The American Revolution was much more than just a war or a period in history. It was a time when America was growing and, as the name suggests, revolutionizing the way it thought and governed. It was a time when great thinkers made their ideas known, and those ideas helped shape America into what it is today. These revolutionary thinkers shared their ideas publicly, which empowered people to revolutionize their thoughts as well. They overturned what they knew about government. They turned against the ways of monarchy, realizing that all men should be equal and should no longer be under the rule of a tyrannical king. Although this revolution was extremely powerful, it was also a product of trial and error. The Patriots have tried many times. Thomas Paine anonymously wrote "Common Sense", a pamphlet discussing ideas of independence from Great Britain. This helped the settlers express their frustrations with their government. Paine wrote it so simply that anyone could understand his ideas, and it was very convincing. He said: “The sun has never shone on a cause of greater value. » (Baym 326) Essentially, Thomas Paine explains how independence from the monarchy would be a truly wonderful thing, and he ultimately explains that this independence is inevitable. He explains that Britain is America's parent. He compares America to a child who grows up independently of his parents. Although at one time America was "prospering on its ancient relationship with Britain", he says it is now time for America to become independent. He uses the example of a child who was raised on milk and never started eating meat. Even if the child has grown a lot with milk, this does not mean that he will not continue to grow eating meat, gaining more autonomy. (Baym 326) And he says that even though Britain is their homeland, parents should not “devour their children” or “make war on their families.” (Baym 327) He uses this extended parent example to show that America really doesn't need a parent country anymore. This idea of ​​total independence from Great Britain greatly relativized the Americans of the time. They became stronger and more confident in this idea of ​​Britain. Now, able to express their grievances and frustrations, the colonies were able to “stick it to the man” against Britain. Thomas Jefferson wrote of how the King of Great Britain had "imposed taxes on them without [their] consent" and "deprived them of the advantages of trial by jury." the king had abolished [their] most precious laws; and fundamentally modified the forms of [their] governments. (Baym 342) This list of complaints goes on and on. The king took away all their basic rights and the colonists had had enough. Thomas Jefferson says that he not only took away their rights, but also took away their basic human rights and "waged a cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most rights." sacred to life and liberty among people of a distant people who have never offended him. (Baym 343) These are very strong words from Thomas Jefferson, but they reflect how these colonists felt. They were angry and they had every right to