Through the documentary collection Voices of Freedom, we are able to connect our knowledge about certain historical movements to interesting primary perspectives which give us greater insight to the progression of social, political, and economic concepts during colonial times. I found the excerpts from Common Sense by Thomas Paine particularly intriguing. The pamphlet is so eloquently put and contains modern ideas of freedom and liberty rarely found in European society during the time. In comparison with other Enlightenment ideals of transnational human rights, Paine's pamphlet contributed, in my opinion, most significantly to the evolution of liberal concepts. It is as John Adam said: "Without the pen of the author of Common Sense, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain".
It is important to note that the American Revolution happened before the French Revolution. The French Revolution have been interpreted in European history as the massive assimilation of primitive liberal concepts throughout the continent, challenging the conservatist political model of absolute monarchy. Therefore, it was not only a revolution for France, but ultimately a sociopolitical revolution for Europe. Essentially, France was a bubble filled with resent towards the status quo and radical Enlightenment ideals which were distributed in the vernacular. The bursting of that bubble caused an instantaneous realization throughout Europe that the authoritative model of old regimes were rusted and deprecated, which could be revitalized by implementing concepts introduced by Enlightenment philosophers. Nonetheless, it is important to understand that the effects of the old regime caused the oppressed majority to take on a more sympathizing attitude towards the monarchy, so the effects of the revolution was phenomenal but not extremely influential towards the core principals of a monarchical society.
As stated previously, the American Revolution happened before the French Revolution, which suggests that it had more potential fostering liberal concepts than many European countries. Furthermore, American colonies were built under the expectation that the social construct would be "freer" compared to that of England, though there were varying opinions on the concept of freedom. This contrasts greatly with how ideas of liberty and freedom were treated in Europe. Although ideas weren't radical to a point in which they were publicly condemned, old European regimes have consolidated enough power to collectively oppress major signs of liberal movement. Such restrictions did not apply to the American colonies, primarily due to political instability in England and the colonial aristocracy's ability to consolidate local authority. At the very foundation of American colonies, they were already one step ahead of Europe when it comes to the concept of liberty.
The development of colonial society was no less significant to the establishment of liberty than its founding elements. Colonies competed for immigration by expanding religious toleration, which was proportionate to most Europeans' perspective on liberty in general. The expansion of freedom and liberty was also partially a result of England's competition with other European nations to construct a colonial society more "dignified" than the others.
The conclusion? Thomas Paine's Common Sense, of course, illustrates the results the best. He asks rhetorical questions such as "how a race of men came into the world so exalted above the rest, and distinguished like some new species", which challenged the rigid social classes of Europe. He even introduced the idea of "all men being originally equals", which was revolutionary even in comparison to Enlightenment philosophies. Given the smaller area and population of the colonies, his ideas assimilated more quickly than the Enlightenment philosophies and ideals of the French Revolution. Essentially, his work did not necessarily trigger a revolution, but provided the foundation required for America to differentiate its liberty from the more deprecated British concept of liberty.
Why is this differentiation important? Well, it is one of the main proponents of the American Revolution, but also it exemplifies the liberal advances of American colonies in comparison with Europe. Europeans, as a whole, claimed to be the greatest race of human beings to have ever existed, but their society was fundamentally flawed in the lens of a modern liberal perspective. Various aspects of their society, including the massive population and deeply rooted oppressive regimes, were all obstacles of a march towards freedom and liberty. It can thus be concluded that the American Revolution was far more successful at manifesting its liberal qualities than any revolution or movement in Europe, demonstrated through the artful analysis of Thomas Paine.
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