Essay Questions

Why does Paine believe that America does not need a King?

Paine believes that America does have a King; he believes that God is the King of America. He also believes that this is the way a democracy should be run. Monarchs, in his view, tend to see themselves as omnipotent fellows, when in reality they were born equal under God. A properly elected Congress of district representatives are fulfilling their role as government but are not viewed as better, or more powerful, than the rest of society; in fact, they rely on society to democratically elect them to their position in the first place.

Paine also believes that a King is easily swayed by his friends and cronies, so that the nation can never be governed fairly under monarchial rule. His idea for Congress, however, ensures that every district is fairly represented and given the same amount of time to govern the nation as each other.

How do Paine and Locke disagree about a constitutional monarchy?

A constitutional monarchy is a system by which a parliament "keeps an eye" on the monarch. Parliament proposes laws, makes laws, and then gets the laws signed into the constitution by the monarch. Locke believes this makes the monarch more of a figurehead than an actual functioning leader. Paine disagrees, because the monarch still sits at the top of the tree, governs the nation, and has the right to dissolve his parliament if he so desires. Paine does not understand the distinction between monarchial rule, and a constitutional monarchy, in practical terms, because under both systems, the King is still the presiding ruler of the nation, and is not kept in check at all by his people.