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Thomas Paine’s book played a pivotal role in the creation of the United States. Discuss.

The written assignment, worth 30% of your mark) is based on the book Common Sense by Thomas Paine.

Thomas Paine’s book played a pivotal role in the creation of the United States. As an enlightenment thinker and author, Thomas Paine played a key role in the creation of the United States by providing a great deal of philosophical and intellectual support to the revolution. He later went on to play an important role in the French Revolution. Probably most famous for his book Common Sense, Paine provided justification for the revolution and independence of the US. Based on Common Sense, each student will produce a 7 to 15 page research paper answering the question:

Question: ” Paine’s Common Sense was widely read by not just the intelligencia of the colonies but by the masses as well. Starting with Common Sense, how did Paine’s ideas help to shape the America that emerged post 1776? How did his writings shape the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the US in general?”

Although Common Sense is the core or foundation of your work, library research and the use of other materials is necessary. The internet is not an acceptable source however.

With the exception of primary documents kept at locations like the National Archives and Record Administration website, the internet is not an acceptable source. The web is notorious for its lack of information and problems. Materials found via JSTOR or Project MEUSE are acceptable because they are coming from peer reviewed journals. Any other internet materials are to be avoided as their use can result in an F for the assignment. Published materials, either book or article format, are a must. The only exception to this would be primary documents found on web sites.

No matter which paper approach the students take, the paper must be typed, in 12 point Times New Roman font, numbered pages, double spaced with one inch margins all around. Scholarly form using the Kate Turabian style guide is a must. A truncated version has been put together as a pdf file on the web site. Proper citation is essential within the field of history.

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