Paine's Common Sense and the Birth of American Identity

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (1776) was more than a political pamphlet arguing for American independence; it was a document that helped to forge a new American identity. The pamphlet not only made the case for separation from Britain but also articulated a vision of what America could become — a nation founded on principles of liberty, equality, and republican government, free from the corruption and tyranny of the Old World. This article examines how Common Sense shaped American identity, the central arguments of the pamphlet, and its lasting influence on the American political tradition.

The Crisis of American Identity

In the years leading up to the American Revolution, the colonists struggled with questions of identity. They were British subjects, proud of their rights as Englishmen, but they lived in a distant land, separated from the mother country by an ocean. They had developed their own institutions, their own customs, and their own way of life, but they still thought of themselves as part of the British Empire.

The crisis of 1775–1776 forced the colonists to confront the question of their identity in a new and more urgent way. Were they British subjects who were being denied their rights, or were they Americans who were entitled to govern themselves? Was the proper response to the British policies to seek reconciliation, or to declare independence?

The answer to this question was not obvious. Many of the colonists, including some of the leaders of the resistance, hoped for a peaceful reconciliation. The olive branch petition of 1775 had expressed the hope for reconciliation, and many of the colonial leaders still thought of themselves as loyal British subjects.

Common Sense was published at the moment when the question of American identity was being asked, and it provided a powerful and persuasive answer. The pamphlet argued that the colonists were not British subjects who were being denied their rights, but Americans who were entitled to govern themselves. The pamphlet argued that the cause of America was the cause of all mankind, and that the proper response to the British policies was not reconciliation but independence.

The Argument for American Identity

The argument for American identity in Common Sense is developed in several stages.

The first stage is the argument that the cause of America is the cause of all mankind. The American resistance to British rule, in Paine’s view, is not merely a local quarrel over taxes and regulations; it is a struggle for the rights of human beings against the arbitrary power of tyrants. The struggle of America is a model for the struggles of all oppressed peoples, and the success of America will be an inspiration to all who fight for freedom.

The second stage is the argument that the English constitution is unsuitable for America. The English system was developed in the context of English history, and it reflects the particular circumstances of the English people. America, with its different history and its different circumstances, requires a different system of government. The proper response to the British attempts to impose its system on America is to reject the British system altogether and to establish a new American republic.

The third stage is the argument that monarchy is an absurd and illegitimate form of government. Paine argues that the institution of monarchy is inconsistent with the principles of reason and natural rights, and that the English constitution, with its hereditary king and its aristocratic house of lords, is a system of corruption and tyranny. The proper system of government, in Paine’s view, is a representative democracy, in which the people govern themselves through elected representatives.

The fourth stage is the argument that America has a unique opportunity to create a new political order. America, in Paine’s view, is a blank slate, free from the corruptions of the Old World, and it has the opportunity to create a new political order based on the principles of reason, liberty, and human rights. The proper response to this opportunity, in Paine’s view, is to declare independence and to commit fully to the establishment of the new republic.

The Construction of American Identity

The arguments of Common Sense had a profound effect on the construction of American identity. The pamphlet helped to transform a reluctant resistance movement into a determined independence movement, and it helped to forge a new American identity that was distinct from the British identity.

The new American identity that the pamphlet helped to construct was based on several key elements. The first element was the commitment to the principles of liberty, equality, and republican government. The American identity, in Paine’s view, was based on the commitment to these principles, and the proper American was the person who was committed to these principles.

The second element was the rejection of the Old World. The American identity, in Paine’s view, was based on the rejection of the corruptions of the Old World, and the proper American was the person who was committed to the creation of a new political order.

The third element was the commitment to the future. The American identity, in Paine’s view, was based on the commitment to the future, and the proper American was the person who was willing to work for the realization of the new political order.

The three elements together formed a powerful new American identity that has shaped the American political tradition ever since. The basic insights of Common Sense — about the importance of the principles of liberty, equality, and republican government, the rejection of the Old World, and the commitment to the future — have been basic features of the American political tradition, and they have been an important source of the American sense of exceptionalism and mission.

The Influence on the American Founding

Common Sense had a direct influence on the American founding. The pamphlet was widely read and widely discussed, and it helped to prepare the way for the Declaration of Independence. The arguments of the pamphlet — about the principles of liberty, equality, and republican government, the rejection of the British system, and the commitment to the new republic — were all basic features of the American political tradition.

The Declaration of Independence, adopted just six months after the publication of Common Sense, drew on many of the arguments of the pamphlet. The Declaration’s appeal to the natural rights of the people, its rejection of the British system, and its commitment to the new political order were all descendants of the arguments that Paine had developed in Common Sense.

The Constitution of the United States, drafted a decade after the publication of Common Sense, also drew on the arguments of the pamphlet. The Constitution’s commitment to a republican form of government, to the protection of individual rights, and to the proper limitation of governmental power were all descendants of the arguments that Paine had developed in the pamphlet.

The contemporary American political tradition is, a continuation of the tradition that Common Sense helped to establish. The basic insights of the pamphlet — about the importance of the principles of liberty, equality, and republican government, the rejection of the Old World, and the commitment to the future — remain basic features of the American political tradition.

Paine's Common Sense and the Birth of American Identity

The Crisis of American Identity

The Argument for American Identity

The Construction of American Identity

The Influence on the American Founding

The Lasting Influence

Further Reading