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How did Thomas Paine influence the American Revolution? What was his argument for separating America from England?
Thomas Paine is known for paving the way for the American Revolution by urging the colonies to fight for their independence in his 1776 pamphlet Common Sense. In it, he argued that America could establish a republican form of government that is a model for the rest of the world by separating from England.
In this article, we’ll discuss Thomas Paine’s revolution pamphlet Common Sense, and its arguments for liberating America.
The Idea of Liberation
Thomas Paine’s revolution pamphlet said that there’s been a lot of debate on the topic of America’s relations with England, but the period of debate is over, ended by the actions of the King. It’s time now to fight.
- (Shortform note: Common Sense was written after the Boston Tea Party, subsequent crackdowns by the colonial English government on rebel factions in America, and the skirmishes of Lexington and Concord.)
This particular liberation movement is of the greatest possible worth for two reasons:
- First, it is a cause that will affect an entire continent that’s at least an eighth of the whole world.
- Second, it’s a cause that will be enduring and affect all future generations.
The Arguments for Reconciliation
It’s worth examining the arguments for reconciliation and refuting them:
- America flourished as part of England, and thus needs England to continue to flourish.
- This is like saying that because a child once needed his mother he will always need his mother.
- America also would have likely been better off without colonial authority in the first place: There has always been a market for American goods in all of Europe.
- England has protected America from attacks.
- England didn’t protect America from America’s enemies, but from England’s, who wouldn’t have had any issue with America had it not been a colonial possession.
- 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 big and complicated to manage from so far away.
Personal Interests in England
Anyone interested in maintaining the relationship with England thus falls into one of these four categories:
- People who gain financially from the relationship or have some other kind of benefit or interest that makes them untrustworthy
- People who are weak and don’t understand
- People who have prejudice who refuse to understand
- People who are “moderates” who believe Europe to be better than it is—this group will do the most harm to the independence effort
- A lot of people don’t see the suffering that the British have inflicted. But in Boston, the British soldiers are plundering the city.
- Some of these people say that reconciliation can still be had, but once serious pain is inflicted, like it was in Boston, it’s not in human nature to be able to trust again.
The Consequences of Not Fighting
It is clear that reconciliation will not happen, and also that if America is well-organized, they can win a victory. Thus, this should happen now and not be left to future generations after more suffering is incurred as the result of being a colony. A continent shouldn’t be ruled by an island—that is exactly against the natural order.
If America chooses not to fight for independence, here is what will happen:
First, the King of England will make things much worse for the colony. He doesn’t want any more potential for rebellion, so order will be much more strict. He will not allow a single law he doesn’t approve of. England is worried first about England. So, every time it’s in England’s interest to suppress America or America’s growth, England will do it. The King will almost certainly re-install himself in the government of America to exert more control.
Second, any kind of agreement will only be temporary, as the colonies continue to grow in size and capability. Instability will persist, and this will discourage any new emigration.
Third, it is very plausible that civil war within the colonies will break out if an agreement is signed. Americans have already suffered so much at the hands of the British—if that freedom is taken away partly by their fellow citizens, their ire will be directed towards said citizens.
Fourth, it is also possible that when a takeover does inevitably occur, it will be led by a conqueror uninterested in republican rule but rather in installing himself as king, leading to continued tyranny. Government can’t be left vacant—a system needs to be created now.
Creating a New System of Governance
In order to avoid the wars that are common in a monarchical system, in addition to all of the other aforementioned issues with monarchy, the American system should be a republic. To better imagine a future after English rule, we should set down some principles of the future government here:
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- A comprehensive breakdown of Thomas Paine's pamphlet about why America should liberate from England
- An examination of Paine's political philosophies
- The history behind why Paine wrote the pamphlet and how it was received by the public
