Common Sense

Common Sense, a pamphlet by Thomas Paine, could not have come at a better time. The colonists craved independence, but leaned toward reconciliation with the British. Paine stresses this theme throughout the work. The pamphlet was directed toward every colonist, including those still loyal to the Crown. One opinion of the publication is “Paine’s Common Sense was unremittingly secular in tone, making its points through a primer on eighteenth-century republican thought, using Biblical quotes merely as window-dressing. But colonists, far from secular in their leanings, interpreted the pamphlet through evangelical and democratic lenses, seeing in his work support for an egalitarian society they craved.” I agree in part with this statement believing neither the work was completely secular in tone, nor did Paine use Biblical quotes as window-dressing. However, I do believe that the colonists interpreted the pamphlet using their evangelical beliefs, praying for a society that woul...