How Did Thomas Paine Influence Society

Thomas Paine, a revolutionary and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, wrote the most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution. Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet, Common Sense, and it inspired the colonists in 1776 to declare independence from Great Britain. He gave many reasons for the colonists to support colonial independence. Some reasons Paine gave were Great Britain is thousand of miles away from the colonist which made communication a problem and Great Britain is only an island so it’s weird for an island to govern a continent.

Despite Thomas Paine’s numerous contributions to the world, he is often overshadowed by John Locke, the so-called father of democracy. However, by modifying the public’s understanding of Locke, Paine altered the character and destiny of both American and World History. Thomas Paine’s ideas and efforts inspired and focused the American Revolution; he provided the colonists with the ideals and courage needed for the founding of a new nation. In his efforts to unite and direct the colonists, Paine created what may have been one of his greatest phrases: The United States of America. He provided Americans and Europeans with the rational thought, inspiration, and confidence to reject outmoded social and political structures of the past and the courage to implement ideals of freedom, equality, and human rights to provide a better future for mankind.

Even though Paine had only been in America for a short 14 months before sharing his thoughts through Common Sense. Common Sense is a cry out for his fellow people to “wake up” and see that there is relatively nothing good to come from staying under Britain’s wing as a country. Paine’s view is that America is a sort of distant child, that should not be held responsible for it’s parents past and reputation and pleads with other Americans to see this too before American forms the

“I know not whether any man in the world has had more influence on its inhabitants or affairs for the last thirty years than Tom Paine.” John Adams. Thomas Paine is the most influential patriot because of his writing: Common Sense and the Crisis Papers. He influenced many with his ideas, which were not popular at the time. Thomas Paine was a great patriot for many reasons.

Common Sense and Its Impact on American Political Thought Thesis: Thomas Paine’s Common Sense articulated the anti-British sentiments of the Colonies in a way so unprecedented that it permanently changed the face of political thought in America. I. Intro: A. Thesis: Thomas Paine’s Common Sense articulated the anti-British sentiments of the Colonies in a way so unprecedented that it permanently changed the face of political thought in America. II.

Introduction: Thomas Paine was an English American writer of essays and pamphlets in the 18th century. He was born in England and moved to the American colonies in 1774 after Benjamin Franklin encouraged him to. His most notable work was called “Common Sense” which was printed in January of 1776, a fifty-page pamphlet that inspired the colonies to fight for their independence. Prior to its publication, the colonies had been in revolt for a few months against England, namely in the battle of Lexington & at Concord. There was a big discussion in the colonies on whether they should go for full independence against England or go for an improved representation within their political system at the time.

American revolutionary Thomas Paine published the pamphlet “The American Crisis” with the goal of bolstering the morale of the badly injured and low spirited American forces who had been faced with difficult battles throughout the revolution and were suffering for it. This pamphlet reminded Americans exactly what they were fighting for and expressed their various hardships as hurdles that would inevitably lead to a glorious victory. Within the pamphlet Paine also heavily expressed the feelings of disgust he felt for those who sided with Britain known as the “Tories,” and any others that chose to act as cowards in the face of battle. This pamphlet was read to large numbers of troops as per the orders of George Washington and just like Paine’s other notorious pamphlet “Common Sense,” this pamphlet helped fuel the flames of the revolution and give

“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind” (Paine 1). With the Revolutionary War beginning in 1775, and the publication of Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, only a year later, this statement was widely recognized and addressed the issue at hand: the fight for independence. According to Paine’s assertion, America’s desire for peace and freedom is a basic necessity of life; it is what all men desire. Despite this innate thirst for liberty, many residents of America’s thirteen colonies were fearful of Great Britain, and because of this fear, complied with Great Britain’s every whim. Consequently, most colonists were hesitant to fight against the mother country for independence.

Common Sense was an important stepping stone towards independence. Thomas Paine was a person who advocated and supported egalitarian principles. He believed that all people are equal and deserved equal rights and opportunities. Thomas goal was to influence to people in the Thirteen Colonies to stand for independence from Great Britain. The thirteen colonies were a group of British colonies on the east coast of North America.

Common Sense is considered to be one of the most important documents in American History because it was a big factor in what led to the American Revolution and the United States declaring independence from Britain. Common Sense was published in January, 1776 and later that year, the Declaration of Independence was written. Thomas Paine argues heavily against monarchy and hereditary succession on the grounds that it is against the word of the bible, and that it can cause many issues in societies in which it is implemented. Paine believed that all men were created equal.

This essay will be discussing and analyzing the document: Common Sense by Thomas Paine. Thomas Paine was an American founding father and very influential in the the enlightenment movement that started in 1714. Thomas Paine wrote common sense so people would begin thinking and discussing the way the British had been treating the colonies in the recent years. Paine believed that King George and the British parliament were tyrannical and that the colonies should do something about it. Common Sense appealed to many of the colonists because of the plain language Thomas Paine used.

In Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, “The Crisis, No 1” (1776), Paine propounds that the colonists establish a sovereign American nation free of British tyranny. Paine fortifies this declaration using pathos: giving this idea of living in a joyous America without a ruthless tyrant promotes the emotion of hope, and supplying people a vision for a brighter future. Paine’s purpose is to reveal how uplifting living in a free country would be like in order to motivate the colonists into uniting and fighting for their independence. Paine is aiming his work at both soldiers and colonists who are struggling with the outset of war against

He starts by analyzing the past, saying that if any mistakes were made, they “have none to blame but ourselves” (IN TEXT). However, he counters this with the idea that they cannot change the past, but embrace its effects and move on. Next, he appeals to the logic of his Puritan beliefs. Paine says that he believes that “God Almighty will not give up a people to military destruction” (IN TEXT). This gives the reader a sturdy base to place their hope, which he later increases by calling the king out for his murderous and unethical actions, and claims that the king has no grounds to seek support or solace from

Thomas Paine had successfully contributed to the declaration of independence and his 47-page pamphlet, “Common Sense”, impacted numerous Americans. “Common Sense” allowed citizens of the colony to

Due to his many experiences while living in Great Britain, he grew a desire to fight for the oppressed and often questioned the authority the British Monarchy had over the American colony. Thomas Paine wrote an influential Pamphlet “Common Sense” a scathing attack on the monarchial tyranny over the American colony and the significance of American independence. Thomas Paine’s ideas in this pamphlet were not original, however were more accessible to the masses due to the clear and direct way he wrote. His pamphlet helped to inspire The Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence contains a list of grievances against King George III and justifications for the assertion of the right for independence.