Thomas Paine was one of the first to use the media as a tool for gaining political support in the United States. Thomas Paine used the media to go against the British monarch and to discuss controversial opinions. He created the idea in America to have an uncensored press and to be able to speak freely about anything, including radical politics. One of his most famous pieces was Common Sense. This piece was a monumental moment in journalism and the revolution. Common Sense sparked the revolution when Thomas Paine wrote about democracy and called out the corrupt monarch and how they lack human rights. Common Sense was the first bestseller in America and it reached everyone, even the common people. Common Sense was huge and it shaped the minds of the people in the country. Thomas Paine set a new standard as well in journalism because he was no politician and had very low education. Since he was not an upper-class politician he saw the effects of the monarch far different and opened the term “the people” to the lower class and even slaves. His message and motive were very clear he wanted to help everyone oppressed by the monarch and believed that the revolution and democracy would help the lower class and others oppressed. Since Common Sense was so accessible, easy to understand and so relatable to many by most of the country it gained the support of most of the country and it was the reason that upped the morale of the country for the revolution. Thomas Paine risked his life by speaking out and could have been charged with sedition by the British government or by revolting by the American government. His courage and motivation to help the oppressed by using his writing and setting a new standard in journalism to have open debates about the government were monumental.
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