Common Sense and Other Essays

By Thomas Paine

Book Overview

Thomas Paine was an American political commentator and activist in the latter part of the eighteenth century. His writing covered a wide range of subjects, but were centered on his core beliefs of republicanism and the inherent rights of people. An early pamphlet of his, "Common Sense," was written soon after he arrived in America from Great Britain; with its focus on the ills of colonialism and the King's veering between rational debate and righteous outrage, it has been cited as one of the major catalysts for the American Revolution. Later work attempted to correct the mistakes he perceived in post-revolution French government-written from experience after his election to the French National Convention-and even suggested a costed plan for a universal basic income funded by an inheritance tax.

Collected here are his essays and pamphlets, including the aforementioned Common Sense and other influential works like The Republican Proclamation, Anti-Monarchal Essay, Declaration of Rights, Dissertation on First Principles of Government, The Decline and Fall of the English System of Finance and Agrarian Justice.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9355227787
• ISBN13: 9789355227782
• Release Date: October 2024
• Publisher: Classy Publishing
• Length: 136 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Relevant for today, as you can see, many parallels.

“… let none be heard among us, then those of A GOOD CITIZEN, AN OPEN AND RESOLUTE FRIEND, AND A VIRTUOUS SUPPORTER OF THE RIGHTS OF MANKIND…” If you don't see the above quote in your copy, there are different copies of "Common Sense" with some variances. All have the standard four chapters; additions contain other materials... many other titles are "Common Sense and Other Writings by Thomas Paine." This is a review of “Common Sense.” As you read “Common Sense," you'll realize there are several ways to approach this information. One way is to consider it in the context of the period it was written in, one of its target readers might be. Another is to see how it applies to today's life. I chose a combination of both approaches. I also thought I knew the Bible well, but found that I had to look up some quotations he used. Well, I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil the surprise of how well he writes on the subject(s). I will say this is one of those books you want to read before you die, but I prefer to read it early so I can live by what I have read. Also, I was surprised, as with most people quoting things like the Constitution or the Bill of Rights and so forth, they always quote the large esoteric statements or concepts and forget to tell you that it can get bogged down with tedium. This is not the case with “Common Sense,” as almost every one of his sentences is a standalone, timeless thought. Now, watch “Liberty! The American Revolution” TV mini-series. (1997) 6 hours Jane Adams (Actor), Peter Donaldson (Actor), Ellen Hovde (Director), Muffie Meyer (Director)