Thomas Paine Quotes - 10 quotes

Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was an influential English-American writer and political pamphleteer. He is best known for his works "Common Sense" (1776) and "The American Crisis" (1776-1783), which played a crucial role in inspiring the American Revolution. He was born on January 29, 1737, in Thetford, Norfolk, England. Paine's early life in England was marked by various jobs, including corset making and excise officer duties. In 1774, he emigrated to the American colonies with the help of Benjamin Franklin. His pamphlet "Common Sense" argued for American independence from Britain and sold over 500,000 copies, significantly influencing public opinion. During the Revolutionary War, Paine wrote a series of pamphlets titled "The American Crisis," which bolstered the morale of American troops. After the war, he continued to write, producing works like "Rights of Man" (1791), defending the French Revolution, and "The Age of Reason" (1794-1807), critiquing organized religion. Paine spent much of the 1790s in France, where he was involved in the French Revolution and narrowly escaped execution during the Reign of Terror. He returned to the United States in 1802. He faced ostracism due to his controversial views on religion. Paine died on June 8, 1809, in New York City.