” a clear reference to King George III, “who may treat us in the same manner, and then, where will be our freedom? Where our property?” (Common Sense). Overall, Paine’s Common Sense created the first open public discussion in the American Colonies concerning independence from Great Britain. What resulted from this open discussion was the American Revolutionary War, exactly what Paine had wanted from his little pamphlet.

Bibliography

Paine, Thomas. Common Sense. 2013. Web. 10 November 2013. http://www.ushistory.org/paine/commonsense/singlehtml.htm