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Colonial Americans enjoyed relative independence from England until 1763, which marked the cessation of the Seven Years’ War. Prior to that time, the British government had paid little attention to the domestic affairs conducted by their American colonists. The war was costly; however, and England deemed it appropriate that American colonies contribute to the war debt and the costs associated with stationing British troops on American soil. The British government assessed taxes on the colonies yet denied colonists the right to Parliamentary representation in the House of Commons.

==== Signs of Unification ====

Americans surprised London merchants by boycotting English goods while the Stamp Act was in effect. Colonists banded together, with the urging of such groups like the Sons of Liberty, and posted numerous broadsides and conducted impromptu meetings in the streets to heighten their fellow citizens’ awareness of the oppressive actions being taken by Parliament. Groups such as these began to appear throughout the colonies and politics began to consume the thoughts and conversations not only of colonial leaders but of average citizens as well.

==== ''Common Sense'' ====

An Englishman born in 1737, Paine arrived in Philadelphia on November 30, 1774, at the urging of Benjamin Franklin. Paine defined the origin of government as “a mode rendered necessary by the inability of moral virtue to govern the world.”<ref>Thomas Paine, “Common Sense,” 1776, in ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486296024/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0486296024&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=d78cfe9337d9078ded91c6e41d82b646 Common Sense, Rights of Man, and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine]'' (New York: Signet, 2003), 7.</ref> He believed governmental representation was a right for every citizen and wrote his pamphlet, ''Common Sense'', in a language accessible to all. Through Paine’s words, poor white citizens were able to envision a role in the electoral process and a voice in the legislature. For generations, these people were seen as intellectually inferior to the gentry class and were therefore deemed unworthy of consideration. Although far less educated than the elites, the lower classes were not necessarily less intelligent. Thomas Paine recognized their grasp of politics and understanding of freedom.

==== Paine's Influence ====

One reason ''Common Sense'' was such an influential piece was because it was written in a manner understandable by all. Most subsistence farmers of the time did not have an education conducive to understanding the essence of someone such as philosopher John Locke. Paine used a common language to appeal to people in all levels of society. By doing so, he discredited the notion that poor farmers and others of the lower classes had no choice but to abide by any law put forth by a distant government. Individually they did not, but when Paine erased the sense of isolation prevalent throughout the rural communities, he did enlighten those citizens, which in turn elicited their response to revoke tacit consent.

In the introduction to ''Common Sense'', Paine declares “a long habit of not thinking a thing ''wrong'', gives it a superficial appearance of being ''right''.”<ref>Paine,3.</ref> This simple sentence opened the minds of common citizens to the possibilities of a less oppressive future in an egalitarian society for white men. Thomas Paine anonymously unleashed the buried patriot spirit of average American colonists. While Parliament was implementing strict tax laws and occupying the American continent, Thomas Paine was transforming the lives and attitudes of its inhabitants. England created an atmosphere of future subservience among the colonists, while Thomas Paine reached out to these same people and through his inspired words, fomented a revolution.

====Related DailyHistory.org Articles====

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[[Category:Wikis]] [[Category:American Revolution]] [[Category:United States History]]