In Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense", which laid out the reasoning why the United States should continue to fight for independence, he states "Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one." This speaks to his distrust of government and that King George III's government had reached a state which justified armed conflict to overthrow the King, and to form a new government that prioritized the colonies' interests, not England's.
