Common Sense (1776) - Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine was the first international revolutionary. His Common Sense (1776) was the most widely read pamphlet of the American Revolution--and his Rights of Man (1791-2), the most famous defense of the French Revolution, sent out a clarion call for revolution throughout the world. Paine paid the price for his principles: he was outlawed in Britain, narrowly escaped execution in France, and was vilified as an atheist and a Jacobin on his return to America.Published in 1776, Common Sense challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the common people of America and was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain.
The new edition of "Rights of Man, Common Sense, and Other Political Writings" which is available on Google books and is published by Oxford University press contains the complete texts of both Rights of Man and Common Sense, as well as six other powerfully political writings--American Crisis I, American Crisis XIII, Agrarian Justice, Letter to Jefferson, Letter Addressed to the Addressers on the Late Proclamation, and Dissertation on the First Principles of Government--all of which illustrate why Paine's ideas still resonate in the modern welfare states of today.
For can read the Preview of Thomas Paine's Common Sense on Google Books.
Plot of "Common Sense"
Paine begins by proposing to his readers that they have the right to question the King of England because his policies affect their lives. Paine emphasizes that people should question ideas even if they have been long accepted as true, and that the concerns of the colonies will prove to be universal concerns as they involve oppression and liberty, tyranny and freedom. He concludes by establishing that his interests have not been compromised by any political party but are only focused on a reasonable argument.Read Common Sense (1776)
Introduction to the Third Edition
Of the Origin and Design of Government in General, with Concise Remarks on the English Constitution
Of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession
Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs
Of the Present Ability of America: with some Miscellaneous Reflections
Appendix to the Third Edition
The Full Work on One Page
Works of Thomas Paine
• Common Sense (1776)
• The Crisis (1776-77)
• The Rights of Man (1791-92)
• Age of Reason (1794, 1796)
