G OING F URTHER W ITH C OMMON S ENSE

“T HE C HALLENGE ” Heading into the American Revolution, English colonies had been in North America for almost 170 years. That’s as much time as there was between the Revolution and the dropping of the atomic bombs at the end of World War II Paine was asking for a BIG change from colonists!

W HY W OULD AN E NGLISHMAN LIKE P AINE WANT REVOLUTION SO MUCH ? Paine’s thinking is an example of Enlightenment thought Enlightenment philosophers believed humans had once existed in a state of nature with no government Over time, humans created governments to provide protection However, the protectors eventually became oppressors (kings, royalty) who contributed nothing to society. Therefore, revolution was needed to throw off the rule of royalty

A MERICA AS A “ DO OVER ” Paine and many others saw the European continent as becoming stagnant, corrupt, violent They saw in America a “new world” in which society could be remade, more democratic, more free

E NGLAND AND AMERICA IN 1776 England (Great Britain, today United Kingdom) had about 7 million people living in an area about half the size of California The colonies had about 2.5 million, spread out over what would become the original 13 states Plus, the North American continent was still largely unexplored

I MPACT OF THE P AMPHLET 500,000 pamphlets were sold in 1776 (remember, the population was only 2.5 million!) Paine popularized Enlightenment ideas and wrote them so that common people could understand and be excited by them

P AINE ’ S ARGUMENTS FOR REVOLUTION It made no sense for a continent to be ruled by an island America wasn’t just “British” but had people from many different places If Britain was the “mother,” she had not treated her “children” colonists well (Boston Massacre, taxation without representation, Intolerable Acts, etc) America would be dragged into European wars if it remained part of Britain The distance between the two made governing difficult Colonists were never consulted before Britain made decisions on their behalf Economically, it was in America’s interest to be free, so they could trade with anyone. Royalty was an unfair, unjust form of government

D ID IT C ONVINCE E VERYONE ? No. There was never a time when over half of American colonists actually wanted independence from England and were willing to fight for it There were probably more “patriots” (those fighting for American independence) than there were “tories” (those loyal to England.) But, many colonists simply stayed neutral and out of the fighting entirely

W HAT H APPENED TO P AINE ? After it became known he wrote Common Sense, Paine became an American hero After the American Revolution, Paine went to France during the larger French Revolution While inspiring many there, he also got in trouble with the revolutionaries and was imprisoned

P AINE ’ S L ATER L IFE Paine avoided being beheaded and was freed to return to America Once back here, he found life had moved on and many Americans had largely forgotten his writings He died broke and largely unnoticed in 1809 He remains one of the lesser celebrated Founding Fathers…why?

P AINE ’ S C ONTROVERSIAL T HOUGHTS Paine really was “radical”, and sometimes that offended people On religion – “The Jews say, that their word of God was given by God to Moses, face to face; the Christians say that their word of God came by divine inspiration: and the Turks (Muslims) say that their word of God was brought by an angel from heaven. Each of those churches accuse the other of unbelief; and for my own part, I disbelieve them all." Paine advocated for equal rights for women, long before most ever thought such a thing He was also outspoken in his opposition to slavery and racism Paine, like a lot of revolutionaries, could be “abrasive” and rub people the wrong way, seeming to never be satisfied with anything

W HAT DO YOU THINK ? Write a half-page to one page summary of this reading activity. In addition to summarizing, answer the following: Which of Paine’s arguments for independence do you think makes the most “common sense” to you? Explain why it makes sense.