PDF Summary:Common Sense, by Thomas Paine
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1-Page PDF Summary of Common Sense
In a time when Americans were divided on their wish for liberation from England, Common Sense provided a persuasive argument to leave England and their model of governance for a republic directly elected by the people. While it deals largely with the American case, it also considers larger topics of political philosophy—anti-monarchism, theories that republics will engage in less conflict, and discussions of the state of nature and how the first societies were created. Common Sense answers the question: What does the ideal government look like? In these ways, it is more relevant today than ever.
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Hereditary monarchy is even more of a sin, because if all men are created equal, the virtues of one man who may become king have no bearing on the qualities of his offspring.
These Hereditary Monarchies also create governing problems. First, the longer a Hereditary Monarchy continues, the more kings will be removed from the issues facing their subjects, and thus will be unable to rule over them successfully, even if they want to do right by their people. Second, it’s impossible to have any real checks and balances in a monarchy, because even if there are lower houses of government (like in England), the king has ultimate authority, and if he is unhappy with the decisions of these lower houses he can check their power in return.
3. Given that England, with a tyrannical system of government, has begun to violently oppress the American people, America should break free.
There are lots of arguments for reconciliation with England. The most prominent include:
- America flourished as part of England, and thus needs England to continue to flourish.
- England has protected America from attacks.
- England is the parent country of America; everyone is of English descent.
- Together, England and America could be an unstoppable global power.
These are all misguided, though, because England has dragged America into her own conflicts and suppressed America’s trade and growth. America has become too large and complex for England to manage.
If America is well-organized, it can win a victory. And if America chooses not to seek independence, the King of England will become more tyrannical, any agreement made will only be temporary, and the American citizens may lose the unity that they have right now. If America’s population grows and the conflict drags on, it’s only natural based on the size of the colony that partisans will take up positions and infighting will begin.
When it finally is created, the American system should be a republic that has annual meetings and has many legislators, elected regularly by the people, in order to provide a government that is a bulwark against one or two people with nefarious interests being able to gain too much power.
4. America has the capabilities to stand on her own.
- The people are united and have enough citizens to capably mount a rebellion effort.
- There are lots of natural resources that can be helpful both for any war effort and afterwards in the creation of a nation with a healthy economy.
- In forming a republic, America will be able to avoid wars in the future, given that they are so often based on petty grievances between kings.
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PDF Summary Shortform Introduction
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In this summary, we will take a direct approach to Common Sense, moving largely chapter by chapter through Paine’s argument, and exploring the following principles:
- Why humans living together need a government to function
- Why monarchies, and in particular hereditary monarchies, are detrimental to the success of nations and the lives of citizens
- How Kings lose their purpose in a well-functioning republic
- What a successful republic consists of
- Why reconciliation with England is impossible for the American colonies
- How, in the American case, the republic should come into being
- The specific advantages that America has in her fight for independence
PDF Summary Chapter 1: The Origins of Government and Society
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- To create these laws, they will form some kind of governing or legislative body with elected representatives, who will change regularly and be citizens themselves, so as to avoid unjust law creation—it is impractical to have citizens vote on every law, so they elect representatives to do it for them. Citizens can in this way ensure laws that are largely in their own interests and to their benefit.
The happiness and success of the colony rest on the citizenry being happy and the government being effective. The best government is one that’s unlikely to fail and easy to repair when it does. In practice, this takes the form of representative government that comes directly from the citizens and involves frequent elections and turnover of representatives.
England and Unjust Government
The Constitution of England is unsuccessful according to the aforementioned principles of government for three reasons:
- First, the position of king is tyrannical by nature because he is not elected and thus both has no reason to listen to his people and is also, by virtue of his position, so far removed from common needs that even if he wanted to help his citizens, he wouldn’t...
PDF Summary Chapter 2: The Problems With Monarchy
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- Some argue that hereditary succession can prevent civil war by keeping all of the power in the hands of one family that is uninterested in turning on itself—this can be disproved with a cursory glance at English history: The Yorks and the Lancasters fought for supremacy for years.
- In private, most people treat hereditary monarchies with contempt, but they are either afraid of the power they wield or are benefitting from the monarchy, so they have no reason to rebel.
The closer a government is to a republic, the most just form of government, the less need there is for a king and the less business he has. If the government is a true republic, with authority derived from the people, the king will essentially be legislated out of existence.
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Learn more about our summaries →PDF Summary Chapter 3: America’s Predicament
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* America could be at peace with France and Spain if it weren’t for England.
- England is the parent country of America; everyone is of English descent.
- America has actually been asylum to persecuted people from all over Europe—Europe is America’s parent country, not just England.
- Americans should be able to claim brotherhood with “every European Christian.”
- Every European, no matter their original national identity, meeting in America should be able to call the other a “countryman.”
- Together, England and America could be an unstoppable global power.
- Wars are unpredictable, so this is not necessarily true.
- America shouldn’t be sending its own citizens to fight English conquests elsewhere in the world.
- America shouldn’t want to be engaged in England’s conflicts—rather, America should be friendly with all of Europe, so as to trade with all of them. Free enterprise will make sure America never faces the ire of any European nations.
- If England begins to lose wars, it would be particularly bad to be associated with them—the victor could attempt to claim America as its own.
America’s business has also become **too...
PDF Summary Chapter 4: America’s Advantages
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* As opposed to America, Britain has significant debts on which it pays significant interest.
- The fewer Americans there are, the more land remains unoccupied. This is important because it can, after the war and independence, be both used to service America’s debt and expanded into to support America’s government.
- England is governed by fear; they have a lot to lose. America only has potential gain.
When other nations did not seize upon their opportunities to form a government, they left themselves open for conquerors and lost the potential to have freedom. America should learn from those mistakes.
A Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence is needed, which should keep in mind these four points:
- When any two nations are at war sometimes others will step in and mediate, but for as long as America is a colony of Britain’s, no mediation can occur. Custom dictates that European powers won’t interfere with colonial battles for independence like this one.
- France or Spain can’t be expected to help America either, for the same reason as point number one.
- It is likely that some other nations will consider America rebels because...
PDF Summary Appendix
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- Americans should abandon political parties (Whigs and Tories) and instead consider themselves simply citizens of the United States of America
- (Shortform note: If this sounds familiar, that’s because a similar refrain has been used in political campaigns up until and including the modern day. The most famous recent example is in Barack Obama's 2004 speech at the DNC, where he argued “The pundits like to slice and dice us into Red States and Blue States… But I’ve got news for them… We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.)
PDF Summary Addendum: Message to the Quakers
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The principles of Quakerism make the Quakers inoffensive to everyone, including governments that are tyrannical. This makes them helpful to tyrants and makes their statements about wishing to live in a free and fair society not line up with their actions, in which Paine accuses them of choosing profit over their country. America as it is constituted under the tyranny of England does not allow for civil and religious rights.
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