Appendix D: Excerpt from Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1775-1776)

• Author: Arthur Rizer
• Profession: Director of Justice Policy and a senior fellow at the R Street Institute
• Pages: 223-228

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APPENDIX D

Excerpt from Thomas

Paine’s Common Sense

(1775–1776)

omas Paine’s Common Sense stands alongside Jeerson’s Declaration of

Independence as two of the foundational documents of American thought.

Paine’s language, too, was heavily inuenced by Locke’s works.

MANKIND being originally equals in the order of creation, the equality

could only be destroyed by some subsequent circumstance: the distinctions of

rich and poor may in a great measure be accounted for, and that without

having recourse to the harsh ill-sounding names of oppression and avarice.

Oppression is often the CONSEQUENCE, but seldom or never the

MEANS of riches; and tho’ avarice will preserve a man from being necessi-

tously poor, it generally makes him too timorous to be wealthy.

But there is another and great distinction for which no truly natural or

religious reason can be assigned, and that is the distinction of men into

KINGS and SUBJECTS. Male and female are the distinctions of nature,

good and bad the distinctions of Heaven; but how a race of men came into

the world so exalted above the rest, and distinguished like some new species,

is worth inquiring into, and whether they are the means of happiness or of

misery to mankind.

In the early ages of the world, according to the scripture chronology there

were no kings; the consequence of which was, there were no wars; it is the

pride of kings which throws mankind into confusion. Holland, without a king

hath enjoyed more peace for this last century than any of the monarchical