Unit 2 Document Analysis

1. Compare the backgrounds of Jefferson and Paine. Did Paine have an advantage or a disadvantage in not being born in the colonies? Explain.

Jefferson was the son of a wealthy family. He had about 200 slaves in a normal year and had grown up and lived in America his whole life. He married Martha Skelton at the age of 29 and they had six children by the time of her death when Jefferson was 39. Only two of their children survived to adulthood. He attended the College of William and Mary and practiced law.

Paine was born in England to a Quaker family. He had a short, basic education and then jumped into work. He first worked for his father but later started working as an officer of the excise. He was very unsuccessful in his work and had jumped around from job to job until 1774 when he met Benjamin Franklin who told Paine to go to America for work. He made it to America by November of 1774 and started work as a Publicist. He published many controversial works like African Slavery in America which was about how slavery was unjust and inhumane in America.

I believe that Paine did have an advantage in not being born in the colonies. He had the opportunity to see the differences between two cultures, unlike Jefferson who saw only America. Paine understood the differences between England and America and told people about it through his works. Sure, most people hated him for what he wrote, but that’s because his works were true.

2. How did John Locke and the later Enlightenment influence each man’s document?

Paine used Locke’s ideas in Common Sense about how the government should be overthrown if they did not protect your rights and much about how nature is what runs things. Jefferson used Locke’s ideas in the Declaration of Independence with Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Which are Locke’s natural rights.

3. Examine the language used in both documents. How is it similar or different? Are there certain words/concepts that appear in both documents?

In my opinion, Common Sense is more passionate compared to the Declaration of Independence. Paine used a lot more exclamation points to be more assertive in his opinion. The concept of natural rights is used in both of the documents though. Although they are used slightly differently, it’s still the same concept.

4. Who is the audience for each writer, and how does that show in each document?

The audience for the Declaration of Independence was the British parliament and King. The audience for Common Sense was basically anyone who was willing to read Paine’s controversial works.

5. Why does Jefferson not discuss slavery in the Declaration? How does Paine use the word “slave”?

I feel like Jefferson didn’t discuss slavery because he had nothing against it. So he left it open because he didn’t care about it. While Paine said that the colonies were technically slaves to the King.

6. What do Paine and Jefferson say about the monarchy in their respective documents? Why does Jefferson focus more on the King than on Parliament?

Paine believed that the monarchy was basically the ones who owned the colonies. Like I mentioned in number five about the colonies being slaves to the king. Jefferson focused more on the King because he’s the one that takes the blame for what Parliament does. Much like how our president has to take the fall for anything that goes on in this country.

7. How did Paine’s document influence Jefferson’s Declaration? If Paine had not written Common Sense, would there have been a Declaration of Independence? Or would Jefferson’s document have turned out differently?

Paine’s document influenced the Declaration because it showed the newly-budding America that what they were having to go through with Britain was wrong. I feel like if Paine hadn’t written Common Sense the Declaration of Independence would still have been written, albeit differently and probably later than 1776.

8. Do both Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence serve as an inspiration for people or nations in the twenty-first century? Explain your answer.

I think that both documents still serve as an inspiration even today. Common Sense still makes you think about how the government should work, even if we can’t do much to change how the government works. And the Declaration of Independence is a symbol of our freedom. It makes everyone want to shoot their guns into the sky and scream, “‘MERICA!!!”

Bibliography

http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/biographies/thomas-paine/

http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/thomas-jefferson-brief-biography

Reflection

This was fairly simple to think about, I mean it was just an analysis of Common Sense and The Decleration of Independence. I did have to do a little bit of outside help, because the documents are not light reads in the slightest. So I needed to look to the internet to figure out what the documents were trying to say a lot of the time. But I managed to get it all done in a timely manner and I ended up with a good grade on the assignment as well.

#history #Fall2015