View a FREE sample

Lesson 1 (from Introduction and Appendix)

Objective

Introduction and Appendix

In the Introduction, Thomas Paine establishes his motives for writing Common Sense and how he thinks the work will be interpreted in the future. This lesson is about Paine's background and the ways it contributed to his philosophy.

Lesson

1) Class Discussion: Where was Thomas Paine originally from? When did he move to America? How does his background give him an advantage when writing about the American Revolution between America and England? Why does Paine side with America instead of England? What are some of the possible reasons he decided to write Common Sense and what does the class think he hoped to accomplish with it?

2) Writing and Analysis: Have the class take 15 minutes and write down three aspects of Paine's background that inspired him to write Common Sense. Afterward, talk about the answers and identify which ones were likely to be the most...

(read more Daily Lessons)

This section contains 7,531 words (approx. 26 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample