The 2024 presidential election painted a bleak picture – a country divided between red and blue, a near-even split that reminded us of how fractured we have become. Despite this polarization almost three quarters of Americans We agree on one point: our democracy is in danger.
In this respect, today's America resembles the America of 1776, when divisions threatened the future of the democratic experiment. As patriots prepared to fight and loyalists clung to the British crown, Thomas Paine published: “Common sense“, a highly compelling pamphlet that united colonists to fight the monarchy in the name of self-rule.
“Our great strength lies not in numbers but in unity,” argued Paine. To this end, he made democratic ideals a common goal. America, bound to the will of its people, challenged a world bound to the will of kings. And with “Common Sense,” Paine united Americans in the bold belief that “we have it in our power to start the world over again.”
Soon Paine's pamphlet was everywhere—whispered by soldiers in Valley Forge tents, shouted in Philadelphia taverns, quoted in sermons. With sold half a million copies Until the end of the American Revolution, Common Sense remained one of the best-selling works of all time relative to the U.S. population (2.5 million in 1776, excluding slaves and Native Americans).
Without “common sense,” the United States as we know it might not exist. Today, almost 250 years later, Paine's pamphlet is considered not just a relic of history, but a blueprint for the preservation of democracy. From challenging authoritarian rule to limiting the influence of the rich to upholding the will of the majority, Paine's words are more relevant today than ever.
And his message was clear: We must unite to confront the forces that threaten the Republic—beginning with the threat of absolute power.
Paine's criticism of unchecked authority was central to his argument for a government of, of, and of the people. He considered the reign of King George III. as the epitome of tyranny and warned that “the thirst for absolute power is the natural disease of monarchy.” This warning resonates as Donald Trump comes into office with a well-documented track record of testing and expanding the limits of power.
In July, when Trump's efforts prompted the Supreme Court to expand presidential immunity, Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissenting opinion reflected Paine's concerns. She wrote: “In every exercise of official power The president is now a king above the law” – a profound departure from the assertion in “Common Sense” that “in America the law is king…and there should be no other.”
But Paine's concerns went beyond authoritarian leaders. “Common sense” also complained about the excessive influence of the rich. Frequently condemning “aristocratic tyranny,” Paine viewed the rich as “slaves of fear” and claimed that “their minds are early poisoned by importance.” Paine believed that American democracy could not survive if power was bought and sold by the wealthy elite. And his warnings still apply today.
Supreme Court rulings such as: Citizens unitedThe decision, which unleashed unlimited campaign spending by corporations and individuals, has turned Paine's fears into our reality. The 2024 elections brought a shock $16 billion in campaign spending – with money from small donors, but also from super PACs and at least 150 billionaire families. As Republicans and Democrats capitalize on almost unrestrained spending, both parties are complicit in a system in which influence can be bought by the highest bidder.
Paine's censure of kings and aristocrats was based on a democratic bulwark: fair representation. Amid colonial protests against unfair taxes, the cry of “No taxation without representation” sparked a spark of rebellion. Then “Common Sense” lit the matter up, insisting that “there is no political issue more deserving of our attention” than “large and equal representation” — a demand unmet by America’s rulers across the sea became.
Centuries later, as politics diverges ever further from the views of the majority, Americans face a new ocean. Not measured in miles, but in understanding and just as big. The overturning of Roe vs. Wade disregarded the will of According to the Pew Research Center, 63% of Americans support access to abortion in “all or most cases.”. That's what Pew thinks 61% of Americans I think it's too easy to own a gun in this country and 63% want to abolish the Electoral College. However, public will remains overshadowed by political tradition.
This gap between political realities and majority beliefs is reinforced by tribalism and the pursuit of power, where party loyalty exceeds the needs and desires of voters. As historian Craig Nelson told me, Paine would be “confounded” by today’s red-blue divide. For Paine, unity was not just an ideal but a strategy for survival. Our modern polarization represents a capitulation to the very forces Paine warned about.
To prevent American democracy from failing, we must learn from the beginning. And learning from “common sense” means upholding principles the colonists died for: leaders accountable to the people, influence that cannot be bought, and laws that reflect the will of the majority.
“Common sense” was more than a rallying cry; It was Paine's attempt to forge an American identity based on a commitment to self-government and trust in the power of the many – not the few. Paine's greatest lesson is that our strength lies in our collective determination to unite, as democracy requires.
The salvation of a democracy lies within itself. To save the American experiment, we must remember how its potential brought us together in the first place. It will not be easy to overcome the darkness of our divides. But as “common sense” tells us, “The sun never shone on a cause of greater value.”
AT McWilliams is a Brooklyn-based poet and writer.