Vocabulary in Common Sense

Moral wrongdoing and selfish behavior in people that makes external control necessary; Paine uses it to explain why government must exist at all, not as a positive good but as a check on human failings.

The natural bonds of goodwill and fellow-feeling that draw people together into communities; here it means the social ties that make cooperation possible, not romantic love.

Harmful habits or immoral behaviors that damage individuals and communities; Paine argues government's sole purpose is to hold these in check.

Something harmful or undesirable that must nonetheless be tolerated because it prevents something worse; Paine uses the phrase to deny that government is ever genuinely good.

So bad or oppressive that it cannot be endured or accepted; Paine applies it to government at its worst to signal that rebellion becomes justified.

Broken down or thrown into confusion so that it no longer functions properly; used here to argue that simpler systems are easier to fix when they go wrong.

A visible mark or sign that identifies a condition or status; Paine calls government a badge of lost innocence, meaning its very existence signals that humanity has already fallen from a purer state.

Sheltered, pleasant garden retreats, often shaded by trees or vines; Paine uses the word to evoke an innocent, natural paradise that monarchy has destroyed.

Continuing forever without end; Paine uses it to attack the idea that one family could rightfully hold power over all others for all time.

The system by which a throne or title passes automatically from a ruler to his or her heir by birth; Paine attacks it as irrational and the source of endless war.

The act of seizing power, a throne, or authority by force or without legal right; Paine argues this is the true origin of kingship, not divine appointment.

An archaic third-person singular form of the verb 'has,' used in formal or biblical English of Paine's era.

To hand out government offices, appointments, and positions of profit to favorites; Paine uses it to show that a king's real power is patronage and favoritism rather than wise leadership.

To stir up quarrels and conflict among people; an old idiom meaning to cause a group to fight amongst themselves, like animals biting each other's ears.

Makes a strong, urgent case or argument in favor of something; here it means that reason and nature themselves argue powerfully for American independence.

Those who have been killed, especially in battle; Paine invokes them as moral witnesses whose deaths demand that the colonies act.

The restoration of friendly or peaceful relations between two parties who have been in conflict; Paine argues that making peace with Britain is no longer possible or desirable.

A real or perceived wrong or injustice that gives someone a reason to complain or seek remedy; Paine lists specific colonial grievances to show that British rule is unjust.

Cruel and oppressive government by a ruler who uses power unjustly and without the consent of the governed; Paine uses it to characterize British rule over the colonies.

Unique or singular, belonging to one particular moment and no other; in this text it does not mean strange but rather one-of-a-kind and unrepeatable.

An abbreviation of the Latin 'videlicet,' meaning 'namely' or 'that is to say'; used to introduce a more precise explanation of what was just stated.

A tie that binds citizens together through shared obligation; Paine argues that a national debt, rather than being purely harmful, creates mutual investment among a nation's people.

Carries no additional charge or fee for borrowing money; when a debt costs nothing extra to hold, Paine says it harms no one and can even strengthen national unity.

Forceful and immediately convincing; used to describe arguments so clear and powerful that they are hard to dismiss or ignore.