[Thomas Paine]. Common Sense: Address to the Common Inhabitants of America… Philadelphia: R. Bell, 1776. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (30)
[Digital ID# us0030 — us0030_6]
Paine’s Idea for New American Government
In January 1776, Thomas Paine (1737—1809) penned his famous pamphlet Common Sense, in which he urged the American Colonies to declare independence and immediately sever all ties with the British monarchy. With its strong arguments against monarchy, Common Sense paved the way for the Declaration of Independence more than any other single publication.
Noting that “we have it in our power to begin the world over again,” Paine also suggested a form of government to replace the British Colonial system: a unicameral (one-house) legislature for each colony that would be subordinate to a unicameral continental congress. No executive power would exist at either level and no system of separate powers and checks and balances.