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46 Pages: Thomas Paine, Common Sense And The Turning Point To Independence

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Taylor Bordosky 46 Pages Book Review Julie Pitt History 1301-5040 25 February 2014 Scott Liell, 46 Pages: Thomas Paine, Common Sense, and the Turning Point to Independence, ISBN 9780762418138. Scott Liell’s book 46 pages: Thomas Paine, Common Sense, and the Turning Point to Independence ultimately describes Thomas Paine’s life and showcases the struggles he went through and the outside forces that influenced him to write Common Sense. Liell’s book also expresses the importance of Common Sense, stating that it is the “single most influential political work in American history” (16). Paine was born and raised in England, in which the King and his monarchial rule would have evident influence in his later …show more content…

Each of these aspects would influence his unsentimental outlook of the social, political, and governance issues that he would later inform people of in his most famous works (28). This viewpoint of his can clearly be seen in all his works. The next point Liell makes that was significant in the creation of Common Sense is the time and place in which Paine arrived in America. In November of 1774, the ship Paine was travelling on docked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the time, the colony had a population of 30,000, making it the largest city in America (45). John Adams expressed his first impression of the city, saying that “the regularity and elegance of this city are very striking” (45). Philadelphia was the center of colonial events. From the first continental congress to the everyday flow of information, there was always something going on (48). Paine was fortunate enough to be right in the middle of it. It was here that Paine began writing for Pennsylvania Magazine, the most widely read magazine in the colonies (51). Through his work at the magazine, he began to find pleasure in his writing and was glad to have found a way to express his voice (51). It was an innovative time and place, and if not for Paine’s timing, he would not have gained the cultural influences that the city provided for him. Finally, and probably most importantly, Liell reflects on Benjamin Franklin’s influence on Thomas Paine. The two men had many things in common. They

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