Thomas Paine's American IdeologyCovering Paine's intellectual career between 1775 and 1787, Aldridge summarizes his work as an apprentice magazine editor, sketches the publishing history of Common Sense and its doctrines, and shows the relations of these ideas to those in the works of Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. Seeking to create a just and ordered society through reason and choice instead of through passive submission to accident and force, he developed such themes as the inherent nature of man, the meaning of virtue, and the identity of American character. This book reveals that as part of the polemics over Common Sense, Paine wrote a pamphlet, Four Letters on Interesting Subjects, which discredits the notion of reconciliation with Britain, the provincial perspective of placing Pennsylvania above the Union, the charter of the British Constitution. Aldridge also investigates The Crisis and Paine's Letter to the Abbe Raynal. ISBN 0-87413-260-6 : $38.50. |
Contents
| 9 | |
Writing and Publication of Common Sense | 15 |
Common Sense and the History of Ideas | 17 |
Paines Political Writing before Common Sense | 27 |
A Runaway Best Seller | 36 |
Theories of Government | 47 |
The State of American Affairs | 60 |
The Time Hath Found Us | 74 |
Periodical Polemics | 158 |
Plain Truth | 179 |
Other Pamphlet Polemics | 191 |
Four Letters and Later Writings on the Revolution | 217 |
Four Letters | 219 |
The Crisis | 240 |
Retrospect on 1776 | 254 |
The Circle of Civilization | 269 |
Intellectual Background and Reception of Common Sense | 93 |
Levellers and Puritans | 95 |
Relations with Locke | 107 |
Locke Unraveling the Issues | 123 |
Relations with Rousseau | 137 |
Relations with Montesquieu | 147 |
Conclusion | 282 |
Appendix | 286 |
Notes | 292 |
| 316 | |
| 323 | |
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Common terms and phrases
A. O. Aldridge Abbé Raynal according to Paine accuses America American Revolution appeared argues argument Assembly asserts Britain British Candidus Cato century Chalmers charter cites civil colonies Common Sense concept concerning considered Continental Congress Crisis declares defend delegates doctrine edition election Elrington England English equal essay existed favor force form of government Four Letters France Franklin French hereditary ideas ideology independence individual Inglis interest John Adams king later laws legislative legislature liberty Locke Locke's London maintains major mankind means ment merely monarchy Montesquieu moral nation natural rights never newspaper observes opinion original Paine affirms Paine's pamphlet parallel Parliament passage Pennsylvania Constitution Philadelphia Plain Truth political principle printed published Quakers quoted Rationalis Raynal Reason in Answer reconciliation reference republic republican Rousseau says scriptural Smith Social Contract society suggests theme theory Thomas Paine Thoughts on Government tion Treatises True Merits virtue Whigs words Writings York