Notes on Thomas Paine, The Declaration of Independence, and Abigail Adams

Thomas Paine and Common Sense

• Background: Thomas Paine was a pamphleteer, known for his ability to simplify complex political ideas into language accessible to ordinary people.
• "Common Sense" Pamphlet: Paine authored "Common Sense," a pivotal pamphlet advocating for American independence from Great Britain. The title itself suggests that separation from a corrupt king and institutions is logical and self-evident.
• Purpose: Paine’s primary function was to inspire colonists and advocate for independence. He aimed to persuade the hesitant American populace to break from the British Empire, which most colonists initially wished to remain a part of, due to its global power and prosperity.
• Arguments Against Monarchy: Paine's pamphlet vehemently attacked the monarchy, describing it as unnatural and unjust.
  • State of Nature (Lockean Notion): He drew upon John Locke's idea that all individuals are born equal in a state of nature, governing themselves. Society forms a civil body politic with government by consent to protect against bullies and thieves, ensuring equal protection for all through rules they help make.
  • Perversion by Monarchy: Monarchies, in Paine's view, pervert this natural order by ruling through God's grace rather than consent, demanding absolute obedience even against the people's best interests.
  • Hereditary Monarchy: Paine particularly criticized hereditary monarchy as a ridiculous and stupid system that benefits only those at the top. He highlighted the risk of power passing to a jerk or a loser or worse, evil rather than a capable ruler.
• Propaganda for Revolution: "Common Sense" was regarded as brilliant propaganda for fomenting revolution in $1776$, aiming to shift public opinion towards independence.
• Economic Argument for Independence: To alleviate fears about leaving the prosperous British Empire, Paine argued that America's prosperity was not due to its connection with Great Britain but despite it. He stated, "America would flourish would have flourished as much and probably much more had no European power had anything to do with her." He reasoned that by removing the middle man (the king's cut), America could trade directly with the world, leading to even greater prosperity. This economic argument was highly influential in convincing Americans to embrace independence.
• Impact: "Common Sense" became the most widely read pamphlet per population in America at the time, selling tens of thousands of copies. Its ideas spread rapidly, even to those who couldn't read, through public readings and discussions, dramatically shifting public sentiment towards independence. Paine's writings were instrumental in convincing people it was acceptable to declare independence.

The Path to Independence

• Colonial Desire in $1776$: Americans in $1776$ generally desired to remain part of the British Empire, the largest and most powerful in the world. Their primary goal was for Parliament to leave them alone.
• Conciliatory Proposition: The Second Continental Congress sent a conciliatory proposition to the king, proposing a return to "status quo antebellum" – the state of affairs before the French and Indian War. This period was known as Salutary Neglect, during which colonies governed themselves and prospered, while remaining part of the King's realm.
• King's Rejection and Escalation: The king rejected reconciliation efforts, Parliament did not ease its policies, and following the Boston Tea Party, the Coercive Acts (called Intolerable Acts by colonists) led to a hostile takeover of the colonies, particularly Massachusetts/Boston, with increased troops and a stringent new Quartering Act.
• Declaration of Rebellion: The king declared his colonies in rebellion, which was considered equivalent to declaring war on his own colonies.
• Hessian Soldiers: The revelation that the king hired Hessian soldiers (German mercenaries) further intensified colonial grievances, as it was seen as treating Englishmen like a foreign adversary rather than subjects.
• Shift to Independence: These actions left colonists feeling they had no choice but to declare independence. By $1776$, they had already been fighting a war for $14$ months.
• Initial War Aims: Initially, the American Revolution was a civil war (Englishmen against Englishmen) fought for the fundamental rights of Englishmen, protesting violations of these rights. Only after the king declared the colonies in rebellion did the focus shift to independence.

The Declaration of Independence

• Drafting: In June $1776$, Thomas Jefferson was tasked with writing the Declaration. The final document underwent significant editing before its public release on July $4$, $1776$.
• The Preamble: The first two paragraphs, particularly phrases like all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness), are often focused on today.
  • Plagiarism from Locke: Much of this preamble was plagiarized from John Locke, a common practice at the time.
  • $18^{th}$ Century Interpretation: In $1776$, this part was not the primary focus. The concept of all men are created equal was not understood in modern terms:
    • Man was a universal pronoun for all people (including women) in contemporary usage.
    • Jefferson, a slave owner, did not mean literal individual equality or all individuals, but rather that all people in America (specifically, white wealthy property owners like himself) should have equal opportunity and be endowed with natural rights. Locke originally used property instead of pursuit of happiness.
• The Grievances (Primary Focus in $1776$): The most important part of the Declaration in $1776$ was the list of grievances against the king.
  • "Long Train of Usurpations and Abuses": Jefferson listed $29$ (later corrected to $27$) specific abuses by the king, presented as an ongoing pattern.
  • Lack of Control over Lawmaking: Taxes were only mentioned once. In contrast, laws, legislature, legislation were mentioned 14 times, highlighting the colonists' primary concern: encroachments on the powers of the local assemblies and unjust laws passed by the British Parliament without colonial consent. They viewed this as a violation of consensual government and their natural right to representative government.
  • Specific Grievances/Abuses: The Declaration cites:
    • Quartering act: Imposing troops in colonial homes.
    • Standing army in peacetime: Maintaining a military presence without colonial consent.
    • Dissolving representative houses: Shutting down local assemblies, thereby removing representative government.
    • Depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: Implementing laws for vice admiral courts in Nova Scotia (no jury, no local jurisdiction) and moving trials of British officials accused of crimes to London (to prevent jury nullification, where local juries would acquit colonists but convict British officials).
    • Transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries: Hiring Hessian soldiers, seen as an act against his own subjects.
    • Made judges depend on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries: Undermining judicial independence by allowing the king to remove or influence judges' rulings (contrast with the U.S. Constitution where judges serve for good behavior).
    • Excited domestic insurrections amongst us: Inciting slaves to rebel, particularly Lord Dunmore's proclamation offering freedom to Virginia slaves who fought for the king. This was a significant concern in all $13$ colonies, all of which had slavery.
  • Resonance: The list of grievances was crafted to resonate with most people in the colonies, ensuring there was something in there for everybody.
• The King as a Tyrant: The Declaration concludes by stating, a prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
  • Definition of Tyrant: In the $18^{th}$ century, a tyrant was a ruler who rules on his own behalf and not on behalf of the general welfare. They are selfish, corrupt, base, vile, and potentially evil.
  • Historical Context: The term tyrant has roots in $5^{th}$ century Athens, where citizens took an oath to kill a king if he was deemed a tyrant (tyrannicide). While the Declaration did not call for the killing of the king, it used the term to delegitimize his rule and justify separation.
  • Tyrant vs. Dictator: In the $18^{th}$ century, a dictator was a temporary, all-powerful Roman official brought in during a crisis to resolve problems and then leave. A tyrant, however, was permanent and acted in their own best interest, hence the choice of tyrant to describe King George III.

Abigail Adams and "Remember the Ladies"

• Abigail Adams' Role: Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, was the business brains of her family. She adeptly managed their finances, leveraging fluctuating bond values during the war to make the family enormously wealthy.
• Connection to Declaration Principles: She was deeply rooted in the same ideas of good governance and government by consent as her contemporaries. If governments failing to protect rights could be overthrown, she applied this logic to gender relations.
• "Remember the Ladies" Letter: In a letter to John, she urged him to remember the ladies in the new laws being drafted.
• Critique of Coverture: She highlighted the legal principle of coverture, where a woman's legal identity was subsumed into her husband's upon marriage. Legally, socially, and politically, she ceased to exist as an individual. All her property, money, and even children became her husband's. She argued that a husband who didn't act in the family's best interest was a tyrant.
• Call for Equity: Abigail was not necessarily asking for full equality, but rather a little bit of equity in marriage, particularly for legal remedies to alleviate the oppressive aspects of coverture, where women were effectively slaves to their husbands.
• John Adams' Response: John Adams, while acknowledging her argument, refused, stating men are never gonna give up their power. He dismissed her concerns as only a theory, which she retorted was real. His refusal meant that reforms for wives' rights, such as retaining control over their property within marriage and securing access to their children, were rejected, contributing to the existing power imbalance. He humorously wrote to Abigail that July $2$ would be remembered forever for independence, not anticipating the July $4$ date or the future significance of her letter. The Declaration's editing, in his view, made it a better document despite delays. The document's importance lies in its origins and the causes it addressed. Although the Declaration itself was signed on July $2$ and edited, it was publicly issued on July $4$.