Thomas Paine's Common Sense: Arguments for Independence

Introduction: Paine's Purpose in Common Sense

Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense as an argument for American independence from Great Britain. The pamphlet is structured as a step-by-step case designed to move the reader from general skepticism about government toward an urgent conviction that independence was both necessary and overdue.

Government as a Necessary Evil

Paine begins his essay with general reflections on the nature of government. He opens his argument with the declaration: "Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one" (Paine). With this statement, Paine appeals to the masses by laying out his general view of government, assuring readers that while it would be ideal to live without it, government is in practice unavoidable — yet that does not mean citizens must tolerate one that treats them unjustly.

Paine continues: "for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer" (Paine). In this first section, Paine is fundamentally building his case for advocating rebellion later in the essay.

Monarchy, Kings, and the Case Against Hereditary Rule

In the second section, Paine elaborates on the distinctions between kings and subjects. He acknowledges that some distinctions among people are natural, but questions "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 of misery to mankind" (Paine). He goes on to describe how, according to scripture and early history, "In the early ages of the world, there were no kings, the consequence of which was there were no wars; it is the pride of kings which throw mankind into confusion" (Paine).

Paine then paints a scenario in which people placed on an island, cut off from the rest of the world, would naturally form bonds with one another and eventually develop a system of authority and law based on the group's collective needs. He believed people are more content and better governed when they themselves are responsible for implementing the laws that govern them. He supports this with the example that "Holland without a king hath enjoyed more peace for this last century than any of the monarchical governments in Europe" (Paine). Here he argues that such a self-governing system would serve the American colonists equally well, preparing the reader for his argument in favor of independence.

Conclusion: Paine's Rhetorical Strategy

Paine closes by warning that until independence is declared, the colonies 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" (Paine). This final image neatly encapsulates his entire argument. Throughout Common Sense, Paine carefully laid out the colonists' circumstances under British rule, sketched a vision of life under a government of their own making, exposed Britain's self-interested motives, and then urged immediate action. Each section of the pamphlet builds deliberately on the last, making his final call to independence feel not merely reasonable but inevitable.

Works Cited

Paine, Thomas. Common Sense. Bartleby.com.