Analysis of Paines Common Sense and Chalmers Plain...

Writing about Primary Sources: Paines Common Sense and Chalmers Plain Truth Introduction Thomas Paines work, Common Sense, was written in 1776. James Chalmers Plain Truth, written the same year, was a response to what Paine had written. Each was written during a politically divisive time, and the opposing views reflected in each of these documents clearly reflect the sentiments of that period in our nations history. The thirteen colonies were not of one mind on the subject of whether or not they wanted independence from England. There were strong opinions to support views on either side. As we can see by looking closely at each of these primary sources, emotions ran high on both sides. Thomas Paine Paines viewpoint is stated strongly and unequivocally. He believes that the only way the thirteen colonies can thrive is to obtain their independence from Great Britain. He states his reasons at the outset quite clearly, and from the wording, it is argued quite persuasively that in his view, there is really no acceptable option but to fight for independence. Paine does not believe that government is a desirable force in a country, but that it is a necessary one. One of his initial arguments is that because of mankinds basic impulses of conscience, government is required to keep law and order in the land: For were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform, and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver (Paine, 1776, p. 19). In Paines view, then, to liveShow MoreRelatedLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesDowden Philosophy Department California State University Sacramento Sacramento, CA 95819 USA ii iii Preface Copyright  © 2011-14 by Bradley H. Dowden This book Logical Reasoning by Bradley H. Dowden is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. That is, you are free to share, copy, distribute, store, and transmit all or any part of the work under the following conditions: (1) Attribution You must attribute the work in the manner specified