Paine, a corset maker's son who turned down his apprenticeship for scholarly examination of the public realm, directly influenced Benjamin Franklin with his plea for American Revolution and a further republican discourse in The Rights of Man. "These are the times that try men's souls," he writes.3 .

             As the colonies struggled to insert themselves in the supposedly-involved government provided by the English Constitution, they found that they were unable to participate. "The foundation of English liberty," they conclude in their Declaration of Rights (1774) at Philadelphia, "and of all free government, is a right in the people to participate in their legislative council."4 This right guarantees both the protection of the individual and that of the common good in the balanced format that colors of all American politics. They further define this balance in the next resolution, "That the respective colonies are entitled to the common law of England, and more especially to the great and inestimable privilege of being tried by their peers of the vicinage, according to the course of that law."5.

             This careful balance had been previously established in the Resolutions of the Stamp Act, which guaranteed people the rights of liberties but also provided for the protection of the common good through a representative government. This is embodied in the first three resolutions:.

             I.That His Majesty's subjects in these colonies, owe the same allegiance to the Crown of Great-Britain, that is owing from his subjects born within the realm, and all due subordination to that august body of the Parliament of Great Britain.

             II.That His Majesty's liege subjects in these colonies, are entitled to the inherent rights and liberties of his natural born subjects within the kingdom of Great-Britain.

             III.That it is inseparably essential to the freedom of a people, and the undoubted right of the Englishmen, that no taxes be imposed on them, but with their own consent, given personally, or by these representatives.