Read "The Rights of Man" by Thomas Paine online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
Reason and Ignorance, the opposites of each other, influence the great bulk of mankind. If either of these can be rendered sufficiently extensive in a country, the machinery of Government goes easily on. Reason obeys itself; and Ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.
The two modes of the Government which prevail in the world, are, first, Government by election and representation: secondly, Government by hereditary succession. The former is generally known by the name of republic; the latter by that of monarchy and aristocracy.