6.1 Britain’s law-and-order strategy and its consequences  (Page 10/16)

In Common Sense , Paine rejects the monarchy, calling into question both the right of any king to rule any people and Great Britain’s right to rule America. He argues for the creation of an American republic and the adoption of a philosophy of republicanism, which would extend to both the structure of the government—composed of representatives, rather than a monarch—and the conduct of the Patriots, who must place the public good and community above their own self-interest. Paine wrote his pamphlet simply, appealing to the “common sense” of ordinary citizens, which helped to increase its popularity.