'Common Sense by Thomas Paine'
- Musleh Saadi
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
The struggle in "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine is a call to action for the American colonies to seek independence from Great Britain. The pamphlet, published in 1776, presents a compelling argument for the colonies to break free from British rule and establish their own government.
The struggle Paine describes is one of oppression, with the British monarchy exerting its power over the colonies without their consent. Paine argues that the colonies have been denied their rights as British subjects and have been subjected to taxation without representation.
Paine also struggles against the idea of hereditary monarchy, arguing that it is a system based on birthright rather than merit. He contends that a government based on reason and representation is more just and equitable than one based on the privileges of birth.
Furthermore, Paine struggles against the notion that the colonies are too weak and divided to govern themselves. He argues that the colonies have grown and prospered despite British rule and that they have the capacity to self-govern.
Throughout the pamphlet, Paine's struggle is not just against British rule, but also against the idea that the colonies are inferior to Great Britain. He argues that the colonies have a unique opportunity to create a new and better system of government, one that is based on the principles of liberty, equality, and justice.
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense occupies a foundational position in American literature as both a revolutionary political intervention and a formative literary text. Published in January 1776, the pamphlet intervened at a moment when colonial resistance to Britain remained ideologically divided and emotionally hesitant. Paine’s core argument is unequivocal: reconciliation with Great Britain is neither rational nor desirable, and the American colonies must pursue complete independence. What distinguishes Common Sense as a literary work is not merely its political content but its rhetorical strategy. Paine rejects elite political discourse and instead employs plain, direct language to reach a broad colonial audience, transforming political argument into a form of popular literature. In doing so, he redefines the role of writing in America from recording experience to actively shaping historical action.
At the thematic level, Common Sense advances a powerful conception of liberty grounded in Enlightenment philosophy, particularly natural rights theory. Paine argues that legitimate government exists only to secure the freedom and welfare of the people, famously asserting that “government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil.” This formulation allows Paine to separate society depicted as a natural and positive human condition from government, which arises only because of human vice. Governance, therefore, must be judged pragmatically and morally rather than reverentially. Paine’s critique of monarchy, especially hereditary monarchy, forms the ideological core of the pamphlet. He dismisses kingship as an irrational system sustained by tradition and superstition rather than reason, contending that no individual or family possesses a natural right to rule others by birth alone. Revolution thus becomes not an act of rebellion but an ethical correction to political corruption.
Paine’s rhetorical and literary techniques are central to the pamphlet’s extraordinary influence. He employs persuasive devices such as analogy, repetition, and rhetorical questioning to render abstract political ideas concrete and emotionally compelling. For instance, Paine likens Britain’s relationship to the colonies to an unnatural parental tyranny that inhibits growth rather than nurtures it. His tone shifts deliberately between rational exposition and moral urgency, creating a sense of inevitability around independence. Unlike earlier political writers who relied on classical allusion or legal precedent, Paine privileges immediacy and emotional appeal, encouraging readers to see themselves as historical agents. This fusion of reason (logos) and emotional persuasion (pathos) exemplifies the pamphlet’s literary effectiveness.
From a theoretical perspective, Common Sense exemplifies Enlightenment pamphleteering adapted to a colonial context. Paine draws upon the rationalist tradition associated with thinkers such as John Locke while departing from European political philosophy in style and audience. Rather than addressing political elites, Paine speaks to ordinary people, embodying what Jürgen Habermas later conceptualized as the emergence of a public sphere in which political authority is debated rather than inherited. The pamphlet’s form short, accessible, and polemical allows political theory to circulate rapidly and widely, transforming literacy into a revolutionary force. In this sense, Common Sense demonstrates how literary form can function as political praxis.
Within the broader tradition of American literature, Common Sense represents an early and decisive break from European literary models that upheld hierarchy, tradition, and inherited authority. Early American writing is often described as “functional” or “instrumental,” prioritizing persuasion over aesthetic refinement, and Paine’s pamphlet epitomizes this mode. Yet its influence extends beyond its immediate political function. By articulating a national identity grounded in equality, reason, and self-determination, Common Sense helps establish the ideological foundations of American literary expression. Its rhetoric anticipates later American texts that combine moral urgency with national vision, including the Declaration of Independence and nineteenth-century political oratory.
In conclusion, Common Sense is a landmark achievement in American revolutionary literature, uniting political philosophy, rhetorical innovation, and literary accessibility. Paine’s contribution lies not only in advocating independence but in reshaping how political ideas are communicated and understood. By rejecting monarchy, redefining governance, and appealing directly to the people’s reason and conscience, Paine transforms writing into an instrument of collective empowerment. Common Sense thus exemplifies the origins of American literature as a literature of action where language becomes a catalyst for revolution and the written word helps give birth to a nation.
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