Thursday, March 12, 2020

Free Essays on Common Sense

, that a thirst for absolute power is the natural disease of monarchy. Second that the commons, by being appointed for that purpose, are either wiser or more worthy of confidence than the crown† (6). The fact that the king and the House of Commons have to power to check each other and reject bills Paine believes that this poses to be a problem when it comes to decision making. Through thoughtful reasoning Paine continues to illustrate to the people that the king of England is nothing, but a useless entity which in the end gets in the way of the business of the government. Paine states that the monarchy excludes a man from the inform... Free Essays on Common Sense Free Essays on Common Sense Common Sense Thomas Paine’s â€Å"Common Sense† was one of the most influential political pamphlets during the American Revolution. This pamphlet served as reinforcement for the American colonies will for independence from England. Within the confines of fifty pages Paine tried to illustrate to the America people the evils of the monarchy and the contradictions of the English government, and show that the king is not the legitimate ruler. In his quest to discourage the America people from breaking away from one tyrannical monarch and installing a new one in America Paine examines the English Constitution. Paine believes that if we are to examine the English constitution we will find that â€Å"two ancient tyrannies† lie under the exist republic. First and foremost of the two tyrannies is the existence of the king. Second are the remains of aristocratically tyranny (6). According to Pain the fact that these two position are hereditary this already takes away power from the people and isn’t constitutional. England’s republic itself Paine states is a contradiction, because of the checks and balances between the governing powers. â€Å"To say that the commons is a check upon the king, presupposes two things. First that the king is not to be trusted without being looked after, or in other words, that a thirst for absolute power is the natural disease of monarchy. Second that the commons, by be ing appointed for that purpose, are either wiser or more worthy of confidence than the crown† (6). The fact that the king and the House of Commons have to power to check each other and reject bills Paine believes that this poses to be a problem when it comes to decision making. Through thoughtful reasoning Paine continues to illustrate to the people that the king of England is nothing, but a useless entity which in the end gets in the way of the business of the government. Paine states that the monarchy excludes a man from the inform... Free Essays on Common Sense Common Sense As the year 1776 began in the American colonies, tension with King George III’s England was at perhaps an all-time high. Americans were frustrated with the actions of their rulers overseas. Taxes and trade restrictions had been placed on them, and British and mercenary soldiers occupied their towns and cities. There had even been fighting at Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. As America grew, England’s hold on it tightened, and a few voices began speaking of independence. The loudest and most convincing of these belonged to Thomas Paine, born in England and living in Philadelphia. His pamphlet, Common Sense, expressed the argument for American independence in a way no one had before and had a great influence on the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Paine had only lived in America for two years when he began writing Common Sense, but that was enough for him to witness the oppression of the British. 1.Of the origin and design of government in general, with concise remarks on the English Constitution: Section I of Thomas Paines, Common Sense he expresses his feelings on society and government. He believed that society and government had different origins. Society in terms is founded by our wants as humans and our government by our wickedness. Society promotes happiness by "uniting our affections" while government "restrains our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher." Government is, in short, at best an essential evil, and at worst, an intolerable evil. Paine's view was essentially that we are naturally sociable because of our desires; and due to economic self-interest, the more perfect a civilization is, the less government it will need because society will be peaceful as a result of fulfilled needs. Basically, the less government there is the better people are. In Part II, he puts forth proposals such that publ...