The 2024 presidential election painted a bleak picture: a country divided between red and blue, a nearly even division, reminding us how fractured we have become. Despite this polarization, almost three quarters of Americans We agree on one thing: our democracy is under threat.
In these respects, the United States of today resembles the United States of 1776, when divisions threatened the future of the democratic experiment. As the patriots prepared for battle and the loyalists clung to the British crown, Thomas Paine published “Common sense”, a fiercely persuasive pamphlet that united colonists to fight the monarchy in the name of self-government.
“It is not in numbers, but in unity, where our great strength lies,” Paine argued. To do this, he turned democratic ideals into a shared purpose. The United States, subject to the will of its people, defied a world subject to the will of kings. And with “Common Sense,” Paine united Americans in the bold belief that “we have it in our power to begin the world anew.”
Soon, Paine's pamphlet was everywhere: whispered by soldiers in the stores of Valley Forge, shouted in the taverns of Philadelphia, and quoted in sermons. With half a million copies sold At the end of the American Revolution, “Common Sense” remains one of the best-selling works of all time relative to the American population (2.5 million in 1776, not counting slaves and Native Americans).
If it weren't for “common sense,” America might not exist as we know it. Now, nearly 250 years later, Paine's pamphlet remains not only a relic of history but also a model for preserving democracy. From challenging authoritarian rule to limiting the influence of the wealthy and upholding the will of the majority, Paine's words are more relevant now than ever.
And his message was clear: we must unite to confront the forces that threaten the republic, starting with the threat of absolute power.
Paine's critique of unchecked authority was central to his argument for a government of, by, and for the people. He regarded the rule of King George III as the epitome of tyranny and warned that “the thirst for absolute power is the natural disease of monarchy.” That warning resonates as Donald Trump returns to office with a well-documented record of testing and expanding the limits of power.
In July, when Trump's efforts led the Supreme Court to expand presidential immunity, Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissent echoed Paine's concerns. She wrote: “In every use of official power, The president is now a king above the law” – a profound departure from the claim 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 denounced the enormous influence of the rich. With frequent condemnations of “aristocratic tyranny,” Paine scrutinized the rich as “slaves of fear” and alleged 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, again, his warnings apply today.
Supreme Court rulings such as United CitizensThe decision that unleashed unlimited electoral spending by corporations and individuals has turned Paine's fears into our reality. In the 2024 elections, a staggering $16 billion was invested in campaign spending, with money coming from small donors but also from super PACs and at least 150 billionaire families. As Republicans and Democrats take advantage of nearly unbridled spending, both parties are complicit in a system in which influence can be bought by the highest bidder.
Paine's rebuke of kings and aristocrats rested on a democratic bulwark: fair representation. In the midst of colonial protests against unfair taxes, the cry “no taxation without representation” ignited a spark of rebellion. Then “Common Sense” set it on fire, insisting that “there is no political issue more worthy of our attention” than “broad and equal representation,” a demand not met by American rulers across the sea.
Centuries later, as policies move further away from majority opinions, Americans face a new ocean. Not one that is measured in miles but in understanding, and just as vast. The fall of Roe vs. Wade did not know the will of 63% of Americans support access to abortion in “all or most cases,” according to the Pew Research Center. Pew estimates that 61% of Americans think it is too easy to own a gun in this country, and 63% want to abolish the electoral college. But public will remains overshadowed by political tradition.
This gap between political realities and majority beliefs is fueled by tribalism and the quest for power, where party loyalty trumps the needs and desires of voters. As historian Craig Nelson told me, Paine would be “baffled” by the current division between reds and blues. For Paine, unity was not just an ideal but a survival strategy. Our modern polarization represents a surrender to the very forces Paine warned against.
To prevent American democracy from failing, we must learn from its beginnings. And learning “common sense” means defending the principles for which the colonists died: leaders responsible 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; was Paine's effort to forge an American identity rooted in a commitment to self-government and confidence 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 in itself. To save the American experiment, we must remember how its potential first brought us together. Overcoming the darkness of our divisions will not be easy. But as “Common Sense” tells us, “The sun never shone on a cause of greater value.”
AT McWilliams is a poet and writer living in Brooklyn.
