The Rights Of Man Thomas Paine Summary

In the Rights of Man, Thomas Paine portrays America as an ideal nation during the late 1700s. His characterization of the American government is correct in the sense that democracy in America does give citizens their basic rights and the ability to protect them. However, Paine’s view of a democracy is flawed. On many occasions, the government has failed to protect these basic human rights, thus disproving that it is entirely “just.” As America is becoming more culturally diverse, society is becoming less concordant. The reason for this is that, instead of providing for society the change that they so desperately need, the government simply ignores them. The notion that the government’s principles bring society into “cordial unison” is no longer
Since America was considered a global power, the government was pressured to rely more on capitalism, which favored objective laws rather than the rights of man. If the people at that time wanted peace, they would protest for it. If they wanted to change civil rights, they protested for it. But some would resort to violence if they felt like the government wasn’t listening to them. Some movements were never passed, which still angers people today. Even in the form of a non-violent protest, the idea that people want change but are not given it, causes Americans to doubt the government’s policies. Some may characterize America today as an “economic giant,” but they fail to apprehend, like Paine, that the economy is constantly being manipulated by the government. For example, corporate ownership plays a huge role in today’s economy. The fault in the government is that not all corporations are equal – some have to pay more taxes while some have to pay more to operate one. If the government was just, everyone would have an equal chance of running a