Common Sense, Part 3 summary

What happens

1. The speaker declares that armed conflict makes earlier proposals for continued union with Britain useless.
2. He rejects claims that British protection, shared ancestry, and commercial ties justify American dependence.
3. He uses Boston’s suffering and the king’s power over legislation to argue that reconciliation offers neither safety nor lasting peace.
4. He argues that independent continental government protects public order better than a renewed British connection.
5. He proposes elected assemblies, a Continental Congress, and a conference empowered to establish a charter protecting rights.
6. He places law above monarchy and urges Americans to establish government themselves and shelter freedom from oppression.

In this part

What to notice

The sentence states the principle behind both separation and constitutional planning. Independence means creating legitimate government, not merely resisting British measures.

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