"Common Sense" by Thomas Paine is a powerful call to action from the time of the American Revolution. Written as a political pamphlet, it makes a strong case that the American colonies should break free from Great Britain. Paine challenges the idea of kings and inherited power, pushing instead for a government where people have rights and a say. His ideas are inspired by Enlightenment thinking, which values freedom and the importance of the people. The pamphlet starts by questioning the need for government at all, seeing it as a result of human problems. Paine then tears apart the British system, especially its king, and asks why one person should have so much unchecked power. His writing tries to wake up the American people, urging them to fight for the right to rule themselves, arguing that their fight for freedom is important for everyone around the world.
Common Sense
By Thomas Paine
In a time of revolution, a bold writer ignites a fire for freedom, urging a people to cast off monarchy and embrace the power to govern themselves.
Summary
About the AuthorThomas Paine was an English-born American Founding Father, French Revolutionary, inventor, and political philosopher. He authored Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776–1783), two of the most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, and he helped to inspire the colonial era patriots in 1776 to declare independence from Great Britain. His ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of human rights.
Thomas Paine was an English-born American Founding Father, French Revolutionary, inventor, and political philosopher. He authored Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776–1783), two of the most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, and he helped to inspire the colonial era patriots in 1776 to declare independence from Great Britain. His ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of human rights.
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