We The People… The Setting Sun of American Democracy
In the 250th anniversary of the first modern democracy, Donald Trump is turning it into a personal kingship. Let’s listen to what Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense, says to you, “The People”
Pericles AI has been created in memory of the brilliant Athenian politician, who, in the first democracy of human history, stood up to sustain democratic values, while fighting with his prose against demagogues, oligarchs, and authoritarians. Today, Pericles AI´s sword and shield are the lessons of history, and the power of AI as a force for good. While this newsletter is free, consider supporting it.
To continue receiving this newsletter in your mail, consider subscribing for Free.
In Defense of Modern Democracy
I am posting this article on behalf of a friend who has the idea of using history and AI as forces for good in defense of Democracy, a form of government so valuable and yet so fragile because, for its permanence, it depends on the compromise of conscious citizens. He writes under the name Pericles AI and invites everyone who upholds democratic values and wonders how to navigate these troubled times to join him on learning journeys through history. Using the power of AI, he brings key historical actors back to life to tell us what we might do to fight the threats to our democracy.
He invites you to a journey to the pre-revolutionary times in the USA, 1776, when Thomas Paine, a British immigrant, published a pamphlet called Common Sense. Here is what he has to say.
How We, the People, Did Not Want To Keep The Republic Anymore
“I have often looked at that sun behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But now at length, I have the happiness to know it is a rising and not a setting sun”. — Benjamin Franklin about the Rising Sun Chair, which George Washington sat in during the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
“Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?”
“A republic, if you can keep it.” — Benjamin Franklin’s response to Elizabeth Willing Powel’s question. Sept. 17, 1,787.
Those quotes, pronounced by Benjamin Franklin during the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787, are key to understanding the voters’ responsibility in maintaining the system for which the forebears of this nation worked so hard. American Democracy is a political system that has endured for 249 years the assassination of presidents, political and constitutional crises, and civil and foreign wars. However, on July 4th, 2025, 250 years after its founding, it might not survive an assault from within.
On November 5, 2024, the U.S. electorate, against Ben Franklin’s advice, decided they would no longer keep the republic because they wanted immediate changes in government. Consequently, they elected a “strong” man to execute those changes as soon as possible. Donald Trump delivered. In his first 100 days, he signed 327 executive documents, including executive orders, presidential memoranda, and proclamations. He was following to the letter, not the US Constitution, but a new governmental handbook written by the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 and supported by a group of Silicon Valley billionaires headed by Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Sundar Pichai, who had come to collect in influence, money and more power for their support of the new president’s campaign.
Some might argue why the U.S. has turned to authoritarianism if its institutions remain intact. Congress and the Supreme Court are there. In appearance, that is true. Nevertheless, when those institutions — the Legislative and Judicial branches of government, born under the principle of separation and balance of power — bend to the call of one voice, Trump’s, they violate the very tenets on which the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights were written.
To support that affirmation, I will compare two documents. One is Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, a 47-page pamphlet published in January 1776 that, during the American Revolution, reached 150,000 printed copies. It was sold, distributed widely, and read aloud at taverns and meeting places, becoming one of the most influential sources upon which the Constitutional Convention based its work. In proportion to the population of the colonies at that time (2.5 million), it had the largest sale and circulation of any book published in American history. The other document is Project 2025, written by the Heritage Foundation, which serves as the primary source for President Trump’s policies.
However, first, let me provide some context that demonstrates why American Democracy, politics aside, should not be taken for granted. According to Payne, “the cause of America is… the cause of all mankind.” Any change in the basis of American Democracy will have immediate and unforeseen consequences for the rest of the world.
To continue receiving this newsletter in your mail, consider subscribing for Free.
The U.S. and France Raised Democracy From Its Ashes
After a two-thousand-year hiatus, Democracy rose from its ashes in 1789, when the Constitution of the United States of America became operational, and in 1792, with the establishment of the First Republic in France.
Democracy had ended abruptly after 180 years of relative stability when Athens lost the 27-year Peloponnesian War against Sparta and the Persian Empire, two authoritarian states. In his book The History of the Peloponnesian War, Athenian General Thucydides quotes the great Athenian political leader Pericles, who, at the end of the first year of the war, gave a speech in front of a crowd of mourners, which is considered an eulogy to Athens and Democracy:
Let me say that our system of government does not copy the institutions of our neighbors. It is more the case of our being a model to others than of our imitating anyone else. Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people. When it is a question of settling private disputes, everyone is equal before the law; when it is a question of putting one person before another in positions of public responsibility, what counts is not membership of a particular class, but the actual ability which the man possesses. No one, so long as he has it in him to be of service to the state, is kept in political obscurity because of poverty. And, just as our political life is free and open, so is our day-to-day life in our relations with each other. We do not get into a state with our next-door neighbor if he enjoys himself in his own way, nor do we give him the kind of black looks which, though they do no real harm, still do hurt people’s feelings. We are free and tolerant in our private lives; but in public affairs we keep to the law. This is because it commands our deep respect.
We give our obedience to those whom we put in positions of authority, and we obey the laws themselves, especially those which are for the protection of the oppressed, and those unwritten laws which it is an acknowledged shame to break …
… What made [Athens] great was men with a spirit of adventure, men who knew their duty, and men who were ashamed to fall below a certain standard. If they ever failed in an enterprise, they made up their minds that at any rate the city should not find their courage lacking to her, and they gave to her the best contribution that they could — Pericles, Athens. 430 BCE. (Information courtesy of Greg Olear)
Today, many countries have followed the example of Athens, the U.S., and France, establishing some form of Democracy as their governance system. According to the Bertelsmann Foundation, 63 countries have some form of democratic government, outnumbered by 74 countries with authoritarian rulers. However, the United States’ turn to authoritarianism, besides neglecting its foundational principles, tips the scale more than proportionately toward that government system.
To continue receiving this newsletter in your mail, consider subscribing for Free.
Common Sense
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (1776) revolutionized American political thought by articulating a forceful case for independence from Britain and laying the philosophical groundwork for republican governance. Its arguments against monarchy, advocacy for self-governance, and emphasis on natural rights directly influenced foundational U.S. documents, including the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
According to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Library, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, published anonymously on January 10, 1776, was an instant success. George Washington even had it read to all the soldiers of the Continental Army. Once exposed as the author on March 30, 1776, Paine donated all royalties to Washington’s Army. Eventually, Paine would allow anyone to reprint Common Sense, ensuring an even wider readership.
Overview of Common Sense
Paine’s pamphlet dismantled the legitimacy of British rule through four core arguments:
1. Government as a necessary evil: Paine argued that societies form voluntarily to meet communal needs, while governments exist solely to restrain human vices. Their legitimacy depends on securing “freedom and security” through simplicity and accountability.
2. Rejection of hereditary monarchy: He condemned monarchy as inherently tyrannical, writing, “the state of a king shuts him from the world, yet the business of a king requires him to know it thoroughly,” creating an absurd and unworkable system.
3. Critique of England’s mixed constitution: Paine ridiculed Britain’s balance of crown, lords, and commons as contradictory, noting the crown retained overwhelming power through patronage, rendering checks on authority ineffective.
4. Call for immediate independence: He framed separation from Britain as both practical and morally urgent, declaring, “The cause of America is… the cause of all mankind.”
Influence on the U.S. Constitution
Paine’s warning that “the more simple any thing is, the less liable it is to be disordered” was decisive in avoiding Britain’s extremely complicated government structure and adopting a clear division of executive, legislative, and judicial roles.
Impact on the Bill of Rights
Paine’s emphasis on natural rights and limiting governmental overreach shaped the first ten amendments (Bill of Rights):
- First Amendment (free speech/assembly): This Amendment reflects Paine’s belief that dissenters “will cease of themselves unless too much pains is bestowed upon their conversion,” opposing state suppression of ideas.
- Fourth Amendment (unreasonable searches): Echoes his critique of Britain’s “violent abuse of power.”
- Ninth/Tenth Amendments (rights retained by people/states): Aligns with his view that security and liberty flow from decentralized authority.
Paine’s work provided the intellectual foundation for America’s founding values, transforming abstract Enlightenment ideals into actionable political theory. By framing independence as both pragmatic and morally imperative, Common Sense galvanized public support for a constitutional republic rooted in popular sovereignty and enumerated rights.
To continue receiving this newsletter in your mail, consider subscribing for Free.
Core Principles and Contradictions of Paine’s Common Sense and Project 2025.
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (1776) and Project 2025 represent fundamentally opposed visions of governance, reflecting divergent philosophies on power structures, individual liberties, and the role of government. While both advocate for systemic change, their principles clash in terms of execution and intent.
Core Principles Compared
Key Contradictions
- Executive Power
Paine condemned monarchy as inherently tyrannical, arguing that “the state of a king shuts him from the world, yet the business of a king requires him to know it thoroughly.” Project 2025’s expansion of presidential authority — including proposed Schedule F reforms to replace career civil servants with political appointees — echoes the centralized control Paine warned against. - Checks and Balances
Paine praised representative governance with frequent elections to ensure accountability. Project 2025’s focus on weakening nonpartisan agencies (e.g., the Justice Department and regulatory bodies) conflicts with Paine’s belief that “security and freedom flow from decentralized authority.” - Rights and Governance
While Common Sense frames rights as universal and pre-political (“natural rights of all mankind”), Project 2025 emphasizes restoring “traditional values” through policy, which critics argue could marginalize groups outside conservative norms.
Philosophical Divide: “We the People” vs “Absolute Governments”
Paine’s vision prioritized bottom-up governance (“We the People”) and mistrusted concentrated power. Project 2025 aligns with top-down authority, seeking to streamline executive action despite Paine’s warning that “absolute governments… are the disgrace of human nature”. This tension between participatory Democracy and unitary executive theory defines their incompatibility.
To continue receiving this newsletter in your mail, consider subscribing for Free.
How Trump’s “Project 2025” Violates American Foundational Principles
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (1776) and Project 2025 represent diametrically opposed forces in American political history — one laying the foundation for democratic self-governance, while the other proposes a radical overhaul of modern governance structures that favors authoritarianism. Their societal impacts diverge sharply in philosophy, institutional trust, and individual liberties.
Foundational Principles vs. Authoritative Impacts
Civil Liberties and Rights
Common Sense:
Payne considers rights to be inherent and universal, as later codified in the Bill of Rights (e.g., free speech, due process). Paine argued against systems that “shut the door to knowledge” via hereditary rule.
Project 2025:
- Rolls back protections: Targets LGBT rights in schools, healthcare, and workplaces, weakening civil rights enforcement.
- Reproductive rights: Restricts access to medication abortion and undermines healthcare equity.
- Voting access: Proposes criminalizing election processes and politicizing DOJ oversight, threatening minority voting rights.
Governance and Democracy
Common Sense:
Catalyzed public participation, urging colonists to “form a constitution that secures freedom.” Its emphasis on frequent elections and legislative accountability directly shaped Articles I through III of the Constitution.
Project 2025:
- Executive power expansion: Aims to replace career civil servants with political loyalists, enabling unilateral policy shifts without congressional oversight.
- Education: Seeks to defund public schools, limit student loan access, and erase protections for marginalized students.
- Environmental policy: Deregulates polluters, reversing climate action measures.
Philosophical Contradictions
- Power Distribution:
Paine warned against concentrated authority, calling monarchy “the pride of kings… thrown off balance by the people”. Project 2025’s executive centralization contradicts this democratic foundational belief, reiterating the pre-Revolutionary British monarchy’s overreach. - Rights vs. Control:
While Common Sense expanded liberties through democratic ideals, Project 2025 prioritizes ideological conformity — e.g., banning DEI programs and enabling discrimination against LGBT communities, among other restrictions. - Public Welfare:
Paine’s vision sought to uplift collective well-being; Project 2025’s cuts to social programs (e.g., Head Start for 1 million children) risk deepening inequality.
To continue receiving this newsletter in your mail, consider subscribing for Free.
Historical Parallels and Divergence
Both documents emerged during periods of societal fracture, but their trajectories differ:
- 1776: Paine’s pamphlet unified disparate colonies under a shared democratic ideal.
- 2025: The Heritage Foundation’s blueprint exacerbates polarization by privileging partisan loyalty over institutional stability.
- Paine’s legacy endures as a defense of participatory Democracy.
- Project 2025’s implementation weakens the very systems Common Sense helped establish, risking America’s resilience against authoritarian drift.
To continue receiving this newsletter in your mail, consider subscribing for Free.
If Thomas Paine Were Alive Today, What Would He Do?
If Thomas Paine were alive in 2025, his advice to American citizens would center on “vigilant defense of constitutional principles,” “collective action against authoritarianism,” and “reinvigoration of civic responsibility.” Based upon Common Sense and the constitutional framework he influenced, here’s how he might address modern challenges:
Core Principles to Uphold
1. Popular Sovereignty as a Living Practice
— Principle: “Government is a trust, and officers are trustees; the people are sovereign,” Paine would declare, given his belief that authority flows from collective consent.
— Advice: Reject passive governance. Use voting, jury duty, town halls, and public meeting places to hold leaders accountable. Demand transparency in executive actions and oppose efforts to replace nonpartisan civil servants with partisan loyalists.
2. Defend Decentralized Power
— Principle: Paine’s warning against “the pride of kings” translates to modern threats of personal executive power. He’d condemn efforts to weaken checks on presidential authority, such as politicizing the DOJ or bypassing Congress.
— Advice: Protect federalism by empowering state legislatures and local governments to counterbalance federal overreach. Cite the Tenth Amendment as a barricade.
3. Guard Natural Rights Against Technological Tyranny
— Principle: Paine’s emphasis on privacy (“the right to be secure in one’s person”) would align with Fourth Amendment protections against digital surveillance.
— Advice: Push for laws requiring warrants for government access to digital data. Support encryption and oppose mass surveillance programs.
Strategies to Resist Authoritarianism
Key Actions:
— Leverage the Ninth Amendment: Challenge laws that erode rights not explicitly mentioned in the Bill of Rights, e.g., reproductive autonomy, privacy.
— Mobilize Institutional Stakeholders: Urge businesses, NGOs, religious groups, and the media to reject complicity with authoritarian policies.
— Educate the Next Generation: Teach constitutional literacy to combat apathy and misinformation.
Warnings Against Complacency
Paine would caution that “those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it”:
— Reject Romantic Propaganda for Autocracy: Oppose rhetoric romanticizing strongman rule. Cite historical lessons: centralized power corrupts, and “a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.”
— Preserve Judicial Independence: Defend courts from political coercion, ensuring they remain arbiters of constitutional fidelity.
Finally, this would be Paine’s Exhortation to American Citizens.
Paine’s closing argument would derive from his revolutionary urgency and deep-rooted beliefs:
“The cause of America is still the cause of all humankind. Arm yourselves with knowledge, unite across divides, and let no man usurp the throne you toppled in 1776. The Constitution is your weapon — wield it.” — An Englishman.*
By reviving participatory Democracy and refusing to trade liberty for false security, modern citizens can honor and preserve Paine’s legacy, thereby preventing an authoritarian takeover of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
In Liberty and Democracy, we’ll meet across divides.
Pericles AI
Next article: Who would be today’s Alexander Hamilton?
To continue receiving this newsletter in your mail, consider subscribing for Free.
Acknowledgments:
To Perplexity.AI: I am a proponent of using AI for the well-being of humanity, not for their demise. Therefore, I appreciate the effort made by Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity AI, and his team. Aravin is a perfect example of what immigrants can do for this country by creating an AI application genuinely designed for the well-being of humanity. I would not have been able to write this article with the accuracy, scope, and time constraints I faced without the help of Perplexity AI. I am enthusiastic about its potential and look forward to using it more.
To my mentors, colleagues, friends, and family who are citizens of the United States: I sincerely appreciate the inspiration I have received from all of you, who are deeply concerned about the state of your country. I wrote this article to help you reflect on your country’s great historical examples, to be inspired by them, and to clarify your future ideas and actions.
May the example of your forebears be an inspiration for all of you.
With love.
A concerned citizen and defender of modern Democracy.
Pericles AI
Note: I appreciate your comments on this piece.
Citations:
*Paine signed the first edition of Common Sense with the synonym “An Englishman” to avoid retaliation
I hope this post sheds some light on the current situation in the US and inspires you to take action. It did that for me, too. That is why I am sharing it. However, to have access to future articles, I advise you to subscribe to it.
To continue receiving this newsletter in your mail, consider subscribing for Free.
