Synopsis
Thomas Paine was an influential 18th-century writer of essays and pamphlets. Among them were
"The Age of Reason," regarding the place of religion in society; "Rights of Man," a piece
defending the French Revolution; and "Common Sense," which was published during the
American Revolution. "Common Sense," Paine's most influential piece, brought his ideas to a
vast audience, swaying (the otherwise undecided) public opinion to the view that independence
Thomas Paine was born in Thetford, England, in 1737, to a Quaker father and an
Anglican mother. Paine’s critical approach to religion began at home. Paine called himself a
deist, believing in one god based on natural laws. He left school at the age of 13 to work with his
father, making corsets, later on supporting himself by working as a tax excise man and as a
teacher. Thomas didn't exactly excel at the role, getting discharged from his post twice in four
years, but as an inkling of what was to come, he published The Case of the Officers of
Excise (1772), arguing for a pay raise for officers. In 1774, he met Benjamin Franklin in London,
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Subject: Caribbean History
Class: Upper six (6) Arts
Student Name: Tyron Rhamanohar
Paine landed at Philadelphia on November 30, 1774. Starting over as a publicist, he first
published his African Slavery in America, in the spring of 1775, criticizing slavery in America as
being unjust and inhumane. At this time he also had become co-editor of the Pennsylvania
Magazine On arriving in Philadelphia, Paine had sensed the rise of tension, and the spirit of
rebellion, that had steadily mounted in the Colonies after the Boston Tea party and when the
fighting’s had started, in April 1775, with the battles of Lexington and Concord. In Paine's view
the Colonies had all the right to revolt against a government that imposed taxes on them but
which did not give them the right of representation in the Parliament at Westminster. But he
went even further: for him there was no reason for the Colonies to stay dependent on England.
Thus, on January 10, 1776 Paine formulated his ideas on American independence in his
In his Common Sense, Paine states that sooner or later independence from England must
come, because America had lost touch with the mother country. In his words, all the arguments
for separation of England are based on nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments and
common sense. Paine saw government as necessary evil that could only become safe when it was
representative and altered by frequent elections. The function of government in society ought to
be only regulating and therefore as simple as possible. Paine says that as a colony of Britain,
America lacks respectability on the international scene. They are seen simply as rebels, and
cannot form substantial alliances with other nations. In order to prosper in the long term, the
colonies need to be independent. Paine says that, by declaring independence, America will be
able to ask for the help of other countries in its struggle for freedom. For all of these reasons,
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Subject: Caribbean History
Class: Upper six (6) Arts
Student Name: Tyron Rhamanohar
Paine says it is imperative and urgent that the colonies declare independence. Due to the many
copies sold (500.000) Paine's influence on the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776 is
eminent. Also the style of writing and used of clever sound which bites deep into the
consciousness of the new nation, preparing the way for the Declaration of Independence (Jensen
1967, p418). Another sign of his great influence is the number of loyalist reactions to Common
Sense. Thus, the pamphlet made its way to Europe and was reprinted in England, Scotland,
During the War of Independence Paine volunteered in the Continental Army and started
with the writing of his highly influential sixteen American Crisis papers, which he published
between 1776 and 1783. In 1777 he became Secretary of the Committee of Foreign Affairs in
Congress, but already in 1779 he was forced to resign because he had disclosed secret
information. In the following nine years he worked as a clerk at the Pennsylvania Assembly and
In 1787 Thomas Paine left for England, initially to raise funds for the building of a bridge
he had designed, but after the outbreak of the French Revolution he became deeply involved in
it. Between March 1791 and February 1792 he published numerous editions of his Rights of
Man, in which he defended the French Revolution against the attacks by Edmund Burke, in
his Reflections on the Revolution in France. But it was more than a defense of the French
Revolution: An analysis of the roots of the discontent in Europe, which he laid in arbitrary
government, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and war. The book being banned in England
because it opposed to monarchy, Paine failed to be arrested because he was already on his way to
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Subject: Caribbean History
Class: Upper six (6) Arts
Student Name: Tyron Rhamanohar
France, having been elected in the National Convention. Though a true republicanism, he was
imprisoned in 1793 under Robespierre, because he had voted against the execution of the
dethroned king Louis XVI. During his imprisonment the publication of his Age of
Reason started. Age of Reason was written in praise of the achievements of the Age of Enlighten,
and it was in this book that he was accused of being an atheist. The book criticizes
institutionalized religion for perceived corruption and political ambition, while challenging the
validity of the Bible. The book was controversial and the British government prosecuted anyone
He was freed in 1794 (narrowly escaping execution) thanks to the efforts of James
Monroe, then U.S. Minister to France. Paine remained in France until 1802 when he returned to
America on an invitation from Thomas Jefferson. Back in the United States he learned that he
was seen as a great infidel, or simply forgotten for what he had done for America. However, He
continued his critical writings, for instance against the Federalists and on religious superstition.
United States of America’ and ‘The French Revolution.’ Therefore, it is said that he should be
recognized as one of the founding fathers of enlightenment. Paine died in New York on June 8,
1809, aged 72 years. “Common Sense” was the bestselling literary work of its time. Its’ rallying
for independence laid the groundwork for the foundations of a living, breathing document for the
liberty of a people, and providing a turning point in history for other democracies to follow.
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Subject: Caribbean History
Class: Upper six (6) Arts
Student Name: Tyron Rhamanohar
Among his many talents, Thomas Paine has accomplished work in engineer and inventor.
Some of his devices were never developed beyond the planning stage, but there are a few of
note. He developed a crane for lifting heavy objects, a smokeless candle, and tinkered with the
idea of using gunpowder as a method for generating power. For years, Paine had possessed a
fascination with bridges. He made several attempts to build bridges in both America and England
after the Revolutionary War. Perhaps his most impressive engineering achievement was the
Sunderland Bridge across the Wear River at Wearmonth, England. His goal was to build a single
span bridge with no piers. In 1796, the 240-foot span bridge was completed. It was the second
iron bridge ever built and at the time the largest in the world. Renovated in 1857, the bridge
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Subject: Caribbean History
Class: Upper six (6) Arts
Student Name: Tyron Rhamanohar
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/biographies/thomas-paine/
Jensen, M. 1967.Tracts of the American Revolution. United States of America. The Bobbs-
Merrill Company.
Foner, E. 1976. Thomas Paine’s Republic: Radical Ideology and Social Change, In A.F. Young
(ed.),