The philosophies motivating the eruption of the American Revolution can be traced back to the ideology of the early Puritan colonists. A succession of influence exists from the Puritan ideals of John Winthrop, to the radical beliefs of John Locke, and finally to the attitudes of revolutionary thinkers such as Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine. The political thought of the revolution was preceded by a rich history of theocratic philosophy. The Protestant ideology that originally dominated colonial thinking had mutated into an innovative method of American political thought. This revolution marked the birth of a new society with a unique political system, theoretically separate from the governments of its predecessors, but nonetheless influenced by their attributes and shortcomings. .
At the close of the French and Indian War in 1760, Great Britain was in extreme financial need. Britain began passing legislation heavily taxing goods entering the colonies, in an attempt to reduce Britain's wartime debts. The colonists were angered by this taxation, and indications of revolution began to develop in the American colonies. Although a number of the colonists were in support of revolution, a large group remained loyal to the throne. The federalists, or revolutionists, were now faced with the task of convincing the loyalists of Britain's injustices. In an attempt to achieve this goal, a federalist by the name of Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet entitled "Common Sense-. Paine hoped the pamphlet would increase the support of federalism in the colonies. Indications of philosopher John Locke's influence on the opinions of Paine can be found throughout the pamphlet. .
Thomas Paine began his pamphlet by explaining his definitions of society and government. These definitions are directly linked to the definitions given by Locke. Paine wrote, "Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in the best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one -(Paine 65).
