Thomas Paine
English-born American Founding Father (1737–1809); wrote Common Sense, Rights of Man and The Age of Reason.
At a glance
Main ideas
Independence, Natural rights, Against hereditary rule …
See all 5Books to start with
Common Sense, The American Crisis, Rights of Man …
See all 5Connections
Reflections on the Revolution in France and Rights of Man
See all 2
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Paine was an English-born political philosopher and one of the American Founding Fathers.
- His pamphlet Common Sense (1776) helped persuade the colonists to declare independence from Great Britain.
- In Rights of Man he defended the French Revolution against Edmund Burke, and he was convicted of seditious libel in England in his absence.
- In France he sat in the National Convention and was imprisoned from 1793 to 1794.
- The Age of Reason argued for Deism and against Christian doctrine, and after his return to the US in 1802 he was widely shunned.
Why it matters
- Common Sense was the most widely read pamphlet of the American Revolution, and Rights of Man set out a plan for welfare as a right, paid for by progressive taxes.
Key facts
- Born
- 9 Feb 1737 (29 Jan 1736 Old Style), Thetford, Norfolk, England1
- Died
- 8 Jun 1809, 59 Grove Street, Greenwich Village, New York City1
- To America
- Emigrated to the British American colonies in 1774, with Benjamin Franklin's help1
- Common Sense
- Published in Philadelphia on 10 Jan 1776, signed "by an Englishman"; one biographer estimated about 500,000 copies sold during the Revolution1
- French National Convention
- Elected in 1792 for Pas-de-Calais, though he could not speak French1
- Prison
- Luxembourg Prison, Paris, from December 1793 to November 1794; freed with the help of James Monroe1
Main ideas
-
Independence1
Common Sense attacked monarchy and George III, and catalysed the call for independence.
-
Natural rights2
Rights come from nature, before any law; government exists only to protect them.
-
Against hereditary rule2
The wisdom to govern cannot be inherited, so titles and hereditary government should go.
-
Welfare as a right2
Aid to the poor, the old and children is not charity but a right, paid for with progressive taxes.
-
A guaranteed minimum income1
Agrarian Justice proposed one, funded by a one-time inheritance tax on landowners.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
-
Common Sense1
The 47-page pamphlet that catalysed the call for independence.
-
The American Crisis1
Pro-independence pamphlet series, 1776 to 1783.
-
In defence of the French Revolution and natural rights.
-
The Age of Reason1
For Deism and freethought, against Christian doctrine.
-
Agrarian Justice1
On the origins of property, and a guaranteed minimum income.
Connections
Links
Sources
Last checked against its sources today
Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us
The line under a date fills as time passes: empty when new, then one equal share each for a day, a week, a month and a year. For episodes and other items it is full at 2 years; for "last checked", at a year. A striped line means the date is known only to the month or year.