Paine presented American independence as a world-historical opportunity, not mere colonial grievance.

Evidence

“We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now,” he claims. “How ridiculous, do the little paltry caviling of a few weak or interested men appear, when weighed against the business of a world.” America, the new world, can remake the old one, Paine avows, and give birth to a new epoch of human freedom under republican rule. — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 94

Categorization

• XREF: Paine’s framing of 1776 as a unique founding moment that can ‘begin the world over again’ speaks directly to debates over original constitutional meaning and foundational values. — connects to: Paine grounded American rights in natural society, not British subjecthood. — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 49; Paine framed American independence from the start as a universal asylum for human liberty. — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 79; The American Revolution was a dispute over empire’s course, not a rejection of empire. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 198
• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source

Broader Connections

• The American Revolution was a dispute over empire’s course, not a rejection of empire. #complicates (0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 198