The Project Gutenberg EBook of Common Sense, by Thomas Paine

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Title: Common Sense

Author: Thomas Paine

Release Date: June 9, 2008 [EBook #147]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COMMON SENSE ***

Produced by John Campbell. HTML version by Al Haines.

_COMMON SENSE_

by

Thomas Paine

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

OF THE ORIGIN AND DESIGN OF GOVERNMENT IN GENERAL,
WITH CONCISE REMARKS ON THE ENGLISH CONSTITUTION

OF MONARCHY AND HEREDITARY SUCCESSION

THOUGHTS ON THE PRESENT STATE OF AMERICAN AFFAIRS

OF THE PRESENT _ABILITY_ OF _AMERICA_, WITH SOME
MISCELLANEOUS _REFLECTIONS_

APPENDIX

INTRODUCTION

Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not YET
sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favour; a long habit
of not thinking a thing WRONG, gives it a superficial appearance of
being RIGHT, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of
custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than
reason.

As a long and violent abuse of power, is generally the Means of calling
the right of it in question (and in Matters too which might never have
been thought of, had not the Sufferers been aggravated into the
inquiry) and as the King of England hath undertaken in his OWN RIGHT,
to support the Parliament in what he calls THEIRS, and as the good
people of this country are grievously oppressed by the combination,
they have an undoubted privilege to inquire into the pretensions of
both, and equally to reject the usurpation of either.

In the following sheets, the author hath studiously avoided every thing
which is personal among ourselves. Compliments as well as censure to
individuals make no part thereof. The wise, and the worthy, need not
the triumph of a pamphlet; and those whose sentiments are injudicious,
or unfriendly, will cease of themselves unless too much pains are
bestowed upon their conversion.

The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.
Many circumstances hath, and will arise, which are not local, but
universal, and through which the principles of all Lovers of Manki