Coomon Sense fiche n°2

Of monarchy & hereditary succession
The differences existing between King & subject is no natural, the only distinction allowed is the one God created between male & female. For him, Kings only bring war, it is a creation of the devil, this is contrary to the equal rights of nature & it cannot be defended on the authority of scriptures (=saintes ecritures) which were anti monarchical but have been changed in monarchical: at first the Jews (=juifs) requested a kink but from the creation on, their system has been a sort of Republic!, this power the King gives itself is God’s power who is quite unhappy of that robbery(=vol) monarchy is seen in scriptures as a sin (=péché), For Gideon, leader of the Jews, the people has no authority to declare someone Kink that’s why he denied the hereditary crown he was offered. However, the error came with Samuel who was “appointed” King by God but not as a reward but because he felt there had to be a King because the people had forgotten about God or had start serving other Gods & because the Israelis had asked someone that “may judge us & go out before us & fight our battles”.
The hereditary character of the succession is as much in opposition with the principle of equality by nature & it is proved when nature gives “mankind an ass for a lion”. Moreover, a people has no right to declare someone Kink because it means it imposes him & his heirs (=héritiers) to the future generations even without being able to foresee what the heirs will be like. He adds that once, a dynasty has been created it is far more difficult to remove (=s’en debarasser) it. Paine says that the tradition wants the people to believe the Kink has noble origins but nothing is less sure, he must have been the chief of some thieves (=brigands) once. Paine speaks about the fact that conquering like what William the Conqueror (“a French bastard landing with an armed banditti) did in England is not divine at all. He says that there are only the weak to believe in that kind of things & he will let them worship. Then Paine thinks about how the first King came to power: 3 solutions:
- By lot (=tirage au sort) but the next one would have to be designated the same way
- By election which would mean the first electors had elected a whole family, he compares it to the original sin: the fact that Adam made a mistake, he condemned all humanity to disgrace & these electors condemned all subject to obey the dynasty.
- By usurpation & monarchy has proved to have a certain character of usurpation.
Paine says that hereditary sovereignty has in it the nature of oppression because it creates an elite whose mind ‘is poisoned by importance”. Moreover, Paine reminds the fact that heredity also means regency (when the King is too young) or influence (when he is too old) which make the subjects become a prey to any miscreant (=mécréant). Some says hereditary monarchy enable the nation to avoid civil war, for Paine it is false: in England, there have been 30 kings & 2 minors but 8 civil wars & 19 rebellions, the Parliament always followed the strongest side. For him, in England monarchy has poisoned the Republic. He finishes saying the Kink just makes war & gives away places & for that he is given 800,000£ a year & he is worshipped (as head of the Anglican Church): he is a crowned ruffians (= ici plus au sens d’arnaqueur)!

Thoughts on the present state of the American affairs
Paine points the fact that it is the King who is responsible for the war of independence. It has to be noted that Paine says this is important because the US represents 1/8 of the “habitable globe”! & because it is to last (=durer) for much time so it has to be close to perfection now in order for the defects not to enlarge. The war was led because the US had no other option left but to unite with Great Britain & it did not want to. Paine wants to envisage what would happen if the US were separate & if it were dependent.
One says that the connection with Britain is essential is the US economy wants to go on flourishing but Paine replies that anyway it would have been the case & maybe even more because Europe is seen as a parasite. Some says Britain defended the US, Pain says of course but not out of magnanimity or attachment but to protect “the sake (= survie) of trade & dominion”, all this time Britain fought for herself not for the US. The independence would bring peace because the enemies of Britain that is France & Spain would no longer be the ones of the US, they are the enemies of the subjects of Great Britain but not of the Americans. Others say Britain is the mother country, Paine replies that if it is true Britain should be ashamed for fighting its own child & he even denies that Britain is the mother country, for him Europe is the mother country & a violent mother since these emigrants had to flee because they were persecuted, moreover, the inhabitants being of English descent are not that much. & even if it were true that they were all of British descent, the fact that Britain is now an enemy deletes this relation. By the same reasoning if the English descendants had to be governed by The English should be governed by the French because the First of the King was William the Conqueror & ½ the peers are France descent. He adds that it is in the interest of Europe for the US to be independent because it would allow their ships in the US ports. The independence would also mean that the US would be able to buy goods to any countries & not only Britain as it was before. For him, there is no advantage for reconciliation but there are innumerous disadvantages. Paine gives the same arguments that will be use by Washington in 1796 & in the Monroe Doctrine in 1823: the US has to stay neutral in European affairs but being dependent on Britain means siding with her in the conflicts which every time they happen ruin the US trades. He justifies the independence saying that “everything that is right or natural pleads (=tendre) for separation”, the current situation is only temporary. He adds that if God decided to separate England from America by a wide ocean it was not for them to make one. For him, those who favor reconciliation are interested men, weak men, prejudiced men, or moderates who see Europe better than what she really is. For him, all those cannot understand because they have not seen what this dependence really is, so he suggests to think about Boston the population of which is forced to stay home, starving (=mourir de faim) because they cannot go in the streets where patriots would shot them or go out of the city because they would be shot by the Loyalists & the British. For him, the persons who say reconciliation is possible are not to be trusted because they judge something they cannot, they must not have had someone killed in their family, their house burnt…, & if they have, for Paine they have “the heart of a coward”. He quotes Milton: “never can true reconcilement grow where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep”. It also says that the US tried everything they could not to have to fight (reference to the olive branch petition which was sent to the King who refused to receive him); he begets God to let the US get separated for the next generation not to have to “cut throats”. He thinks that because Britain is far from the US it has no ability to make justice there because it cannot understand the American people. He also says that it is against nature because satellites are not to be bigger than its primary planet & a continent should not be rules by an island. He adds that the only way to get an honorable agreement with Britain is by war. He qualifies his statement saying that at first he wanted the reconciliation but once the Lexington massacre had occurred he could not forgive the English for that. According to him, if they were to reconcile now, it would lead to the ruin of the continent for various reasons:
- The king will influence the law saying “there should be no laws but such as I like”, & someone who wants the US to have its own law is therefore an independent. & the King has a negative which is absurd since a King of 21 years old can refuse any bill drafted by people older & wiser than him, moreover this power of negative would be increased in America because the King is not there, it is far away so he may not make the same decisions as if it had been for Britain. He adds the fact that Britain & the US being at competition (economically), the King would try to diminish the US for Britain to get stronger. However, to prepare reconciliation, Paine suggest that the King remove the detrimental acts that made the US angry.
- If they were to reconcile it would only postpone (=retarder) the problem which would inevitably be posed.
- Independence would dodge (=éviter) any potential civil war (for that he was wrong).
Then he says that many people have sacrificed all they have for their liberty so now they have nothing more to lose. He says that like a young person who rebels against its parents, the US has to rebel against Britain; He adds that all they pay to Britain his for her to maintain peace in the US but seeing it cannot even maintain peace, there is no point is staying attached to her. Paine wants equality among the 13 colonies which can only be provided by a republic. Then Paine suggests what would be the best adapted system for the US: 2 assemblies elected for One year & only a President not Vice President & the Continental Congress would look after their decisions. He wants Congress to be an assembly of at least 390 delegates sent by each of the 13 colonies which have to be divided in districts. To elect a President, Paine wants that one colony should be chosen by lot (=tirée au sort) & then the whole Congress would elect the president among this colony’s delegates, & the year after, this colony will not be able to count the President among its delegates. The main character of what Paine would like to have is rotation in power. However, he also thinks that having only that system would institute a gap between the electors & the elected so he suggests the creation of a Continental conference composed of 26 members of Congress plus five representatives of the people at large for each province. The members of that conference should to him, draft a Continental Charter or Charter of the United Colonies which would provide for the modality of election, securing freedom, poverty & the free exercise of religion, once the “constitution” drafted, this conference would dissolve & the organized government (=Etat) start, “may God preserve, Amen” > it shows religion is very important to Paine. To the question “where is the King?” Paine answers the king, it’s the law. For Paine, a Constitution has to be drafted as soon as possible in order to deter someone from seizing power & suppressing all individual liberties: “you are opening a door to eternal tyranny by keeping vacant the seat of government”. Paine finishes saying independence is inevitable on the ground that “there are injuries nature cannot forgive”.