The terms "Summer Soldier" and "Sunshine Patriot" have deep historical roots, originating from the writings of Thomas Paine during the American Revolutionary War. In his pamphlet "The Crisis," published in December 1776, Paine made a poignant distinction between those who support their country in times...
Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense,” published in January 1776, is one of the most influential pamphlets in American history. At a time when the idea of independence from Britain was not universally accepted, Paine’s work served as a clarion call for revolution, urging ordinary people to...
Thomas Paine’s ‘Rights of Man’ is one of those texts that remains as relevant today as it was back in the late 18th century. Published in two parts in 1791 and 1792, this work is not only a powerful defense of the French Revolution but...
Introduction to Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense,” published in 1776, played a pivotal role in shaping the American Revolution. It was not just another piece of writing; it was a revolutionary call to arms that resonated with the colonists who were...
The Call for Independence When we dive into the pages of “Common Sense,” penned by Thomas Paine in 1776, we encounter a compelling case for independence that feels as relevant today as it did over two centuries ago. Paine was not just another philosopher scribbling...
In times of crisis, the words of Thomas Paine have proven to be both powerful and persuasive. As a revolutionary thinker and prolific writer, Paine’s work has left a lasting impact on history, particularly in times of turmoil. In this essay, we will delve into...
The first sentence of the very informative and persuasive document know as Common Sense, Thomas Paine says, that just because there isn’t anything wrong does not make anything right. He also starts to explain how America will be an example for the universe and how...
The early Colonial American authors wrote in a way that shaped the world as we know it. Their experiences shed a different light on the new world. Jonathan Edwards and Thomas Paine are two authors in specific that informed and changed a plethora of the...
Thomas Paine: An Intelligent Man and Influential Author Thomas Paine was an amazing author that wrote “two of the most popular books in eighteenth-century America” as well as other influential pieces (Levine 681). Paine was a very intelligent and a remarkable individual that was unable...
Freedom According to Winthrop and Paine The United States is often seen as the epitome of freedom, but there is much debate as to what exactly we mean when we say we value freedom. Since the very beginning, when the colonies were first forming, many...
Thomas Paine in his work, Common Sense (1776) appeals to reason and the employment of human common sense, according to the prevailing age of Enlightenment or Reason. He poses in support for independence from Britain. America’s welfare, in his view, should never be reliant upon...
The following comes from a man that has a lot of Common Sense, Thomas Paine. Thomas Paine is one of the principal founders of the idea of American Independence. “I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church,...
As I re-read the two religious and not so religious writings by Jonathan Edwards and Thomas Paine, I could see a lot more than I did before. These writings seem to be total opposite thoughts and writings to me. Jonathan Edwards used Deuteronomy 32. 35...
John Winthrop and Thomas Paine each hold remarkable places in early American history and strived to establish liberty in the British colonies. John Winthrop, dying nearly a century before Paine’s birth, led the Reformed Protestants to the New World, pursuing an “errand in the wilderness.”...
Thomas Paine emerges as a seminal figure, whose written works galvanized the populace during the crucible of revolution. Not merely content to argue for independence through straightforward prose, Paine skillfully wielded figurative language as both sword and shield, engaging minds and hearts alike. This essay...
Thomas Paine
Born
February 9, 1737, Thetford, United Kingdom
Died
June 8, 1809, Greenwich Village, New York, United States
Spouse
Mary Lambert (m. 1759)
Elizabeth Ollive(m. 1771; separated 1774)
Era
Age of Enlightenment
Quotes
"These are the times that try men's souls."
"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value."
"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."
Date
February 9, 1737 – June 8, 1809
Activity
Thomas Paine was an English-born American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary. He authored Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776–1783), two of the most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, and helped inspire the Patriots in 1776 to declare independence from Great Britain. His ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of transnational human rights.
American Revolution
Paine has a claim to the title The Father of the American Revolution, which rests on his pamphlets, especially Common Sense, which crystallized sentiment for independence in 1776. By promoting the idea of American exceptionalism and the need to form a new nation to realize its promise, Paine's pamphlet not only attracted public support for the Revolution, but put the rebellion's leaders under pressure to declare independence.
Works
Common Sense (1776), The American Crisis (1776–1783), Rights of Man (1791), The Age of Reason (1793–1794), Agrarian Justice (1797)
Themes and Ideas
In The Age of Reason and other writings Paine advocated Deism, promoted reason and freethought, and argued against institutionalized religions in general and the Christian doctrine in particular. The theme of the pamphlet The Common Sense is the inevitability of American independence and the problems with monarchy.
Influence
Thomas Paine challenged the principles of liberty, equality, and justice. He was a revolutionary thinker who used Enlightenment ideology as a platform to persuade towards the founding of an independant America, and towards the founding of the Declaration of Independence.
Quotes
“The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.”
“These are the times that try men's souls.”
“Whatever is my right as a man is also the right of another; and it becomes my duty to guarantee as well as to possess.”
“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”
