Should leadership be inherited? Is it the responsibility of a government to ensure the rights of its people? Thomas Paine argues in his Rights of Man that it is not only the obligation of a government, but also that revolution is permissible if a government does not.

Concepts

governments, human rights, thomas paine, the french revolution, popular sovereignty

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Have groups investigate how Paine's articles influenced the American Revolution
• Compare Paine's point of view of the French Revolution with Edmund Burke's

Classroom Considerations

• The episode provides only a brief overview of some of the key ideas in the articles

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• An analogy of a fishing village ruled by the son of the former king is used to explain Paine's ideas

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.11-12.3