Thomas Paines Pamphlet Common Sense - Book Report/Review Example

Thomas Paine’s pamphlet ‘Common Sense’ had been instrumental in the American struggle for independence and its fulfillment. Paine belonged to an English working class Quaker family, and reached America in 1774 when he was 37years old. The events happening in Massachusetts and other American colonies have heavily influenced him and he began writing pamphlets and circulating them among fellow Americans, hoping to free the colonies from the grip of British royal tyranny. Paine’s major arguments centre around the fallibility of the concept of the English constitution, based on royal heritage and aristocracy.

The Republican sense of democratic governance depends solely on the concept of liberation, and it is non-existent in the English constitution. He contests monarchy and hereditary succession and points out that the English monarchy in itself had a long history of election and usurpation which holds against the Divine Rights theory. The latter half of 18th Century America has witnessed intolerable tyranny from the part of the royal representatives in its colonies, and the consensus to overpower the British rule and declare liberty for America is represented and promoted by the ‘Common Sense’.

It asserts the basic right of American people for “life, liberty and the pursuit of property”. Paine points out in the conclusion that American independence is imminent due to certain unavoidable factors like the differences of priorities in British and American mindset regarding foreign affairs. The kind of mediation America wishes from other nations is made impossible if they remain under the rule of Britain, the association with nations like France and Spain will not take place because of their bad relationship with Britain, American rebellion on many counts against Britain is a reality and this makes things worse if British rule continues and there is general discontent and protest regarding British cruelty among Americans.

Paine’s writing is very effective because he uses simple, comprehensible arguments to present complex ideas. He analyses the situation systematically, with due recourse to the general rules of governance and arrives at the solution of a democratic self-governance for American colonies. Though the persuasive elements rely a lot on an explication of the existing system of monarchic and aristocratic rules, the concepts are made clear in everyday terms, thereby helping people from all walks of life identify with his views.

The Declaration of Independence was formulated by a group of leaders from various p[arts of America and drafted by Thomas Jefferson. This meant the decision by these colonies to oust the presence of British monarchy from the American soil and to dissolve British sovereignty over what later came to be known as the United States. The Declaration was signed on July 4, 1776 and was hence seen as the representative of American sense of liberty that was foundational in its independence and constitution.

The Declaration drew inspiration from the Enlightenment spirit and the ideas of writers like John Locke. Thomas Paine’s ‘Common Sense’ had been the major and contemporary influence on the Declaration. It was signed by many prominent men in the history of the United States, including two future presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. The draft went meticulous revisions and the result was a well-structured, terse, visionary exhortation for American liberty. The form of the Declaration included an introduction, preamble, indictment, denunciation, conclusion and signatures.

The indictment substantiated with the help of examples of British tyranny the motivation for American self-governance. The Declaration is inextricably linked to American life and thought processes ever since its independence. It is representative of the basic precepts of American liberty. The fact that Thomas Paine pursued the ideals of American liberty to the extent that he got actively involved in the French Revolution explains the significance of the American mindset in those times of changing social order.

The Declaration is simple and pertinent, addressing the major issues against which the American colonies had a common struggle to pursue. It also inspired and enhanced the aspirations of the common people of America.