Thomas Paine

Common Sense Original Edition-Thomas Paine (Annotated)

In the first section of the pamphlet, Paine contends that government is a necessary evil, because there needs to be a distinction between the people running society, and society as a whole. Society have power to begin with, because they choose their own government, but once they have done so, then give government the power to set the rules and boundaries of society. Whenever people choose to live together in a group that cannot be managed by small consensus and discussion, it is necessary to have a government in charge, because man has a natural capacity for evil, and this needs to be curbed, with laws, civil requirements and a societal power structure that maintains safety and civility for all.