Common Sense by Thomas Paine- Summary and Themes

Introduction

Paine says that the idea he is about to propose will not be popular, because people are used to a certain state of things and he propounds to change them. Since the English Crown is abusing its power over America, "the good people of this country… have an undoubted privilege to inquire into the pretensions [of the Crown] … and to reject the usurpations". The natural rights of Americans are being violated.

Thoughts of the Present State of American Affairs

Paine calls the public to suspend their prejudices while reading his essay. It is war, he says, that will decide the issue of American independence, a great cause. This issue is not an issue of point but global and universal. He calls for the continent to be united. Any traitor will be remembered for posterity.

War with England has started. As such, thoughts of union with England are no longer practical. Independence thus must be considered. We come to much harm because we are still dependant on Great Britain. The idea of independence must not be ignored just because it is alien.

America will continue to export food to Europe even if the connection with England is severed. Also, we should not remain connected to England just because they have protected us- they were just looking after their own commercial interests. (Later, he also says America will not be the object of warfare because it has no gold or silver). In fact, there is an advantage in severing the connection with England, because then America would cease to be assaulted by England's enemies, as happened at Hanover.

Some object to separation and say England is the parent country. This is not true, as Americans are descended from many countries of Europe, and, in fact, the reasons Americans fled from Europe are still intact today. America was meant as a shelter from, not as a unity with, England. Less than a third of Americans are of British descent and therefore "I reprobate the phrase of parent or mother country applied to England only, as being false, selfish, narrow and ungenerous." If the same reasoning were applied to England, then England ought to belong to France, because the current king is a French descendant as are half the English peers.

However, even if all Americans were of British descent, reconciliation is not a viable option, because there is currently a war ongoing.

It is said that with America, Britain could become an empire. But this is not likely, because Americans would not agree to join the British army for this purpose. America does not desire to make enemies in the world; on the contrary, its aim is to perpetuate peace through well-maintained trade. Not a single advantage, he says, can be maintained by reconciliation with England.

Because of the disadvantages, America should separate from England. Attachment to England will only involve America with more wars. Also, because we trade with all of Europe, it is disadvantageous to be partial to one part of it. England contains too many nationalities to be in continuing peace, and as such involvement with England threatens to damage American trade often. The distance between the continents is another sign that one wasn't meant to be one with the other.

All those who advocate reconciliation with England are unintelligent men who cannot see the truth, prejudiced men who won't, and men who think better of Europe than it actually is and want to be united with it for that reason. Paine calls out to those who advocate reconciliation simply because they are too far from the scene of action- ravaged Boston- to see the damage done to America. Then there are the men who think the damage done is not great, but Paine urges them to acknowledge the seriousness of bringing war into America. He calls people who acknowledge this and still do not desire separation cowards.

Paine calls to act immediately. Americans have a natural right to their own government. If they do not evoke that right immediately, someone might take advantage of the disquiet and impose tyranny on America. We should not struggle against reason that dictates England cannot be trusted. It is the way of nature to rise up against England who has been so cruel. Paine calls to fight for freedom, and make America "in time an asylum for mankind".

Thomas Paine. Illustration source