Common Sense

“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.” 

Common Sense is a call to arms in defense of liberty and democracy. It helped to ignite a crusade that has continued to this day, as oppressed peoples worldwide follow the American example, transform or overthrow dictatorial governments, and establish democratic systems founded on civil liberties.

“Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices.” 

This is a foundational argument of Common Sense: that the only legitimate purpose of government is to protect a society from assault by those who would harm it for their own purposes. Government is otherwise a “necessary evil” that often gets out of hand. 

“But the constitution of England is so exceedingly complex, that the nation may suffer for years together without being able to discover in which part the fault lies, some will say in one and some in another, and every political physician will advise a different medicine.” 

A simple mechanism is easy to repair, but a highly complex one is harder to fix, especially when the original device is made of bad parts. While everyone fusses uselessly over the broken machine, the damage can get worse. 

“[…] though we have been wise enough to shut and lock a door against absolute monarchy, we at the same time have been foolish enough to put the crown in possession of the key.” 

The British king hands out titles, property, and money; in this way, he moves the government as he wishes. This practice makes a mockery of the idea that Parliament and peerage are a check on the king’s power.

“For monarchy in every instance is the Popery of government.” 

Royal power, though forbidden by God in the Bible, nevertheless clothes itself in the mystique of revelation and divine right. It permits the people to engage in sinful idolization of the king, which, in turn, helps to legitimize his arbitrary rule. “Popery” makes a connection to Catholic traditions, deeply suspect in mostly Protestant America. 

“One of the strongest natural proofs of the folly of hereditary right in kings, is, that nature disapproves it, otherwise, she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule by giving mankind an ass for a lion.” 

Paine believes divine right of kings makes a mockery of Biblical imprecations against royalty and that hereditary monarchies add insult to injury on the grounds that, generally, the boss’s son is an ass. Paine uses the term deliberately to denigrate King George III, hereditary ruler of Britain and its American colonies. 

“England, since the conquest, hath known some few good monarchs, but groaned beneath a much larger number of bad ones, yet no man in his senses can say that their claim under William the Conqueror is a very honorable one. A French bastard landing with an armed banditti, and establishing himself king of England against the consent of the natives, is in plain terms a very paltry rascally original.—It certainly hath no divinity in it.” 

Kings claim divine right to rule, but if the first king was an invading scoundrel—as with William the Conqueror, who conquered England hundreds of years ago, and whose descendants have controlled it ever since—then by what right do his heirs also rule? 

“Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived.” 

Hereditary kings tend to be arrogant, ill-informed, uncaring, and oppressive. A much better approach would be wise leaders chosen by their people to run things.

“Europe is too thickly planted with kingdoms to be long at peace, and whenever a war breaks out between England and any foreign power, the trade of America goes to ruin, because of her connection with Britain.” 

A free America can trade peacefully with anyone, but a colonized America can only trade with Britain’s friends and must fight its enemies. Independence is much the better path.

“America is only a secondary object in the system of British politics. England consults the good of this country, no farther than it answers her own purpose. Wherefore, her own interest leads her to suppress the growth of ours in every case which doth not promote her advantage, or in the least interferes with it.” 

Britain supports its colonies only insofar as they are useful; should any colony become large and powerful, Britain will feel threatened and will act to deflate the colony’s success.

“The more men have to lose, the less willing are they to venture. The rich are in general slaves to fear, and submit to courtly power with the trembling duplicity of a spaniel.”

The English have grown in wealth but shrunken in courage. Americans, not yet so rich, are better prepared in their character to wage a spirited fight. The time, then, is right to strike the blows for independence.

“[…] until an independance is declared, the Continent will feel itself like a man who continues putting off some unpleasant business from day to day, yet knows it must be done, hates to set about it, wishes it over, and is continually haunted with the thoughts of its necessity.” 

Waiting and worrying past the time for action will only bring sorrow to the colonies. The time to act is now, when American resources and opportunities are at their peak. Procrastination will lead to calamity.

“It is the violence which is done and threatened to our persons; the destruction of our property by an armed force; the invasion of our country by fire and sword, which conscientiously qualifies the use of arms: And the instant in which such a mode of defence became necessary, all subjection to Britain ought to have ceased; and the independancy of America should have been considered, as dating its aera from, and published by, the first musket that was fired against her.”

The offense that warrants rebellion isn’t a tax but the way the disagreement over the tax is treated. Americans want a say in their expenses; they don’t want soldiers marching through the streets, searching for dissenters to punish. Such actions force a breach between America and Britain that can only be resolved with a battle for freedom.