Versute Power In Thomas Paines Common Sense By Thomas Paine

What gives a person the right to have absolute power in a country? How does the leader ensure they are not opposed and that the people are fine with them having all of the power? The answer to both of these questions is complex, but it can be summed up to two words, total control. When given the power to lead a country, a leader, or governmental figure, is faced with the problem that in order to actually lead they have to get the population they are ruling to listen. Different leaders use different strategies to ensure the people follow the laws that they have established, some use force, beliefs, or even popularity to their advantage. In the book, Common Sense by Thomas Paine, we learn about how the British king used different types of†¦show more content†¦When the belief regarding the Divine Right of Kings started to wane, the British king used loyalty as an incentive to follow commands. Since a lot of the American colonists originally hailed from Great Britain, many settl ers felt loyal to their home country and its government. Great Britain further strengthened this feeling of loyalty by providing the colonies with protection against enemy countries. By using the colonist’s loyalty to get them to adhere to the laws set forth by the crown, the king was able to ensure that he had total control over the American settlers, at least for a while. Eventually the settlers began to question the king’s power over the colonies, due to unfair taxes, and once again the king began to use a different strategy to maintain control over America, fear. Great Britain was a very powerful country with a large army and since the settlers were resisting the king’s rule, war broke out. Even though war definitely instilled fear into the settlers, it also created discourse and uncertainty about whether the colonies should succeed from Great Britain or simply fight for fairer laws. In Common Sense, Thomas Paine depicts some of these insecurities, â€Å"Je alousies will be always arising; insurrections will be constantly happening; and who will go forth to quell them? Who will venture his life to reduce his own countrymen to a foreign