Paine's Common Sense And Thomas Jefferson Declaration Of Independence Analysis

Register to read the introduction… This is evident even from the heading of Paine's third chapter, 'Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs.'; The word 'thoughts' can infer that what follows is simply one man's conception on how things are and how they should be; that they may not necessarily reflect the true views of one nation. In fact, Paine says this in his introductory paragraph, by disclaiming that 'perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages are not yet sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor'; (693). By this, he obviously means that his word may not speak for all. In contrast, the Declaration of Independence is a bold and assertive document. Jefferson states that 'We hold these truths to be self-evident'; (715) and goes on to list the rights he feels the States are denied by being in allegiance with Britain. By using 'we,'; he implies reference to all the people of the States. In reality, he probably only meant wealthy white men, but the insinuation is that he is the voice of the people. Additionally, to conclude the document, Jefferson does not suggest but announces the separation of the states from Great Britain. This confident tone differs greatly from Paine, who seems to be merely proposing his ideas to people who, by his own admission, may not even be paying much