The ‘Paine in the Neck’ of King George III

250 years ago, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense swayed the masses and set the stage for the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

“It is not because a part of the government is elective, that makes it less a despotism, if the persons so elected possess afterwards, as a parliament, unlimited powers. Election, in this case, becomes separated from representation, and the candidates are candidates for despotism.”

Thomas Paine (1737-1809)

Take Away

Arguably, no other document has so passionately and accessibly addressed the urgent needs of a young nation as Thomas Paine’s powerful pamphlet “Common Sense” (1776). Poorly educated, a failure at business and beset by bankruptcy, English-born Paine was a pivotal Enlightenment-era pamphleteer whose text accomplished what bloody fights at Lexington, Concord or Bunker Hill had not. Published in Philadelphia, Common Sense was an instant best-seller that became the catalyst for American Independence. Although Paine neither held any powerful office nor commanded an army, his writings mobilized popular support for liberal principles, independence and sovereignty, democratic governance and human rights. Paine viewed the form of limited representative government everywhere as the right of free people, and saw freedom as a right of every person who has the capacity to think and feel. He coined the famous phrases “Declaration of Independence” and “United States of America”.

From colonial uncertainty to the threshold of revolution

Although the first combats between the British Army and local colonial militiamen in Lexington and Concord (MA) in April 1775 kicked off the American Revolutionary War, the thought of a downright separation, let alone independence from the British Crown was merely whispered in taverns but often still somewhat reproved as disloyal. Even towards the end of that year, not much more than some 30% of the population in the 13 colonies, favored independence and actively supported the cause.

However encouraged by the strong performance of these part-time soldiers in the first skirmishes of that war, the 2 nd Congress of the colonies approved the formation of the Continental Army in June 1775 and appointed George Washington (1732-1799) as Commander-in-Chief. He directed a poorly organized, outgunned but determined group of ragtag militias against the disciplined and well equipped King’s Army, and achieved an early victory after the Siege of Boston.  And yet it still remained somewhat doubtful whether General Washington could withstand the might of the so-called Redcoats in the long run. To win the campaign, Washington’s warriors urgently needed proper training and equipment, but more importantly moral and financial backing to combat the British regiments, supplemented significantly by German auxiliary troops.

“Common Sense” as the catalyst for independence

Arguably no other document has so perfectly addressed the urgent needs of a young nation as Thomas Paine’s compelling and powerful pamphlet “Common Sense/Addressed to the Inhabitants of America” (1776). Based on Enlightenment philosophy, this 47-page pamphlet had been published anonymously in Philadelphia in early January 1776 and was an undisguised call to action. Paine’s message targeted the core of what was considered shameful, dishonest and plain wrong with English rule over and interference in the life of the American colonies – realistically, politically and morally.

According to history, it was Major-General Charles Lee (1731-1782) who asked Washington whether he had read Common Sense. He praised the new pamphlet, stating that its author had delivered an intriguing yet concise plea for independence from Great Britain, for the guarantee of individual liberty, property rights, freedom of religion, and above all, for a constitutional democratic rule of the colonies. Lee concluded his admiration of the text by emphasizing that he had never seen such “masterfully formulated and irresistible arguments”. Common Sense struck the right chord with Washington when he read the booklet while bogged down with his army during the Siege of Boston in February 1776. Washington became convinced that Paine’s irrefutable account would not only lead to a noticeable shift in people’s thinking but would also convince most colonists of the legality of separating from England. When in March of the same year it was revealed that the author was an English immigrant named Thomas Paine, hundreds of Americans had already read and been swayed by the call for independence and Paine soon became a household name.

What the clashes at Lexington and Concord in April and at Bunker Hill in June 1775 failed to achieve, Paine’s brochure did in just a few weeks. His arguments encouraged a critical mass of American colonists to fully break with England and persuaded even those who were still leaning towards appeasement but grew increasingly attracted to the ideas of freedom, independence, and self-determination.
Although outspoken loyalists to the English Crown, such as James Chalmers, the author of Plain Truth or the Anglican cleric Charles Inglis passionately opposed Paine’s text, their efforts had little effect and even promoted the popularity of Common Sense. Within weeks after publication, Common Sense became a huge success and spreading like wildfire all over the 13 colonies. By the end of January 1776 it sold out completely and a second edition was already printed in mid-February, with another 25 editions following before the end of the Revolutionary War. Estimates suggest that between 50,000 and well over 120,000 copies were sold. Some sources even claim that up to 500,000 copies of Common Sense were distributed in the colonies. Accordingly it is assumed that about one-fifth of the population of some 2.5 million had read the booklet at that time.

Barely three months after the publication of Common Sense, the mood in the colonies had shifted so much in favor of independence from the English Crown that the General Convention of Virginia in Williamsburg instructed its delegates to propose independence from the British Crown to the 2nd Continental Congress. Two months later, on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed, even though the war did not officially end for another seven years. In ratifying and signing it, all delegates knew they were committing an act of high treason against the rule of King George III.

Paine’s political philosophy and revolutionary argument

Already in his introduction, Paine urged his readers to completely reconsider their current views and essentially outlined a fundamental reassessment of the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain. Because the rapport was hopelessly shattered and corrupted, he convincingly compared the socio-economic situation in the colonies with an iron chain that shackled the people to misery and emphasized that the Americans not only had the right, but foremost the duty, to free themselves from the heavy burden of British rule. He denounced it as unfair, illogical and intolerable that the American colonies were ruled by a king who resides on a distant island, thousands of miles away and blamed the British Crown not showing any interest in the well-being of the American people. Because the colonies had entirely different needs than the so-called motherland, he viewed the British colonial government and its occupation army not as a protector, but rather as an enemy that cares only for Great Britain’s wealth.

Paine’s thinking rooted in the ideals of the Enlightenment and the philosophy of John Locke (1632-1704). Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689) and notably his Two Treatises of Government (1689/90) resonated deeply with Paine. While Locke provided the intellectual foundations for early American political thought and modern liberalism, Paine transformed these ideas into a more radical, democratic framework. Accordingly early on, Paine argued that societies arise from the spontaneous natural interaction of men and he views government as a limited institution formed by some unwritten social contract to protect natural rights of men, such as life, liberty, and property. As governmental power derives from the consent of the governed the primary role and the main duty of government is to safeguard these natural rights. In other words, Paine held that life in a “society is in every state a blessing”, however “government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one”. Aside from Rousseau and Hobbes it was also Montesquieu (1689-1755) with his foundational work The Spirit of the Laws (1748), who clearly contributed to differentiating government institutions from the societal context and molded the thinking of the time.

Paine’s text is divided into four sections and thus begins with his simple but powerful thesis: As people originally formed clusters, small groups or societies not only to protect one another, by exchanging resources they also developed markets, and unintentionally but inadvertently helping each other to an improved life. However, with the growth of these societies, the complexity of their administration also increased, and a progressively powerful state emerged. For him the existence of the state and its enforced rules are only justified by human imperfections, such as selfishness, dishonesty, or unfairness. However, Paine argues that merely because we need a state does not mean we should accept every form of government uncritically.

Avoiding any elegant tone, let alone an elaborate choice of words or expression that might have been perceived as elitist, Paine’s short and snappy arguments combined with his evocative, at times rather crude language played a decisive role in pushing the undecided toward independence. He did not shy away to employ countless slurs, among them he even famously dared to call King George III a “sullen-tempered Pharaoh of England” who drives the world into disaster. In order to support his claims Paine often referred to the Old Testament and frequently quoted the Bible, assuming that the Scripture was familiar even to readers with limited education. His writing style, with its short, concise sentences thus was ideally suited for being read aloud in taverns, to soldiers in the battle fields or barracks, in churches or at town markets, thereby reaching a huge audience directly. With his popular yet rather rude tone, Paine quickly became the most popular author of the Revolutionary War era. More often than not, Washington’s soldiers demanded to hear more of Paine’s ideas and their superiors selected the most rousing phrases to lift the troop’s morale.

At the conclusion of 1776, when his Continental Army was in low spirits, struggling and facing a momentous decision, as an example Washington reportedly gave instructions for the recounting of some of Paine’s most captivating segments. In order to boost his soldier’s confidence and attitude, on Christmas Night, 1776, before they attempted the perilous crossing of the icy Delaware River, his commanders recited one of Paine’s most famous paragraphs: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as Freedom should not be highly rated.”

Against all odds, under Washington’s command, approximately 2,400 heavily fatigued and under-supplied soldiers completed the crossing and won the pivotal Battle of Trenton (NJ) the next morning.

The life, influence, and legacy of Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737, in Thetford (UK) and attended grammar school there before he started an apprenticeship in his father’s trade as a maker of corsets at age 12. He later worked as a customs officer, at times as teacher, tobacco merchant, and was active in public life. In 1772, Paine published his first pamphlet advocating for better pay and working conditions for England’s customs officers. After his failure at business and marriage and beset by bankruptcy, in 1774 Paine traveled to London to petition Parliament on behalf of tax officers. While there he was introduced to the American polymath Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), who was acting as a representative for the American colonies at that time. Franklin was impressed by Paine, encouraged him to emigrate to North America and provided him with a letter of recommendation. Following this meeting, they developed a close friendship, with Paine later referring to Franklin as his close friend.

On his transatlantic voyage from London to Philadelphia in the early fall of 1774, Paine contracted typhoid fever and only survived with the help of Franklin’s physician. After some six months of recovery and with Franklin’s letter of recommendation, Paine landed a job as editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine, a treasure trove of information on developments in science, literature, art, politics and even religion. He served as the driving force behind the magazine for its most active period in 1775, and his countless articles addressed such diverse topics as liberal divorce laws, humane treatment of animals, or the abolition of slavery. Paine’s arguments were persuasive because, as an immigrant he represented neither a colony nor a specific region, and he did not advocate for the interests of New England or the Middle Colonies. At the end of 1775 he started to write his Common Sense.

No historical record is known of Paine’s direct involvement in the fife member drafting committee (Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, Livingston and Sherman). However, there is some speculation because the language of the Declaration of Independence (formally: The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America) matches the tone and phrasing of his earlier writings. Rumor has it that Paine may even have acted as a representative for his friend Benjamin Franklin, who was ill with a severe attack of gout during the early drafting stages. In December 1776 Paine published The American Crisis. Between 1776 and 1783 he published a series of some 15 essays to rally American morale during the Revolutionary War.  All argued for independence, condemned British rule, called for perseverance and were instrumental for boosting support for the American cause.

The Continental Congress promoted Paine to Secretary of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in 1777, however dismissed him within a year for exposing a brewing scandal between the United States and France. However he continued working as a clerk for the Pennsylvania Assembly. With his essay on Public Goods (1780) Paine unsuccessfully made a case for expanding federal power by arguing that all of the western territories should belong to the central government rather than being administered by individual states. About four years later, together with John Laurens (1754-1782), a distinguished military officer from South Carolina, Paine was sent on a mission to France to secure funds and supplies for the American Revolution. Although both men were passionate proponents of American liberty, the full separation from the British Crown and self-rule, he disagreed with Laurens advocating for the enlistment of enslaved people to fight for that freedom. After his return from France, Paine’s public
standing allowed him to take part in the foundation of the Bank of North America in 1782 to finance the army. Long overdue, in October 1783 the U.S. Congress awarded him $3,000 (today’s value +/- $127,000) for his invaluable services and patriotic writings. And the State of New York gifted him a 300-acre estate in New Rochelle (NY) in recognition of his contributions in rallying support for independence in 1784.

During the years following the American Revolution, Paine transitioned from his active role to a pivotal figure in the French Revolution, while also pursuing serious scientific interests. Among other practical things he invented a smokeless candle, worked on the development of a steam engine and designed a novel single-arch iron bridge intended to span the Schuylkill River in England. Unable to find backers for his bridge in America, he traveled to France (1787) and then England to seek investors to further his engineering projects.  In 1791 (Part I) and 1792 (Part II) he penned The Rights of Man, a rebuttal to the Irish statesman Edmund Burke’s attack on the French Revolution. Again, this book (I and II) was a sensation and its immediate effect was the restoration of support for the French cause in England and America. However his advocating for individual freedom, self-responsibility and democracy led to a trial and conviction for Seditious Libel in absentia in England in 1792. Fleeing England just before his arrest, he arrived in Paris in September of the same year and was promptly elected to the French National Convention, despite his speaking a single word of French.

While in France, Paine strongly opposed the so-called Reign of Terror and the execution of Louis XVI. He was imprisoned for criticizing the Jacobins, an extremist political group that had seized power from the moderate Girondins. During his imprisonment, he wrote yet another international bestseller: The Age of Reason (1794) was an unmuffled protest against the overwhelming power of the Church. The public reaction to his attack on religion made Paine countless enemies in the United States.

In 1809, he returned to America to find there his former fellow revolutionaries turned statesmen in power, who now observed Paine’s radicalism with growing suspicion and viewed him as a political liability. For this and other reasons, Paine’s longtime friend Thomas Jefferson broke off their friendship. More or less unheeded, Paine died in Greenwich Village, New York on June 8, 1809, yet his final resting place remains unknown. Paine played a crucial role not only in promoting liberal and democratic ideals during the American Revolution against the rule of King George III. By envisioning a nation based on liberal principles that empowered ordinary citizens, Paine proposed that democracy would function and outlined a structure that transferred governmental power to the people of North America, not to parliament. Also later during the French Revolution he argued for a radical concept of democracy and called for a representative government, the protection of a person’s civil rights, and the granting of voting rights to women, slaves, and indigenous people. However, beyond the colonies and France, also in countries of Latin America, in India or Ireland Paine’s ideas were enthusiastically met by reformers who drew on his arguments. His work helped gradually shaping the development of and often became a blueprint for democratic systems. Regretfully today Paine’s writings, his brilliance and true liberal radicalism are little known or stifled by those who claim to embrace the core principles of limited government, free markets, and individual liberty while pursuing policies that conflict with them.