Common Sense by Thomas Paine Book Review

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To quote the Encyclopedia of World Biography's entry on Thomas Paine (2004) "his contributions included an attack on slavery and the slave trade. His literary eloquence received recognition with the appearance of his 79-page pamphlet titled Common Sense (1776). Here was a powerful exhortation for immediate independence. Americans had been quarreling with Parliament; Paine now redirected their case toward monarchy and to George III himself -- a 'hardened, sullen tempered Pharaoh.' The pamphlet revealed Paine's facility as a phrasemaker -- 'The Sun never shined on a cause of greater worth"; 'Oh ye that love mankind... that dare oppose not only tyranny but the tyrant, stand forth!' -- but it was also buttressed by striking diplomatic, commercial, and political arguments from separation from Britain."

Paine, as I see it, passionately wrote the Common Sense, with convincing argument against the oppressive nature of monarchy as well as the inevitability of the new colonies to break away from their alliance with the mother kingdom that America must separate itself from England.

Overall, I see Common Sense as an insightful read that had a significant part of in the history of American independence for there are many parts of the book that can be found as a straightforward justification for independence detailing the injustices in opposition to the British monarchy. In the last part, entitled "Agrarian justice" it seemed to me that it suggested an inheritance or death tax sequentially to back a resemblance to a social security system where cash coming from the estate taxes will compensate a lump sum to the people on their 21st birthday, annual expenses to all the people over 50 as well as costs to those who are not capable of working.Paine constructed his opinions for the urgent freedom of the American colonies from Great Britain and his conventional liberalism as well as several theories of the regime was evident -- the ideas seemed obvious to most of us at the moment, however it was quite extreme at that time. Enlightening, nevertheless is it applicable today? Yes, especially when people dwell in a country that is to say presently being exploited by a tyrant ruler.

The book left me with the impression of sorrow as well as revulsion in each fragment as strong as the pride I experienced after reading it, Paine made his point by fighting in opposition to rule by England, the disagreement in favor of self-governing rule is shaping the fight against a reign by what has been one of the most revolutionary regime in the history of the United States government.

Parts of what Paine cited may be true today and may be several of his ideas might be not easy to stand up for but I believe that he was a great believer of independence as well as believing that one must stand up and fight for his own right and must have an individual responsibility -- something that we rarely see in today's society.

References

Common Sense (2005). West's Encyclopedia of American Law. The Gale Group, Inc.

Wood, G. (2002). The American Revolution: A History. New York: Modern Library.

Nelson, C. (2007). Thomas Paine: Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations. New York: Penguin Books.

Paine, T. (2007 ed.) Common Sense. BiblioBazaar, LLC.….....