Common Sense v. The Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine were both highly honored because they jumpstarted the Revolution. Although these two men had very different lives, they both had one goal in common, which was to help America break our ties with Britain. These two men were both highly skilled writers, and wrote two of the piece which are still thought to be the most impactful documents that shaped the United States of America. Paine published Common Sense in 1776, and Jefferson helped write the Declaration of Independence which was also published and released to the public in 1776.
Thomas pain was born into a poor family in in England in 1737 (Klemetti). Growing up poor, he had little access to education, …show more content…
It is essential to break it down and think about how the writer wished the piece was interpreted. While both documents are calling for independence from Britain, the writers go about saying this differently. In Common Sense, Thomas Paine spends a great deal of time explaining reasons WHY we needed to break free of British rule. His piece acted to get people to start thinking about the reasons why we needed the revolution. Common Sense is written in plain English, so that it is easy for commoners to understand. It seems like Thomas Paine’s piece is geared towards citizens of the lower class to imagine a country separate with human rights where citizens are able to make decisions rather than the parliament.
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson is announcing our independence from Great Britain, rather than suggesting it. America is now its own country: The United States. The Declaration is written to address Europe. It is intended to spark interest from Spain and France so that they would be allies with us. Since it is addressing such an important message, the Declaration is written in a much more formal style. In this, there is great detail about how the King had violated the colonists’ …show more content…
Rather than him speaking about the poor humans put to work for rich prestigious men at the time, he speaks of slaves as the colonists. He says that without the Revolution, the colonists are slaves to the parliament.
Since slavery was a huge problem at the time that the Declaration of Independence was published, some may wonder why it is merely skimmed over. Apparently, the first draft of the DOI included a section that Jefferson wrote that is pointing fingers at King George for creating the slave trade, saying it is a “cruel war against human nature” (Jefferson). However, when the draft was presented to the Continental Congress, the delegates objected to having this section included. Just like that, there is no trace of the issue of slavery in the Declaration of Independence left behind (Bank).
It is evident that Thomas Paine’s Common Sense sparked the interest of Jefferson to create the Declaration of Independence since they are both supporting the Revolution. Since Common Sense was written and published five months before the Declaration, it is apparent that Jefferson took some of Paine’s ideas from his pamphlet and put them directly into the document. Without the works of Paine, the Declaration of Independence probably would have still existed, but it may not have focused so heavily on the opposition of the King and the
Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine were both highly honored because they jumpstarted the Revolution. Although these two men had very different lives, they both had one goal in common, which was to help America break our ties with Britain. These two men were both highly skilled writers, and wrote two of the piece which are still thought to be the most impactful documents that shaped the United States of America. Paine published Common Sense in 1776, and Jefferson helped write the Declaration of Independence which was also published and released to the public in 1776.
Thomas pain was born into a poor family in in England in 1737 (Klemetti). Growing up poor, he had little access to education, …show more content…
It is essential to break it down and think about how the writer wished the piece was interpreted. While both documents are calling for independence from Britain, the writers go about saying this differently. In Common Sense, Thomas Paine spends a great deal of time explaining reasons WHY we needed to break free of British rule. His piece acted to get people to start thinking about the reasons why we needed the revolution. Common Sense is written in plain English, so that it is easy for commoners to understand. It seems like Thomas Paine’s piece is geared towards citizens of the lower class to imagine a country separate with human rights where citizens are able to make decisions rather than the parliament.
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson is announcing our independence from Great Britain, rather than suggesting it. America is now its own country: The United States. The Declaration is written to address Europe. It is intended to spark interest from Spain and France so that they would be allies with us. Since it is addressing such an important message, the Declaration is written in a much more formal style. In this, there is great detail about how the King had violated the colonists’ …show more content…
Rather than him speaking about the poor humans put to work for rich prestigious men at the time, he speaks of slaves as the colonists. He says that without the Revolution, the colonists are slaves to the parliament.
Since slavery was a huge problem at the time that the Declaration of Independence was published, some may wonder why it is merely skimmed over. Apparently, the first draft of the DOI included a section that Jefferson wrote that is pointing fingers at King George for creating the slave trade, saying it is a “cruel war against human nature” (Jefferson). However, when the draft was presented to the Continental Congress, the delegates objected to having this section included. Just like that, there is no trace of the issue of slavery in the Declaration of Independence left behind (Bank).
It is evident that Thomas Paine’s Common Sense sparked the interest of Jefferson to create the Declaration of Independence since they are both supporting the Revolution. Since Common Sense was written and published five months before the Declaration, it is apparent that Jefferson took some of Paine’s ideas from his pamphlet and put them directly into the document. Without the works of Paine, the Declaration of Independence probably would have still existed, but it may not have focused so heavily on the opposition of the King and the