Thomas Paine's Declaration Of Independence

History is often said to repeat itself. When the American revolution took place in the later half of the eighteenth century, little did anyone know that almost two-hundred years later Vietnam would be in a very similar situation. The revolution in the U.S and Vietnam had three similar qualities, in both rebels used strong language to exaggerate their points, the “parent” countries enforced uncalled for taxes, and both claim to have been abandoned as allies.
Thomas Paine wrote the pamphlet Common Sense in early 1776, to gain support for the revolution.He wrote, “But Britain is the parent country, say some. Then the more shame upon her conduct. Even brutes do not devour their young, nor savages make war upon their families…” He uses the analogy of Great Britain being a bad mother to convey his message, meaning that they as colonies have not been properly cared for. He continues by saying that even the most untame beings do not eat their children, but somehow the powerful Great Britain cannot tend to its child. The language Paine used in Common Sense was harsh, but
Both counties were in debt from fighting in unsuccessful wars, the British in the Seven Years War and the French in World War I. A similar solution was to tax their colonies at a high rate to gain income quickly. Each declaration of independence addresses the issue and calls their opponent on their fault. The Vietnamese declaration states, “They have invented numerous unjustifiable taxes and reduced our people, especially our peasantry, to a state of extreme poverty” while the American one simply says, “For imposing taxes on us without our Consent…”. The American one doesn’t have as strong of an statement as the Vietnamese because it is in a long list of accusations against King George III. The Vietnamese needed a stronger statement to show France of their economic