What are the main arguments that thomas paine makes in his pamphlet common sense? why was this pamphlet so popular?

Common sense was an essay written by Thomas Paine. It was published for the first time on January 10, 1776, during the American Revolution.

The essay exercised a great influence on public opinion during the American War of Independence, presenting an argument against British rule at a time when the independence issue still caused suspicion and indecision in large part of the settlers. Paine wrote the pamphlet in a simple style so that people could understand it without difficulty, renouncing the philosophical language and Latin, widely used by the writers of the Enlightenment. Paine structured the work as if it were a sermon, relying on the Bible to convince the reader. He connected independence with the generalized Protestant faith and its dissident substrate to present it as an unmistakable American political identity. The historian Gordon S. Wood described Common Sense as "the most incendiary and popular pamphlet that was published during the revolutionary stage".

The essay asserted that the American colonies obtained no compensation from their metropolis, whose sole purpose was to exploit their wealth, and that any sensible analysis would conclude with the need to obtain independence from British rule and establish a republican government of their own.

the articles of confederation only set up the continental congress at the federal level. there were no executive or judicial branches except within the states. the states were allowed to keep every right that was not specifically given to congress. the bonding of the states was through a 'firm league of friendship' that best served as a defense agreement against invasion. states were not allowed to use taxes as a way to discourage treaties, and states were extremely limited in their dealings with foreign nations.

not many historians today talk about the strengths of the articles of confederation, likely because of how unpopular the document quickly became. the articles did set the legislative body, congress, as the highest power in the nation because of the fear of monarchy. congress had the sole power to declare war, assign treaties, entertain foreign relations, and operate post offices. disputes between states and territorial issues were to be brought to congress. the document also stipulated that canada was allowed to enter the union if they desired.

there were more weaknesses than strengths under the articles of confederation. the lack of power given to the continental congress strangled the federal government. the articles gave congress the power to pass laws but no power to enforce those laws. if a state did not support a federal law, that state could simply ignore it. congress had no power to levy taxes or regulate trade. without a federal court system or executive leader, there would be no way to enforce these laws, either. amending the articles of confederation would also require a unanimous decision, which would be extremely difficult.