Common Sense

I appreciated Thomas Paine's ideas about monarchies, specifically hereditary succession, in Common Sense. He makes many valid points about what people believe or claim about certain types of monarchies and what is really true.

For many years people have claimed that usurpations are the root of all evil basically and lead to wars and outbreak and cause all kinds of problems. Those same people say that hereditary succession is the answer because it stops these problems or at least keeps them under control. But, as Thomas Paine points out, this view is very flawed and untrue. The following statement summarizes Paine's view on why hereditary succession is a good idea in theory but not in reality:

"But it is not so much the absurdity as the evil of hereditary succession which concerns mankind. Did it ensure a race of good and wise men it would have the seal of divine authority, but as it opens a door to the foolish, the wicked; and the improper, it hath in it the nature of oppression. Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions."

This theory is very true because it is human nature to become full of yourself when you are taught from a very young age that you are very powerful and must always be obeyed. Because the throne so often falls to such unfavorable children, there are many wars that break out when people get irritated with putting up with the lack of good leadership that these rulers are entitled to simply because of their bloodline.

I also agreed with Paine's view that the idea of hereditary succession leaves the door open for any person to come to power or manipulate the country based upon the vulnerability of a young ruler. When a child is growing up and not yet ready to take power they are basically at the mercy of their advisors and anyone else who has any sort of influence in the country whatsoever. This leaves so much opportunity for corruption and mischief that it is practically child's play.

The author also comes out and says that monarcy, whatever way the ruler may come to power, succession or usurpation, leaves nothing but problems to the world. He makes this statement:

"In short, monarchy and succession have laid (not this or that kingdom only) but the world in blood and ashes. 'Tis a form of government which the word of God bears testimony against, and blood will attend it."

To sum up, I greatly appreciated the way in which Paine presented his argument about the ridiculousness of monarchies and the way he used a significant amount of historical evidence as proof. He certainly convinced me.

Selected Bibliography

Paine, Thomas. "Thomas Paine's Common Sense - Text Version." Archiving Early America: Primary Source Material from 18th Century America. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. .