But the constitution of England is so exceedingly complex that the nation may suffer for years without being able to discover in which part the fault lies. If the people suffer, they know the head from which their suffering springs they likewise know the remedy, and are not bewildered by a variety of causes and cures. But that it is imperfect, subject to convulsions, and incapable of producing what it promises, is easily demonstrated.Ībsolute governments, though the disgrace of human nature, have this advantage: they are simple. When the world was overrun with tyranny it was at the least a glorious rescue. That it was noble for the dark and slavish times in which it was erected is granted. With this maxim in view, I offer a few remarks on the so much boasted constitution of England. “I draw my idea of the form of government from a principle in nature which no art can overturn – that the more simple any thing is, the less liable it is to be disordered, and the easier repaired when disordered. In simple and direct language, Common Sense combined criticisms of the English political system with reasons why America, if she declared her independence, would benefit and flourish. It was quickly printed and sold in other colonial cities and became one of the most popular revolutionary tracts of its time. Thomas Paine’s pro-independence pamphlet Common Sense was published in Philadelphia in January 1776.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |