“Common Sense” by Thomas Paine

1.) "In short, monarchy and succession have laid (not this or that kingdom only) but the world in blood and ashes. 'Tis a form of government which the word of God bears testimony against, and blood will attend it. "

-This quote influenced the American colonists for several reasons. In this quote, Paine speaks of how the English monarchy feels toward the colonies. The monarchy does not care for the new colonies and leaves them in the "ashes", but nevertheless, they tax the colonists heavily. When Pain mentions blood, it is implied that he believes the only way to end the English monarchy’s rule is war.

http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/commonsense/text.html


2.) "First.- The remains of monarchical tyranny in the person of the king. Secondly.- The remains of aristocratical tyranny in the persons of the peers. Thirdly.- The new republican materials, in the persons of the commons, on whose virtue depends the freedom of England."

-This quote affected the American colonists for the reason that it established the idea that the English monarchy did not care for the American colonists. It is made clear that the colonists are not free because of their ruler who is thousands of miles away, England.

http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/commonsense/text.html

3.) "Let each colony be divided into six, eight, or ten, convenient districts, each district to send a proper number of delegates to congress, so that each colony send at least thirty. The whole number in congress will be at least three hundred ninety. Each congress to sit..... and to choose a president by the following method. When the delegates are met, let a colony be taken from the whole thirteen colonies by lot, after which let the whole congress choose (by ballot) a president from out of the delegates of that province. I the next Congress, let a colony be taken by lot from twelve only, omitting that colony from which the president was taken in the former congress, and so proceeding on till the whole thirteen shall have had their proper rotation. And in order that nothing may pass into a law but what is satisfactorily just, not less than three fifths of the congress to be called a majority. He that will promote discord, under a government so equally formed as this, would join Lucifer in his revolt."

-In this quote, Paine states that colonists should have a certain number of delegates for each district of land. The delegates would then vote for a president and that the laws of the land will pass through the delegates. Through this passage, Paine writes of a government system that the colonists should have. This quote impacted the colonists because the government they established is very similar to Paine’s ideas.

http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/commonsense/text.html