ESSAY CEMETERY

Themes ·        Rebellion “As the king of England hath undertaken in his own right, to support the parliament in what he calls theirs, and as the good people of this country are grievously oppressed by the combination, they have an undoubted privilege to inquire into the pretensions of both, and equally to reject the usurpations of either.” ·        Universality of struggle “The cause of America is, in a great measure, the cause of all mankind.” ·        Unity in times of adversity “Now is the seed time of continental union, faith and honor.” ·        Warning traitors “The least fracture now will be like a name engraved with the point of a pin on the tender rind of a young oak; The wound will enlarge with the tree, and posterity read it in full grown characters” ·        Advocating reason ·    ...

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 o...