Great Ideas #10: Common Sense by Thomas Paine

"We ought not now to be debating whether we shall be independent or not, but, anxious to accomplish it on a firm, secure and honourable basis"

Background 0:21
Biased? 0:30
Monarchy 1:16
American/English 2:04
Tit for Tat 2:39
Why 3:13
When 3:42
Summary (also, newsflash, I'm English) 4:15

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[haben]

You misunderstood the opening. Government isn't being called wicked, it came into being to control humanity's tendency toward wickedness (ie; murder, rape, fraud etc). This way people can coexist peacefully under the mutual agreement that everyone should control their vices, lest the government come in and do it for them. Therefore, government promotes unhappiness because some people don't like being restricted in this way.

[nanthilrodriguez]

Chareads, @1:10 he didn't say that government is wicked, but that it exists solely to restrict mans wickedness.

Again he didn't say "government is wicked", he said that "government is necessary to prevent the proclivity of mankind to be wicked"

[packersfanforlife]

I am British and have spent my entire life as far back as I can remember as being interested in North America and mainly the US! I have more books on the American War of Independence than I do books on the English History! Probably going to get hate for that lol! However I just loved the Military History time period when the Revolution took place and tie that with my love for the US and you get a British Man fasinated with the American Revolution from the side of the Americans!

I sort of get what you mean when you really think about it, they revolted against their ancestors and could have killed some. At the time if we were in Britain I would most likely be in Army and you most likely back home and we'd both want to Colonies to stay! However if I knew now what I do and I lived back then, as a British Man I would support the Independence! The idea is truely amazing and also the identity which came from it is ore enspiring! Most Politicians wanted the War to come to a close some MPs even saying just grant them Independence. British Generals, those who used common sense, also realised that the War was impossible as the landmass was too great, the troops used to get heat stroke and Guerilla Warfare at the time was not a British way of Fighting. It was George III and his ego which caused the War to escalate! Initially the Americans wanted autonomy from the Crown but want to remain within the Empire! What Canada and Australia became, part of the Empire with the Crown as the Head but Governerned thenselves. King George III was like, "Hell No!" So the Americans had very littler choice left, be subject forever or do the most daring thing imaginable and be labelled a traitor against the most powerful Monarch at the time and put everything on the line, their lives, Families and fellow Country Men! To think that a People wanted Independence that much they would risk their life, you have to agree, is admirable, espically when it is in the name of Freedom!

Now I know that taxes where a massive issue and the British taxed the Colonies for protection. The thing is however, most of the battles fought on the North American Continent in the 7 Years War or (French and Indian War) was fought by Colonist themselves! Meaning the British were paying the Colonist to essentially protect the "King's Land"! Infact it was said that a Young George Washington massively unwittingly esscalted the conflict in North America when he was leading a Group of Colonial Militia and Indian Allies to a French encampment in which the Indian Allies which he lost control of attacked another Indian Tribe leader who was protected by the French! Mad to think that the first President of the US was an aspiring British Army General of a Continental Militia who was part of the reason the conflict rolled into North America which caused the War which truely set the course to the American Revolution! Consipracy Theorists might look into that lol!

Point is, Americans wanted to be represented within the British Empire if the British Empire was going to heavily tax them for basically defending their homes and own lively hoods! It was a Btitish War which caused Britain to need massive funds to get back on track and it was a War where the Colonists where basically fighting for their homes and then being massively taxed because of it! The Colonists tried multiple times to reason with the King, wanting autonomy within the British Empire for example. But at the time this had never happened in History! If it had, the US could have essentially be like Canada and Australia today! But it was the King who had an Ego complex who would not let them go! However to be fair to George III he did a fine dam good job when a little French Coporal tried it on with Britain! But George III was mad, he was well known to be found shouting at himself infront of his Court, often having full blown conversations with himself in the middle of one with another person!

The people of the US had, had enough and Liberty and the pursuit of Freedom ment more to them than bowing to a King thousands of miles away! I totally get why the Americans did what they did and if I had of been British man at the time... knowing this now... I would have been in favour! If I was a Colonalist I would have been in the South Carolina Woods chewing tabacoo and shooting Red Coats!

Ultimately the Revolutionary War was lost not because of French intervention but because the British banked on the South which had the most Loyalist support to stay loyal to the Crown once War broke out! It was the South which won the US the War. The North had fallen, but the South with Guerilla style Warfare, Militias instead of standing Armies where you could not tell a solider from a Farmer which is what won the US the War! The Loyalist suppport was not great enough to stop the South from Fighting as deep down most Loyalists who saw their Patriot Neighbours homes destroyed and taken over by an oversized British General daying the King gave him the right to live in any house he chose... pushed them over the edge! The French helped end the War but I think the War would have ended in US Victory eventually. The cost of the Revolutionary War nearly bankrupted both sides but Britain would have felt it more as opposed to what was at the time nation of majority of Labourers!

In the end who a people feel oppressed under a Government and they yern to be Free, it is ultimately the people who must chose to revolt against it for the rights of Man! Oddly enough I see the same thing happening in Brexit, only the EU is Britain and now Britain is the 13 Colonies!

I love Britain as it is my home but I also love the US. I can understand why they chose to revolt and form their own Nation! Today we are strong allies because of it all!

I persoanlly am a Parliamentarian, I am not a fan of the Royals but I understand it is a British thing and they help alot and to not have them their now would be very odd. I believe true power lies with the People and the People should elect the Government which Governs them or as Old Abraham but it, a Government by the People, for the People! The only Royal I truely ever liked was Diana, William and Harry are great though but that is because they are my Generation haha!

Great video however :)

[dylanbooks]

I love these videos and I REALLY NEED TO GET MYSELF SOME OF THESE BOOKS!

[JimiCanRead]

Love this series of vids!! I'm tempted to try to read them all lol

[CameronCope]

Regarding your comment about the bias in the first statement after the preface:

He wasn't saying that government in itself was wicked. He was saying that government is only necessary because of the wickedness of people. Meaning we have society because we all want things that we could not get on our own. So we form societies to cooperate and multiply our individual efforts. We have governments because we can't completely trust each other not to harm each other. So government is there to protect ourselves from each other.

The whole opening after the preface was to show that we often confuse society for government, thinking that they are one and the same, when they are not, and they are born of different needs. Thus we must look at each one for what it is and judge its effectiveness accordingly.

It seems like you read the book but did not really understand.

[TundraBlue]

Very interesting.  Will be putting this in my Wishlist ;-D

[joeblow]

I liked this review. However, I think it's important to remember lots of British people left the British isles because they didn't have that much opportunity in their home country.

[MrOphachew]

Sadly, the Monarchs did have plenty of power when Paine wrote his pamphlets.

[hinds]

You don't have a related claim over shit

[Plusultra]

Bertrand Russell is great, Thomas Paine, too.

[bobhibbert]

your reasonable, ..but you forget the context

[Plusultra]

Bertrand Russell is great, Thomas Paine, too.