"Time makes more converts than reason." – Thomas PaineAnd with that early quote, this reader steadily became enthralled with a founding father. I sincerely wish this novella-sized essay had been required reading while I was still in high school—or at any point in my education, for that matter. (Okay, if I'm being honest, my teenage self wanted history explained something like this...)But seriously... the read I thought was going to be a necessary slog turned out to be not only insightful, but genuinely entertaining. Laden with passionate wisdom, scathing wit, and intellectual wherewithal, it's little wonder this renowned 'pamphlet' became the rallying cry for American independence from Britain. Paine was a bold as he was brilliant. In the context of his time period, it's fascinating to realize he was committing treason by laying out this multi-layered argument calling for revolution. And he did so without apology. (In fact, there were numerous points where one can't help but suppose Paine was offering the British monarchy the literary equivalent of his middle finger.)* “Male and female are distinctions of nature, good and bad the distinctions of heaven; but how a race of men came into the world so exalted above the rest, and distinguished like some new species, is worth enquiring into, and whether they are the means of happiness or misery.”* “Government by kings was first introduced into the world by the Heathens, from whom the children of Israel copied the custom. It was the most prosperous invention of the Devil ever set on foot for the promotion of idolatry. The Heathens paid divine honors to their deceased kings, and the christian world hath improved on the plan by doing the same to their living ones. How impious is the title of sacred majesty applied to a worm, who in the midst of splendor is crumbling to dust!” * “One of the strongest NATURAL proofs of the folly of hereditary right in kings, is, that nature disaproves it, otherwise, she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule by giving mankind an ASS FOR A LION.” Oooooh, snap!* “Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions.” * “In short, monarchy and succession have laid (not this or that kingdom only) but the world in blood and ashes. Tis a form of government which the word of God bears testimony against, and blood will attend it.”* “Of more worth is one honest man to society and the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived.”This is pretty much what he was getting at, in a nutshell:I was also somewhat surprised to find that a noteworthy chunk of Paine's reasoning came out of a solid contextual grasp of scripture, along with a propensity for calling out those who'd twisted or withheld it for their own purposes.* “As exalting one man so greatly above the rest cannot be justified on the equal rights of nature, so neither can it be defended on the authority of scripture; for the will of the Almighty, as declared by Gideon and the prophet Samuel, expressly disapproves of government by kings.”* “That the Almighty hath here entered his protest against monarchical government is true, or the scripture is false. And a man hath good reason to believe that there is as much king-craft, as priest-craft, in withholding the scripture from the public in Popish countries. For monarchy in every instance is the Popery of government.”---------------Outspoken political revolutionary. Champion of equality. Solicitor of common sense. Thomas Paine is a true national treasure—an intrepid man whose tongue be both silver and sharp.Okay...so, it's possible I've developed a small crush on a guy who died 200 years ago. >.> I only regret that I didn't get to this piece of work sooner. It's put me in a mood to brush up on American History. :)
One of the most influential little pamphlets in U.S. and, for that matter, world history. Published in January 1776, it likely had an important effect on the delegates to the Second Continental Congress as they debated whether they should declare their united colonies independent of the British Empire. It's author, Thomas Paine, was a rabidly anti-monarchical Englishman who played an important role in both the American and French (1789) Revolutions. Only recently arrived in the colonies, this failed businessman quickly penned one of the most radical bourgeois documents in history. He used the pamphlet to ridicule the ridiculousness of monarchy--quoting at length from the Old Testament account of Israel's aping of the heathen gentiles in desiring a king rather than judges--and proposed his own scheme for a democratic government. Though his plan, which resembles the current Swiss government system more than that of the U.S., was not adopted, he argued brilliantly against reconciliation with the British crown. He also emphasized the need for the 13 colonies to act immediately, rather than attempt to create their ideal government in some distant day in the foggy future:"The Continental belt is too loosely buckled. And if something is not done in time, it will be too late to do anything, and we shall fall into a state, in which, neither reconciliation nor independence will be practicable. The king and his worthless adherents are got at their old game of dividing the Continent, and there are not wanting among us, printers, who will be busy spreading specious falsehoods. The artful and hypocritical letter which appeared a few months ago in New York papers, and likewise in two others, is an evidence that there are men who want either judgment or honesty...I ask, as a reasonable question, by what means is such a corrupt and faithless court to be kept to its engagements? Another parliament, nay, even the present, may hereafter repeal the obligation...where is our redress?...cannons are the barristers of crowns; and the sword, not of justice, but of war, decides the suit." "We ought to reflect, that there are three different ways by which and independancy may hereafter be effected; and that one of those three will one day or other be the fate of America, viz. by the legal voice of the people in Congress; by a military power; or by a mob: it may not always happen that our soldiers are citizens, and the multitude a body of reasonable men; virtue...is not hereditary...we have every opportunity and every encouragement before us, to form the noblest, purest constitution on the face of the Earth. We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birth of a new world is at hand, and a race of men perhaps as numerous as all Europe contains, are to receive their portion of freedom from the event of a few months.
Do You like book Common Sense (2005)?
He made some very strong points. Some quotes that appealed to me:"Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices.""... government even in its best state is but a necessary evil in its worst state an intolerable one..." "For were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform, and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver; but that not being the case, he finds it necessary to surrender up a part of his property to furnish means for the protection of the rest; and this he is induced to do by the same prudence which in every other case advises him out of two evils to choose the least. " Very interesting, because this is sort of the other side of my argument that people should protect themselves, but inherent in my argument is that one must use part of one's means to protect (defensive structures, insurance, etc.). However, his point makes this very explicit and sways me."But the provision is unequal to the task; the means either cannot or will not accomplish the end, and the whole affair is a felo de se; for as the greater weight will always carry up the less, and as all the wheels of a machine are put in motion by one, it only remains to know which power in the constitution has the most weight, for that will govern; and though the others, or a part of them, may clog, or, as the phrase is, check the rapidity of its motion, yet so long as they cannot stop it, their endeavors will be ineffectual; the first moving power will at last have its way, and what it wants in speed is supplied by time." I feel the same way about our judiciary. While the supreme court is helpful in slowing down the tide of liberal politics, it will eventually come to reflect the populous. He also makes use of religion in his arguments, but perhaps that was just part of being in the time at which he was writing. For instance, he claims that god made all men equal. He also quotes biblical records for historical accuracy and then claims that there were no kings and thus no wars, which is atavistic at best. One of these arguments is that a king must have been evil because after they wanted one a rain storm started thundering. "This is supposing the present race of kings in the world to have had an honorable origin; whereas it is more than probable, that could we take off the dark covering of antiquity, and trace them to their first rise, that we should find the first of them nothing better than the principal ruffian of some restless gang, whose savage manners of preeminence in subtlety obtained him the title of chief among plunderers; and who by increasing in power, and extending his depredations, overawed the quiet and defenseless to purchase their safety by frequent contributions." Seems very truthful."Small islands not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island." Humorous!
—Shawn
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I had supposed from the title, that Mr. Paine would endeavor to convince all of his readers that his opinion was right by an appeal to natural law, or 'common' sense. In reality, he defended his conclusions quite often from Scripture (as may be seen below), and did not rely on man's reasoning or conclusions alone to support his case. An excellent, short read."Time makes more converts than reason.""When a man seriously reflects on the idolatrous homage which is paid to the persons of kings he need not wonder that the Almighty, ever jealous of his honor, should disapprove a form of government which so impiously invades the prerogative of heaven.""If the first king of any country was by election, that likewise establishes a precedent for the next; for to say, that the right of all future generations is taken away, by the act of the first electors, in their choice not only of a king, but of a family of kings for ever, hath no parallel in or out of Scripture but the doctrine of original sin, which suposes the free will of all men lost in Adam; and from such comparison, and it will admit of no other, hereditary succession can derive no glory.""But where, say some, is the king of America? I'll tell you, friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the royal brute of Britain. Yet that we may not appear to be defective even in earthly honors, let a day be solemnly set apart for proclaiming the charter; let it be brought forth placed on the divine law, the word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of the monarchy, that in America the law is king."
—Laura Verret
This is absolutely brilliant. And is indeed so very infectious in its brilliancy that every night after reading a section, the only possible topic of conversation at the dinner table was the past state of affairs between this American continent and the Crown. Also, loyalists were most routinely and joyfully abashed each night. Few things are more satisfying than ranting oh so eloquently about historical England and the suffering colonies. But seriously, King Georgey, how stupid did you think we were to endure your absolute madness? And also, there was (and is) a very real difference between the colonists and the true-blood Brits back on the island. Somehow, they honestly supported a degree of tyranny that we (er...they, the colonists) could no longer stomach. Tangentally, this puts me in mind of the debate between Pierce Brosnan and Ben Shapiro about gun rights in America, in which debate Pierce Brosnan simply could not fathom the logic behind the statement that the 2nd amendment right to bear arms is entirely for citizens to protect themselves against our own government turning tyrannical. Seriously. That is why we have it, and that is why we need to keep it; as Americans we acknowledge the history and the statistics behind the idea that our own dear democratic republic could turn against its citizens. This is why we broke off, and the island didn't.
—Bonn
