Essay on Common Sense

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One of the most fundamental people in the push for American Independence, Thomas Paine offers much advice in both Common Sense, and The Crisis. Paine offers very strong arguments in Common Sense, which are supported by his own reason, his sensibility, his common sense and by his ability to draw inference from what has already happened. Paine uses every element in his ability to help give more depth to his arguments and plans. However, of all the cases Thomas Paine makes in Common Sense, the ultimate goal of Paine is to incite the American Public to make a stand against British tyranny, and break from Britain altogether, and become independent.

According to Thomas Paine, rights and liberties of man come straight from each person’s creator. It is natural that all people are born with certain inalienable rights, which by no means a government can reserve the right to take away. To expand on this concept of inalienable rights, some are given as an example by Paine himself, these being the right to freedom, liberty, and happiness. Paine also goes on to say that a government should not infringe upon these natural rights of the citizens, and that the best government is one that governs the least, and works to protect said natural rights of the people.

The time for American revolution is now and Paine says that this revolution would be a just one, due to having exhausted all other peaceful means of trying to resolve the issues at hand. Paine states that it lies within this revolution that America has a chance at breaking free from the tyrannical grip of Britain. To give examples of the exhausted means already used, Paine calls to mind the Olive Branch petition, and a few other key documents, that try desperately to receive the...

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...nd Britain. Paine’s ultimate goal in writing The Crisis, is that he is trying to say now is the time to fight. These times will be the factor in determining whether or not the colonies will be hit heavy by the tyrannical British, or if the colonies can fight and win this war for independence.

There is a good amount of key points Paine states in the first paragraph of The Crisis. First, Thomas Paine is trying to say that there will be those who have spoken out against the British when they were in a good position to do so, but now that the fighting has begun; some will not partake in fighting for their liberty and the freedom of the colonies from the British rule. Paine states clearly that this will not be an easy fight and that “These are the times that try men’s souls” (The Crisis, 71).

Works Cited
Thomas Paine's "The Crisis"

Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"

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