Common Sense By Thomas Paine: An Analysis

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Common Sense was a radical literary piece written by Thomas Paine during the Revolutionary War. It was a wartime pamphlet inspiring Americans to unite and revolt against the unjust ways of the British empire led by King George. The pamphlet described a better and unoppressed society and set forth actions Americans should take to achieve this better world. While describing the new American culture, Thomas Paine, states that “In America, the law is king.”(3) This concept challenges classic beliefs by shifting the power to the law instead of a an individual, brute king. In this new society no one person is above the law and this idea denies kings or one ruler from corrupting their country. Allowing the citizens to be governed by laws created …show more content…
The idea of democracy is an appealing form of government as the citizens have a voice in their government and the laws which are to be lived by and govern their society. We, the citizens of America, are the reason that democracy works. American citizens have crowned the king law and then we shattered the crown and shared it with everyone. In other words we depend on each citizen to fulfill the law by acting out their lives. We must all be responsible for our own actions to be a successful country. Aristotle favored the rule of law, writing that "law should govern", and those in power should be "servants of the laws."(2) Under the rule of law the law eliminates the abuse of power through a system of checks and balances ensuring that no one party becomes too …show more content…
We as a people created this law and to be a successful country we must all abide by law. As a collective group each individual must actively participate by following the laws set by fellow Americans. We aren’t controlled by a single king who is above the law, but instead are in control of the law to ensure it remains fair and just to all. We have “let the Crown at the conclusion of the ceremony be demolished, and scattered among the people whose right it is.”(4) In other words, we have given each American a voice they can use to change our laws and create a better society. Thomas Paine used this revolutionary quote to show the common American what a better society would look like and to ensure them our new nation will never be corrupt if we have the courage to make the law our
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