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Society springs from our wants while government rises from our wickedness

Society promotes happiness positively by uniting human affections, whereas government acts negatively by restraining human vices. Security is the true design of government, making the simplest form the best because it is easiest to repair when damaged. The English Constitution fails this test by combining monarchical and aristocratical tyranny with republican freedom. Checks and balances in Britain are an illusion because the crown holds the power to buy off the commons.

Monarchy degrades humanity and hereditary right turns governance into absurd…

Original equality is destroyed by introducing kings, a distinction unknown in nature and condemned by scriptural history. Scripture portrays the Jewish demand for a king not as a blessing, but as an insult to God. Hereditary succession compounds the evil by presenting foolish, wicked, or infant rulers as entitled leaders. Virtue is not inherited, and passing power through bloodlines invites civil war rather than preventing it.

Reconciliation is a ruined dream and independence is the only practical path

The period of debate ended when the first shot was fired at Lexington, opening a new era of politics. Remaining tied to Great Britain brings constant entanglement in European wars and stifles continental commerce. America has outgrown colonial dependency, and a continent cannot remain permanently governed by an island. Creating a new charter and self-governing republic now is an urgent duty owed to future generations.

America possesses the timber, unity, and resources to win independence now

Delaying independence only increases national debt and weakens the shared resolve forged in shared suffering. The continent possesses abundant timber, iron, and tar, allowing the quick construction of a navy equal to the task of defense. Youth is the seedtime of good habits, and unity is strongest while the population is manageable. Declaring independence immediately is required to secure foreign alliances, build trade, and establish legitimacy among nations.

Book

Common Sense

A foundational argument for American independence, dissecting the flaws of monarchy and urging immediate self-governance.

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