He was trying to explain the need for independence.

It is ridiculous and against natural law for an island to rule a continent.

Europe is unlikely to see peace for long, and whenever a war breaks out between England and a foreign power, the trade of America would go to ruin because of the economic connection.

America is no longer a “British nation”; it is composed of influences from all of Europe.

Even if Britain was originally the “mother country” of America, that makes her current actions all the more horrendous, for no true mother would harm her children so deplorably.

Remaining a part of Britain will drag America into unnecessary European wars, and keep it from the international commerce at which America excels.

That government is best that governs least.

Society represents all that is good about humanity; government represents all that is bad about it.

The distance between the two nations makes the lag in communication time about a year for something to go round trip. If there was something wrong in the government, it would take a year before the colonies would hear back.

The New World was discovered before the Reformation. This was evidence for the Puritans that God wanted to give them America as a safe haven free from the persecution of British rule.

Criticizes the English Constitution, saying that the right for the House of Commons to “check” the king is meaningless. The king claims the right to rule by God and overrule Parliament at will; therefore, any “checking” is at best a misnomer.

The publication of this pamphlet was key in the growth of popular support for independence from Britain. Thomas Jefferson took ideas from both this publication and John Locke when writing the Declaration of Independence.

Less-quoted sections of the pamphlet include Paine’s optimistic view of America’s military potential at the time of the Revolution. For example, he spends pages describing how colonial shipyards, by using the large amounts of lumber available in the country, could quickly create a navy that could rival the Royal Navy.