I'm in the middle of reading this right now and it's so good I'm going to recommend it without even having finished it.
To read a writing that was written at the time of the American Revolution is quite rare for me. Even Benjamin Franklin's autobiography cuts out well before the war for independence. Though I've read some of John Adams' writings from the time.
The religious insights of the Founders as to the reasons they believed America was established by the hand of God Himself are quite profound (perhaps more given because I'm a sunday school teacher as well). The Christians of today do not know the scriptures as they were known back then, and the Christians of those centuries knew them very well as the scriptures were used to justify or inspire a myriad of actions through European history, some for good and much for evil.
Thomas Paine even cites one of his beliefs in the discovery of America as being Divine as that the Reformation began shortly after its discovery. He stated he believed that the reason for these two events ocurring so closely in history was because the Lord knew that those who's eyes were opened by the Reformation would become persecuted and need a land of freedom in which to truly worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience.
His reasons are multitudinous as to why the British Monarchy was ineffectual and would be ever more for American government and that it was only inevitable in time that the American government would become independent of the British Monarchy.
I came to understand why his writings were so inflammatory as his observations of British rule were so obvious and yet so smacked of heresay then that I understand why he was wanted by the British and I wonder even now if the British would find his writings offensive today.
(I have a few very outspoken Candian friends (Hi Sid!) who have served in positions of distinction in Her Majesty's Special Forces and even in one of the Scottish Highland Regiments who are very educated on these matters (Sorry Sid, I can never keep those things straight, one becase they are Army and two because they are foreign) who I'm sure would add a nice commentary on this historically and add a perspective I don't often get from American media or public school systems here from across the ocean or north of our border. I do remember the commentary I did get last time that the colonists were acting like a bunch of ingrates in the British eyes because the British had just gotten done expanding the frontiers and defending the colonies from the French in the French and Indian war which was very costly and the colonists had zero desire to help fund the endeavors or show any gratitude for their protections...according to the British).
At any rate, at a time when our constitution is under attack and our very form of government and freedoms are under attack by some very dark forces in positions of power and preying and relying on American Ignorance it is VERY interesting to read how all this came about from a voice that was there. I've only read 45 pages now and read the papers "African Slavery in America" and am part way through "Common Sense." However, it has been so enlightening that I have to recommend it before I'm even finished. I have no doubt the end of it will be as good as the begin...oh wait...he dies on page 46....oh but his brother gets a really smoking hot girlfriend on page 47 so it all evens out. Good. Good!
No seriously. I can see why it's a classic. Can't say I've ever done a book review on a book I haven't finished but this one is worth it.
