This convenient little pocket book combines three of the most influential works that changed the course of American history and the world.
Common Sense by Thomas Paine Includes:
- The Constitution of the United States
- The Declaration of Independence
- Famous Quotes of Thomas Paine
July 4th, 1776 is a date that has gone down in history as a day that changed the world. On this day America announced that its thirteen colonies, then at war with Great Britain, were no longer under the rule of King George III and Britain. For years prior, things had already been heating up between the colonies and Britain. Colonists had been growing weary of the unfair trade and taxes being imposed by the British parliament and in 1773 they destroyed a shipment of tea in what is now known as the Boston Tea Party. This act brought more pressure from the British government and the colonists soon formed a Continental Congress to coordinate their resistance. The first major conflicts were the battles of Lexington and Concord.
During these first few years of conflict there arose a true patriot whose ideals would prove to be a key component in America’s desertion from Britian. Throughout history many patriots have earned their fame through the use of weapon on the battle field. Thomas Paine proved his patriotism through the use of his pen and standing firm on the principles he wrote about. He was born in 1737 and, at the age of 37, emigrated to America with the assistance of Benjamin Franklin. He arrived just in time for the Revolutionary War. He is known as The Father of the American Revolution because of the pamphlets he wrote calling for independence from British rule. His most noted pamphlet is Common Sense. It was published on January 10, 1776. Paine didn’t sign his name as author but instead signed “by an Englishman”. It sold over 100,000 copies in the first three months and more than 500,000 over the course the Revolution. Common Sense was so influential that John Adams said, “Without the pen of the author of Common Sense, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain.”
Thomas Edison wrote…
“We never had a sounder intelligence in this Republic. He was the equal of Washington in making American liberty possible. Where Washington performed Paine devised and wrote. The deeds of one in the Weld were matched by the deeds of the other with his pen. I consider Paine our greatest political thinker. As we have not advanced, and perhaps never shall advance, beyond the Declaration and Constitution, so Paine has had no successors who extended his principles. Although the present generation knows little of Paine’s writings, and although he has almost no influence upon contemporary thought, Americans of the future will justly appraise his work. I am certain of it.”
The influence and patriotism of Thomas Paine has faded over the decades. It is our hope that this ‘pocket edition’ may help to reignite the love and hope he and other founding fathers had for the American experience.
From the Back Cover
Among the most influential reformers of his age, Thomas Paine (1737–1809) was born in England but went on to play an important role in both the American and French Revolutions. On January 10, 1776, he published his pamphlet Common Sense, a persuasive argument for the colonies’ political and economic separation from Britain.
Common Sense cites the evils of monarchy, accuses the British government of inflicting economic and social injustices upon the colonies, and points to the absurdity of an island attempting to rule a continent. Credited by George Washington as having changed the minds of many of his countrymen, the document sold over 500,000 copies within a few months.
Designed to ignite public opinion against autocratic rule, the pamphlet offered a careful balance between imagination and judgment. It immediately found a receptive audience, heartened Washington’s despondent army, and foreshadowed much of the phrasing and substance of the Declaration of Independence.
