Thomas Paine's Common Sense - 5 Minute History - Brief Summary
Summary
TLDRThomas Paine's 'Common Sense,' published in 1776, was a pivotal document that swayed the American colonies towards full independence from Britain. Paine argued against hereditary monarchy and for elected leaders, influencing the colonies to embrace independence as their future. Its accessible writing style and revolutionary ideas played a significant role in the eventual drafting of the Declaration of Independence.
Takeaways
- 📚 'Common Sense' was written by Thomas Paine and published in early 1776, becoming a key document that inspired the American colonies to fight for independence.
- 🏛️ At the time of its publication, the colonies had been in revolt against England for about nine to ten months, and there was a significant debate over whether to pursue full independence or improved representation within the British political system.
- 🤔 Thomas Paine was born in England and had a diverse background, including careers in the naval trade and teaching, before moving to the American colonies in 1774 on Benjamin Franklin's encouragement.
- 📰 Paine took a job as an editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine, where he was influenced by the British treatment of the colonists and developed strong views against England.
- 📜 'Common Sense' was published anonymously, with Paine hiding his name, and its central thesis was that the colonies needed independence, not just better representation from the British government.
- 👑 Paine argued against the idea of hereditary kings, stating that rulers should be chosen by the people, and he famously wrote, 'Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived.'
- 🏛️ The pamphlet is divided into four sections: the origin and design of government, monarchy and succession, thoughts on the present state of American affairs, and the present ability of America.
- 🌳 In the third section, Paine emphasized that independence was crucial for America's future and not just partial representation.
- 💪 The fourth section, 'On the Present Ability of America,' argued that the colonies had the natural resources and growing population to sustain themselves as an independent country.
- 🌐 'Common Sense' was a huge success, influencing the majority of colonists in favor of full independence and ultimately contributing to the decision to write the Declaration of Independence five months later.
Q & A
What is the significance of 'Common Sense' in the context of American history?
-'Common Sense' is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that played a crucial role in inspiring the American colonies to fight for their independence. It was published in early 1776 and argued for the necessity of full independence from England, rather than seeking improved representation within the British political system.
What was the situation in the American colonies prior to the publication of 'Common Sense'?
-Prior to the publication of 'Common Sense', the American colonies had been in revolt against England for about nine to ten months. The First Continental Congress had met in the summer of 1775, where George Washington was appointed as the general of the Continental Army. There was a significant debate over whether to pursue full independence or to seek improved representation within the British system.
Who was Thomas Paine and what was his background before writing 'Common Sense'?
-Thomas Paine was born in England and had tried various careers, including the naval trade and teaching. He met Benjamin Franklin in London, who encouraged him to move to the American colonies. Paine arrived in 1774, just two years before the revolution, and took a job as an editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine. He was inspired by the British treatment of the colonists and began to form harsh views of England.
Why did Thomas Paine decide to write 'Common Sense'?
-Thomas Paine was convinced that he needed to write 'Common Sense' in early 1776. He believed that the colonies needed independence, not just improved representation from the British government. He also argued against the idea of hereditary kings, advocating that rulers should be chosen by the people.
What was the structure of 'Common Sense' and how was it divided?
-'Common Sense' is an 80-page pamphlet divided into four sections. The first section is titled 'Of the Origin and Design of Government', where Paine argues for the importance of elections. The second section, 'Of Monarchy and Succession', criticizes hereditary kings. The third section, 'Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs', emphasizes the need for independence. The final section, 'On the Present Ability of America', argues that the colonies are capable of sustaining themselves as an independent country.
What is one of Thomas Paine's most famous lines from 'Common Sense'?
-One of Thomas Paine's most famous lines from 'Common Sense' is: 'Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived.' This line encapsulates his belief in the value of an honest individual over hereditary rulers.
What was the impact of 'Common Sense' on the American colonies?
-The pamphlet 'Common Sense' was a huge success and pushed the majority of colonists in favor of full independence. It was written in an accessible style and was widely published in newspapers throughout the colonies. Its impact was significant in swaying public opinion towards the idea of independence.
How did 'Common Sense' influence the Second Continental Congress?
-Five months after 'Common Sense' was published, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. Largely due to the popularity of Paine's pamphlet, they decided to write the Declaration of Independence, officially stating their desire to break away from England.
What was the global political context during the time of 'Common Sense'?
-At the time of 'Common Sense', England was the biggest world power, having just won a major war against France. Every country in the world was under some form of monarchy. Thomas Paine's call for independent elections was a bold and forward-thinking idea that challenged the status quo.
Why was Thomas Paine's argument for independence considered radical at the time?
-Thomas Paine's argument for independence was considered radical because it went against the prevailing system of monarchies worldwide. His ideas challenged the established order and proposed a new form of government where rulers were chosen by the people, not born into power.
Outlines
📜 Introduction to 'Common Sense'
This paragraph introduces the historical context and significance of Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense'. Published in 1776, the document played a pivotal role in inspiring the American colonies to fight for independence. It highlights the ongoing debate among the colonies about whether to pursue full independence from England or to seek improved representation within the British political system. The paragraph also provides a brief background on Thomas Paine, who was born in England and moved to the American colonies in 1774 after encouragement from Benjamin Franklin. Paine's experiences and observations of British treatment of the colonists led him to write 'Common Sense', advocating for independence and challenging the concept of hereditary monarchy.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Common Sense
💡Thomas Paine
💡Independence
💡Continental Congress
💡George Washington
💡Monarchy
💡Representation
💡Hereditary Kings
💡Declaration of Independence
💡Pennsylvania Magazine
💡British Rule
Highlights
Common Sense was published in early 1776 and inspired the colonies to fight for independence.
The colonies had been in revolt against England for about nine to ten months before the publication.
The First Continental Congress met in the summer of 1775 and appointed George Washington as the general of the Continental Army.
There was a debate in the colonies over whether to pursue full independence or improved representation within the British political system.
Thomas Paine, born in England, moved to the American colonies in 1774 after encouragement from Benjamin Franklin.
Paine took a job as an editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine and developed harsh views of England due to their treatment of the colonists.
In early 1776, Paine wrote Common Sense, arguing for the colonies' independence rather than improved representation from the British government.
Paine hid his name from the publication, emphasizing the importance of the ideas over the author.
Common Sense argues that rulers should be chosen by the people and not be hereditary.
The pamphlet is only 80 pages long and is considered a pamphlet, divided into four sections.
The first section, 'Origin and Design of Government,' argues that elections represent the people.
The second section, 'Of Monarchy and Succession,' criticizes hereditary kings and praises the value of honest individuals.
Paine's famous line: 'Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived.'
The third section, 'Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs,' emphasizes the necessity of independence for America's future.
The fourth section, 'On the Present Ability of America,' argues that the colonies have the resources and population to sustain themselves as an independent country.
Common Sense was a huge success, pushing the majority of colonists in favor of full-on independence.
The pamphlet was written in an accessible style and was widely published in newspapers throughout the colonies.
The idea of independence was not obvious at the time, as England was the world's leading power and other countries were monarchies.
Five months after Common Sense was published, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and decided to write the Declaration of Independence.
Transcripts
hi everybody let's take a look at common
sense written by thomas paine it was
published in early 1776 and it's one of
those key american documents that would
inspire the colonies to fight for their
independence
now before we dive into the author or
even the document itself let's take a
look at some of the background that led
to its publishing and the first thing to
keep in mind is that the colonies had
been in revolt against england for about
nine ten months at this point and the
first continental congress had met in
the summer of 1775 and that's where they
had appointed george washington as the
general of the continental army and the
key thing to keep in mind is that
there's still this really big debate in
the colonies and it is over do we go for
full independence against england or do
we go for improved representation within
their political system at the time and
people are kind of split in arguing
about this
and so enter thomas paine who is going
to
change this conversation or this debate
and a quick little background on thomas
paine himself he was actually born in
england
and he tried a variety of careers
growing up from
the naval trade to teaching and it
wasn't until he met ben franklin one
time when ben franklin was visiting in
london
and franklin actually encouraged him to
come to the colonies and so thomas payne
moved to the american colonies in 1774.
and this is only about two years before
the official revolution is about to
start
and when he arrives he arrives when
they're in the midst of this revolt and
he takes a job as an editor of
the pennsylvania magazine
and he's really inspired by how the
british are treating the colonists and
he begins to form these really kind of
harsh views of england itself
and so in early 1776 he's convinced he
needs to write this and he writes common
sense
and when he publishes it he actually
hides his name from the publication
and his overall thesis and common sense
is that the colonies needed independence
not improved representation from the
british government
and also this idea of a king as a leader
that's ridiculous rulers should be
chosen by the people and it shouldn't be
hereditary
common sense is only 80 pages long and
it's actually kind of considered a
pamphlet and thomas paine broke it into
four different sections and the first
section was called origin and design of
government
and here he makes the case that
elections are the right thing for all
governments because they represent the
people
in the second section it's titled of
monarchy and succession
and here's where he makes that argument
that hereditary kings are not the way to
go for governments and he has probably
one of his most famous lines of the
whole document
of more worth is one honest man to
society and in the sight of god than all
the crowned ruffians that ever lived
essentially saying
one honest worker is worth more than all
the kings who have ever lived in history
the third section is called thoughts on
present state of american affairs and
here's where he emphasizes independence
that is the key to america's future here
not partial representation
and in the fourth and final section
titled on the present ability of america
he emphasizes the colonies are more than
capable on their own with all their
natural resources and the growing
population to sustain themselves as
their own country and finally let's take
a look at the impact of common sense
this pamphlet is a huge success and
pushes the majority of colonists in
favor of full-on independence
it was written in a style that was very
easy for everyone to understand and
publish the newspapers throughout the
colonies it was very forward thinking
for the day we take the idea of
independence as the obvious choice back
then but it wasn't so simple
england was the biggest world power of
the day they had just won a major war
against france that solidified their
power around the world and independence
would be no easy thing against them
also
every country in the world at this time
is on a monarchy of some type when
thomas payne is sitting here calling for
independent elections it was very brave
thinking
however its biggest impact
five months after it was published the
second continental congress met in
philadelphia and largely because of its
popularity
they decided to write the declaration of
independence stating their desire once
and for all to break away from england
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