Thomas Paine

British-American-French intellectual, pamphleteer, and revolutionary

7 quotes in the MindQuotes library.

About

Thomas Paine, born in England in 1737, emigrated to America in 1774 with letters from Benjamin Franklin. His pamphlet 'Common Sense' (1776) galvanized support for American independence. He wrote 'The American Crisis' (1776-1783) and engaged in the French Revolution, publishing 'Rights of Man' (1791-1792) and 'The Age of Reason' (1794-1796). He died in New York in 1809.

* 1737-02-09 — † 1809-06-08

Major works

  • Common Sense (1776)pamphlet
  • The American Crisis (1776-1783)series of pamphlets
  • Rights of Man (1791-1792)political treatise
  • The Age of Reason (1794-1796)philosophical treatise
  • Agrarian Justice (1797)pamphlet

Key milestones

  • 1776Publication of 'Common Sense', advocating American independence, selling over 500,000 copies.
  • 1791-1792Publication of 'Rights of Man', defending the French Revolution, banned in England and leading to his indictment for seditious libel.
  • 1793-1794Imprisoned in Paris under Robespierre for opposing the execution of Louis XVI.

Themes

American independenceRights of manRepublicanismDeismSocial justice

Sources: plato.stanford.edu · britannica.com