Thomas Paine: Patriot, Writer, and American Founder

Introduction

It is difficult to think of the founding of the United States without calling to mind Thomas Paine. Paine's Common Sense and Age of Reason have become not only part of American history, but part of classic American literature. Paine is perhaps the least revered and celebrated of all the founding fathers, but also, perhaps, one of the most patriotic and influential.

Early Life and Path to America

Thomas Paine was born January 29, 1737, in Thetford, Norfolk, England. His mother was Anglican and his father was Quaker. The family was poor, and Paine had only a brief education before going to work for his father. He went to sea at age nineteen. Later, he held various jobs and eventually became an excise officer, collecting taxes from smugglers (Encarta). In 1772, he was dismissed for "publishing a document calling for an increase in wages as a means of reducing corruption in government service" (Encarta).

While in London in 1774, Paine met Benjamin Franklin, a representative of the American colonies. Franklin advised Paine to go to America (Encarta). With letters of introduction from Franklin, Paine landed in Philadelphia in 1774. He soon became an editor for the Pennsylvania Magazine and also published writings, including poetry, anonymously. One such article was "African Slavery in America," condemning the practice of slavery (Encarta).

Common Sense and the Push for Independence

Paine's most famous work, a fifty-page pamphlet called Common Sense, was published on January 10, 1776. In it, Paine wrote, "The new republican materials, in the persons of the commons, on whose virtue depends the freedom of England" (Paine). He criticized the monarchy as an institution, claiming that Great Britain was exploiting the American colonies, and argued that common sense prescribed that the colonies should become independent and establish their own republican government (Encarta).

This small pamphlet sold more than 500,000 copies, inspiring comments such as "The birthday of a new world is at hand" (Encarta). Six months after its publication came the Declaration of Independence.

The American Revolution and Political Service

During the American Revolution, Paine served briefly in the army under General Nathanael Greene. Between 1776 and 1783, he wrote a series of pamphlets called The American Crisis (Encarta). These pamphlets served as words of inspiration for those in battle, including the famous opening line, "These are the times that try men's souls" (Encarta). So inspiring were Paine's words that George Washington ordered the pamphlets read aloud to his troops to give them hope to endure.

The Second Continental Congress of 1777 appointed Paine as secretary of the Committee of Foreign Affairs. In early 1779, he lost the position due to a political dispute and "remained unemployed until November when he became clerk of the Pennsylvania legislature" (Encarta). Despite his own financial difficulties, Paine established a fund for needy soldiers, so great was his concern for the hardships of American troops (Encarta). He applied to Congress for financial aid, but political opponents blocked any assistance. He did, however, receive aid from Pennsylvania, and New York gave him a farm in New Rochelle (Encarta).