Today, I'm sharing a post from a friend of mine's incredible blog. A. M. Watson's blog is full of amazing and enlightening articles, and I felt compelled to share this one with y'all today.
Some of you may have noticed the absence of a post last week. This was due to me having caught the Influenza A bug that has been going around, and being sick enough that a blog post just wasn’t going to happen.
But I’m back this week with pep and vigor!
On January 10, 1776, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet called Common Sense. This pamphlet set the world on fire in a manner only rivaled by our Declaration of Independence a few months later.
Sadly, Common Sense is a writing that has been long forgotten in our nation. I wonder how many of you have ever read Common Sense in its entirety?
Many of us could perhaps quote a line or two from it. But how many of us could carry on an intelligent conversation about the ideas contained within its pages?
It has been forgotten within the pages of our history books and neglected by those bearing the name “American”. I can think of nothing more disheartening.
The reading and studying of Common Sense should be mandatory throughout our nation’s schools. Every American should know what is contained within its pages and be advised as to how it can impact us even today.
Thomas Paine broke down his appeal for independence in four main points contained within the forty-seven page pamphlet.
He explained in laymen terms why American independence was unavoidable and necessary in the highly tumultuous time they found themselves living in.
As I read the pamphlet in preparation for this post, I was struck with how much truth is within its pages and how easy it would be to utilize Common Sense to teach fundamentals of American freedom.
There are so many lessons to be drawn from Common Sense. But I wanted to notice a few thoughts from its pages that apply to Americans today.
1. All Men Are Created Equal
One of the most prominent themes I see intertwined throughout Common Sense is how all men are created on the same level as one another. Thomas Jefferson would reassert this truth six months later when America declared her independence.
In truth, this was a novel idea when Paine published his pamphlet. Up until that point, monarchies were considered a natural part of the world. Those born into royal families were raised onto a pedestal above those that were labeled as their subjects. Paine understood that this went against the very laws of nature and the Bible.
“But there is another and greater distinction for which no truly natural or religious reason can be assigned, and that is the distinction of men into KINGS and SUBJECTS. Male and female are the distinctions of nature, good and bad the distinctions of Heaven; but how a race of men came into the world so exalted above the rest, and distinguished like some new species, is worth inquiring into, and whether they are the means of happiness or of misery to mankind.” THOMAS PAINE, COMMON SENSE
I can easily see why Thomas Paine was branded a traitor as soon as Common Sense had spread through the Colonies and into Europe. The concept that King George III was no more important and deserved no more respect than the poorest beggar in the streets of Boston was one that shook the entire monarchy.
But was it treason? Thomas Paine’s words were in fact biblical. James 2:1 admonishes us not to be a respecter of persons.
“My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”
America is built on the concept that all men are created equal. It is what sets us apart from all other nations in the world. We have no aristocracy. We do not bow to any man.
“Government by kings was first introduced into the world by the Heathens, from whom the children of Israel copied the custom. It was the most prosperous invention the Devil ever set on foot for the promotion of idolatry. The Heathens paid divine honours to their deceased kings, and the Christian World hath improved on the plan by doing the same to their living ones. How impious is the title of sacred Majesty applied to a worm, who in the midst of his splendor is crumbling into dust!” THOMAS PAINE, COMMON SENSE
In the words of Patrick Henry, “If this be treason, let us make the most of it.”
2. Too Much Power In The Hands Of One Person Is Dangerous
A cornerstone of American freedom is the concept that power corrupts. It is a fact that has been proven time and again through the annals of history.
“Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent. Selected from the rest of mankind, their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions.” THOMAS PAINE, COMMON SENSE
In the case of a monarchy, kings and queens are raised up with the knowledge that they will rule one day. They are set apart as being above the “common people”. Because of this ideology, it separates them from adequately understanding the very people they rule.
“Another evil which attends hereditary succession is, that the throne is subject to be possessed by a minor at any age; all which time the regency acting under the cover of a king have every opportunity and inducement to betray their trust. The same national misfortune happens when a king worn out with age and infirmity enters the last stage of human weakness. In both these cases the public becomes a prey to every miscreant who can tamper successfully with the follies either of age or infancy.” THOMAS PAINE, COMMON SENSE
Paine understood that monarchies were breeding grounds for tyranny. At this point in America’s history, the proof was in the pudding. George III was a prime example of a privileged individual who understood nothing about those he ruled over. In many ways, he carried himself much like a spoiled child.
Thomas Paine made this point quite adequately in Common Sense.
3. Freedom Must Be Guarded
Liberty is the glory of America and must be guarded at all costs. It has become increasingly under attack over the decades. But we must understand, just like Paine and our other founders, that freedom is worth living and dying for.
“I am not induced by motives of pride, party, or resentment to espouse the doctrine of separation and independence; I am clearly, positively, and conscientiously persuaded that it is the true interest of this Continent to be so; that every thing short of that is mere patchwork, that it can afford no lasting felicity,—that it is leaving the sword to our children, and shrinking back at a time when a little more, a little further, would have rendered this Continent the glory of the earth.” THOMAS PAINE, COMMON SENSE
America won her independence because there were Patriots willing to stand up instead of shrink back. I wonder what changes could transpire within our nation if we would only stand up like our forefathers, instead of shrinking away.
“O! ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose not only the tyranny but the tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of the old world is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted round the Globe. Asia and Africa have long expelled her. Europe regards her like a stranger, and England hath given her warning to depart. O! receive the fugitive, and prepare in time an asylum for mankind.” THOMAS PAINE, COMMON SENSE
Common Sense birthed a set of ideas that set the world on fire. In no other country had such ideas prevailed. Paine pleaded with Americans to consider the cause of freedom and guard it with everything inside them.
In honor of Common Sense, I am releasing a Thomas Paine quote in my RedBubble shop. Be sure to check it out and share it!
Let me know your thoughts on Common Sense and how it’s important still today.
A. M. Watson
Hebrews 13:8
A. M. Watson is a child of the King of Kings—ransomed, redeemed, and justified by the blood of Jesus Christ. Born with the wind in her soul, she loves the prairie and listening at night to the lonesome howl of the coyotes.
An ardent believer in teaching the past to the future generations, she desires to instill a love for history in those who read her stories.
Her passion is penning tales of redemption, patriotism, and hope through history’s greatest storms.
When she’s not writing, she can be found studying deeper into history, playing instruments, and drinking lots of coffee.
Catch ya on the flip side!
_Mac 🤎
