Description
Thomas Paine (1737–1809) was one of the most influential political writers of the eighteenth century and a leading voice of the American Revolution. Born in England, he emigrated to the American colonies in 1774 with a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin. Within two years, the publication of Common Sense transformed the debate over independence, persuading countless colonists that separation from Great Britain was both necessary and inevitable.
During the Revolutionary War, Paine accompanied the Continental Army and wrote The American Crisis, a series of essays intended to sustain public resolve during the nation’s darkest hours. The first essay, published in December 1776, opens with the immortal words, “These are the times that try men’s souls,” and was read aloud to Washington’s troops before the victories at Trenton and Princeton.
Following the Revolution, Paine continued to champion republican government, individual liberty, and the rights of ordinary citizens through works including Rights of Man and The Age of Reason. Though controversial during his lifetime, he is now widely recognized as one of the principal architects of modern democratic thought and among the most consequential political writers in the English language.
