Popular Sovereignty

The book asserts that the nation is the sole source of political authority, and any government must derive its power from the consent of the governed, rejecting hereditary or monarchical rule.

Paine asserts that the people have the right to establish, reform, or abolish their government.

Paine asserts that political authority derives from the consent of the people, not from monarchs or tradition.

Paine emphasizes that reform must come from the nations themselves, not from governments.

Paine argues that the nation has an original right to reform its government through a general convention, and that no generation can bind another.