"Common Sense"

Paper Summary:

Th is paper reviews Thomas Paine's "Common Sense", which denounced the right of the British government and royal monarchy to rule over America. The paper relates that in "Common Sense", Paine discussed the reasons for the origin of government, why a monarchy's rule is senseless, and, furthermore, called for America's independence from Great Britain. The paper further relates that all who heard Paine's message called out for revolution. According to the paper, although Paine's discussions of revolution were not widely accepted in Europe, Congress listened to the cries of their fellow colonists and declared independence from the mother country.

From the Paper:

"In 1764 the British Parliament issued the Sugar Act which increased taxes on goods that were shipped to the American colonies that were not of British origin (Timeline). This was the first law of many designed for the British Royal Crown to profiteer from the resources of the colonies. A societal unrest formed among the colonists as Parliament continued to restrict trade practices and raise taxes. Eventually unrest turned to violence as tensions grew between the Americans and the British soldiers who occupied New England. Even though the situation seemed dire Congress was not ready to completely remove itself from British rule."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "King George III". NNDP Mapper page. 11 July 2009. www.nndb.com/people/948/000068744//.
• Kreis, Steven. "Thomas Paine, 1737-1809." The History Guide. 8 July 2009. www.historyguide.org/intellect/paine.html.
• Paine, Thomas. Common Sense. 10 Jan 1776.
• "Thomas Paine." ushistory.org. 8 July 2009. www.ushistory.org/PAINE/.
• "Timeline of the American Revolution." The American Revolution. 8 July 2009. www.theamericanrevolution.org/tline.asp.

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