Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Where are the ideas of Common Sense in the Declaration of Independence?

The ideas of Common Sense can be found throughout the Declaration of Independence. Remember, of course, that Common Sense was in effect a call for a declaration of independence. Paine argued, among a great many other things, that the colonies had grown apart from the mother country, and that, as he said, "'tis time to part." The Declaration of Independence brought about Paine's desired goal. The Declaration also repeats many of the charges brought by Paine in a long series of indictments against King George III. Paine had characterized King George as a "royal brute," and the Declaration in essence repeated these charges, accusing him of inciting Native American and slave insurrections, ignoring the will of the American people, and imposing harsh taxes and sending standing armies amongst them to violate their liberties. The Declaration also shared fundamental assumptions about the role of government and the rights of the man. The Declaration famously stated that the role of government was to "secure" certain "unalienable rights," and that any government which became "destructive" of these rights should be altered or abolished. Paine had argued along exactly the same lines, even going so far as to proclaim that a hereditary monarchy could never really be representative of the will, or protective of the liberties, of the people.  

No comments:

Post a Comment

What are hearing tests?

Indications and Procedures Hearing tests are done to establish the presence, type, and sever...