Title: Answer Key for Thomas Paine's Common Sense
Course: SkillsCom HST 201 14.2 > Section: Credit Unit 2 Module 2

All questions worth 3 pts.

1.  Compare Paine's criticism of England in this introduction to that of the Declaration of Independence, elsewhere in this collection. Do both make the same kinds of complaints? Is one more penetrating and sweeping than the other?

ANSWER: The Declaration of Independence is more penetrating and specific than Common Sense.  Paine at first uses a fictional island to reflect on the nature of colonialism.

2.  How does Paine turn the local struggle of American colonists into a larger struggle for human liberty? Is he correct in his characterization of England and the American Independence movement?

ANSWER: Paine viewed colonial governments as whole as corruptible. His outline in Common Sense sought to redefine the universal nature of government. He argues against colonialism from an economic perspective that supports free trade as well.

3.  The English had long prided themselves on the rights of the "freeborn Englishman." What does Paine point to in the English system that violates human freedom, and thus, "common sense"?

ANSWER: Many of the colonists did not have the same rights as Englishmen born in the mother country. The colonists need to engage in their governments in order to protect the basic liberties of life, property, and liberty. Paine says the British system is too complex and rife with contradictions, and that the monarchy is granted far too much power. The British system pretends to offer a reasonable system of checks and balances, but in fact, it does not.

4.  Why does Paine focus on principles rather than on the misdeeds and crimes of particular officials and monarchs?

ANSWER: Paine wished to meditate on the very nature of government rather than the problems within the English government. He explains how government, as a creation by man, can be effective; however, it is also corruptible. Attacking individual figures within the English government Paine would be more likely to receive backlash. A logical thesis on the nature of government made his argument more agreeable and adaptable.