I believe that it s important to once and awhile refresh our memories, as Americans, to remind us of our founding principles, ideas and values. It is at the beginning of our country where we can find the debate of independence and why it was so important for the American colonies to become a free and independent nation. This debate has overtime become lost in our own biased discourse for our own personal agendas. In this article (as well as my follow-up articles) I will take a look at a piece of work written by one of our prestigious, distinguished and brilliant founding fathers: Thomas Paine.
Thomas Paine s Common Sense was a pamphlet created to argue to the common person for independence from Britain rule. Paine (who originally published the forty-eight page pamphlet anonymously because of its treasonous content) did this because he believed that in order to convince the colonists for independence he needed to convey his enlightened ideas in a manner in which the ordinary colonist could understand. He realized the fact that a revolution could not be achieved by just a few but from the masses.
Please read Common Sense before going any further to grasp a better understanding of my analysis and for your own personal knowledge.
Of the Origin and Design of Government in General, with Concise Remarks on the English Constitution
‘Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one’¦’
In the first section, of Paine s four section pamphlet, Paine emphasizes how important it is for us to separate society and government to understand the purpose and design of government. He does this by creating a hypothetical scenario that first puts a small group of people settled somewhere on the earth and unconnected with the rest (this scenario is fairly common in the political theory world). These individuals would eventually find themselves needing each other for necessities such as building shelter more effectively. By interacting with each other, these individuals have indirectly created a society for themselves.
As long as these individuals treat each other honorably, there would be no need for law. However, Paine recognizes that as their society becomes larger, vice is more likely to occur which in return would establish a form of government:
‘Thus necessity, like a gravitating power, would soon form our newly arrived emigrants into society, the reciprocal blessings of which would supersede, and render the obligations of law and government unnecessary while they remained perfectly just to each other; but as nothing but Heaven is impregnable to vice, it will unavoidably happen that in proportion as they surmount the first difficulties of emigration, which bound them together in a common cause, they will begin to relax in their duty and attachment to each other: and this remissness will point out the necessity of establishing some form of government to supply the defect of moral virtue.’
Paine then goes into the types of government that would be established by their society. At first, every individual in their society would be able to meet and deliberate on public matters. Instead of creating law, they would create guidelines or regulations that everyone in their society must follow.
As their society expands, however, it would be too inconvenient for everyone in society to meet and deliberate on every public manner:
‘But as the Colony encreases, the public concerns will encrease likewise, and the distance at which the members may be separated, will render it too inconvenient for all of them to meet on every occasion as at first, when their number was small, their habitations near, and the public concerns few and trifling. This will point out the convenience of their consenting to leave the legislative part to be managed by a select number chosen from the whole body, who are supposed to have the same concerns at stake which those have who appointed them, and who will act in the same manner as the whole body would act were they present. If the colony continue encreasing, it will become necessary to augment the number of representatives, and that the interest of every part of the colony may be attended to, it will be found best to divide the whole into convenient parts, each part sending its proper number: and that the ELECTED might never form to themselves an interest separate from the ELECTORS, prudence will point out the propriety of having elections often: because as the ELECTED might by that means return and mix again with the general body of the ELECTORS in a few months, their fidelity to the public will be secured by the prudent reflection of not making a rod for themselves. And as this frequent interchange will establish a common interest with every part of the community, they will mutually and naturally support each other, and on this, (not on the unmeaning name of king,) depends the STRENGTH OF GOVERNMENT, AND THE HAPPINESS OF THE GOVERNED.’
The structure of his government sounds familiar doesn t it?
Paine explains his origin of government in the beginning to set up his argument for the rest of his pamphlet. After his explanation of the origin of government, Paine goes on to criticize England s constitution:
‘Absolute governments, (tho’ the disgrace of human nature) have this advantage with them, they are simple; if the people suffer, they know the head from which their suffering springs; know likewise the remedy; and are not bewildered by a variety of causes and cures. But the constitution of England is so exceedingly complex, that the nation may suffer for years together without being able to discover in which part the fault lies; some will say in one and some in another, and every political physician will advise a different medicine’
Paine believed that when a government is too complex the nation as a whole suffers. It is hard to point to a specific individual to blame for the suffering. On this note he actually takes a moment to praise absolute governments for they re simplicity. However, he goes on further to explain that even though this may be true about absolute governments, England s constitution is actually very complex.
England s constitution, as Paine explains in detail ”¦remains of two ancient tyrannies, compounded with some new Republican materials.’ He further attacks individuals who claim that England s government consists of branches that check each other:
‘But as the same constitution which gives the Commons a power to check the King by withholding the supplies, gives afterwards the King a power to check the Commons, by empowering him to reject their other bills; it again supposes that the King is wiser than those whom it has already supposed to be wiser than him. A mere absurdity!’
In the first section of his pamphlet Thomas Paine tries to put in simple words the origin in government and adds a few remarks about what s wrong about England s constitution. In my next post I will analyze the next section of Paine s Common Sense on monarchy and hereditary succession. Before you read my next article make sure that you thoroughly understand the first section of Common Sense to the point where you can analyze it yourself and use it in your own political discussion. Political theory is important to learn so that we as individuals can come up with our own views and arguments. For now I ll leave you with a quote from Mr. Paine:
‘And as a man who is attached to a prostitute is unfitted to choose or judge of a wife, so any prepossession in favour of a rotten constitution of government will disable us from discerning a good one.’
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Common Sense is an important document that everyone should read if they want to fully understand the history of our country. Well said!
I’m a fifth-grade teacher in Colorado, and a crucial part of teaching civics is providing students with our primary sources: the founding documents. This is critical in understanding what ‘We the People € means. Today, like 230 years ago, those documents instill in students the belief that all voices are important. Every one of our citizens are needed to pursue liberty. Futures do not have to be inevitable and “Little voices” can make dramatic impacts on events. That is Paine’s greatest contribution to our country. His pamphlet, Common Sense, spoke to all the voices in the 13 colonies during a time of great indecision. He gave a vast number of citizens a vision of what each could do, 176 days before the Declaration. A belief that power should radiate from the citizens. That message is still foundational for all our students today.
Mark Wilensky,
author of “The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine: An Interactive Adaptation for All Ages”
Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.
“John Adams”
Founding Father
Well written! Your writing style is very unique and intriguing! I would love to read more from you! I am one who also strongly believes that we as citizens need to go back and read what our founders wrote and learn from each one of them!