Project Gutenberg 1994-07-01 Public domain in the USA. 4154 Paine, Thomas 1737 1809 Pain, Thomas Common Sense Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Sense John Campbell. HTML version by Al Haines. Modified by Robert Homa. "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine is a historical pamphlet written in the late 18th century. This influential work calls for the independence of the American colonies from British rule and discusses the nature of government and monarchy. Paine articulates arguments that emphasize the rights of individuals and the unjust nature of hereditary rule, setting the stage for a broader discussion about governance, liberty, and the responsibilities of citizens. At the start of the pamphlet, Paine establishes the premise that government is a necessary evil, arising from the flaws of humanity. He contrasts government with society, portraying society as a product of collective human needs, while depicting government as a mechanism to restrain self-interest and prevent chaos. Through a series of concise arguments, he critiques the English Constitution and hereditary monarchy, positing that America's struggle is not only a concern of the colonies but a pivotal issue for all humanity. He further reflects on the present state of American affairs, urging the need for immediate action toward independence, as reconciliation with Britain seems not only impractical but unjust. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 57.3 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783 Political science -- Early works to 1800 Monarchy -- Early works to 1800 E201 Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: History - American Category: History - British Category: History - Modern (1750+) Category: Politics 177018 2025-07-01T04:25:45.934912 text/html 181188 2021-08-09T23:04:16 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 311926 2025-07-01T04:25:49.732906 application/epub+zip 310811 2025-07-01T04:25:46.986908 application/epub+zip 177167 2025-07-01T04:25:46.404888 application/epub+zip 826225 2025-07-01T04:25:51.926867 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 800284 2025-07-01T04:25:49.254919 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 703012 2022-09-01T04:32:54.436878 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 148582 2025-07-01T04:25:45.640909 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 148366 2021-08-09T23:05:55 text/plain; charset=utf-8 16671 2025-07-01T04:25:52.050855 application/rdf+xml 17589 2025-07-01T04:25:46.604903 image/jpeg 2883 2025-07-01T04:25:46.503893 image/jpeg 2689424 2025-07-01T04:25:45.968913 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia