Barbara Burfoot revisits Common Sense by Thomas Paine. First published in Philadelphia, 10th January 1776.
This is the first of Thomas Paine’s best sellers. Written at the suggestion of the printer, Benjamin Rush, it sold, so Paine claimed, 120,000 copies in the first three months. It was published just as the delegates to the First Continental Congress were assembling in Philadelphia and a new edition was published on 14th February 1776.
Thomas Paine’s name did not appear on the cover of either of the early editions partly because: ‘Who the Author of this Production is, is wholly unnecessary to the public to know, as the Object of Attention is the Doctrine itself, not the Man.’
The pamphlet is divided into four parts: (1) Of the Origin and Design of Government in general, with concise Remarks on the English Constitution; (2) Of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession; (3) Thoughts on the present State of American Affairs; (4) On the present ability of America, with some miscellaneous Reflections.
Paine begins part 1 by warning that Society and Government must not be confused: ‘Society is produced by our wants and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices.’ The purpose of government is to ensure freedom and security and the best government is that which can provide these with ‘the least expence and greatest benefit’. The English peoples’ support for their constitution has more to do with national pride than reason. The reason why the English King is less oppressive than the Sultan of Turkey is ‘wholly owing to the constitution of the people and not to the constitution of the government’.
It is interesting that in part 2, ‘Of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession’, the future author of the Age of Reason draws heavily on the authority of scripture in opposing monarchy, quoting the prophet Samuel when the Israelites ask him to appoint a king over them; monarchy is a form of government ‘which the word of God bears testimony against’.
In part 3, ‘Thoughts on the present State of American Affairs’, Paine offers ‘hints’ on the future government of America. One of his hints is still in force in the USA today: ‘The Law (that which came to be called the Constitution) is King.’
To those who object that America has flourished under British Government, Paine replies that ‘the commerce by which she (America) hath enriched herself are the necessaries of life and will always have a market while eating is the custom of Europe.’ Britain only defends America to defend her own interests. ‘France and Spain never were, nor perhaps ever will be, our enemies as Americans but as our being subjects of Great Britain.’ Britain will seek to restrict America’s development where it threatens Britain’s own interests and it has no claim to be America’s mother country, because ‘this New World hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe.’ He ridicules the present form of government which requires Americans ‘to be always running three or four thousand miles with a tale or petition, waiting four or five months for an answer’ and there is ‘something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.’
At the beginning of part 4 Paine says he has never met a man who did not agree that Britain and America must separate at some time and, says Paine, ‘the time has found us’. America has ‘the largest body of armed and disciplined men of any power under Heaven’. It can afford to build a navy. Paine includes a calculation of the value of the British Navy. America has no debts but should not be afraid of incurring some because: ‘Can we but leave posterity a settled form of government, an independent constitution of its own, the purchase at any price will be cheap.’
Paine donated his royalties from Common Sense to purchase mittens for the under-equipped soldiers of the Continental Army. When the Continental Congress took a final vote on an independence motion, proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia and seconded by John Adams on 2nd July 1776, all the delegates except New York voted for independence. On 4th July 1776 the final draft of the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
Barbara Burfoot is Chair of SOF Trustees.