Free Essays on Thomas Paine

The Writings of Thomas Paine were crucial to the execution and success of the American Revolution. In the pamphlet Common Sense, Thomas Paine defines the American Revolution. He speaks of man’s natural right to govern themselves and King George’s actions not protecting but suppressing these rights. This type of talk was controversial to Congress who at this point was trying to patch relations with England rather than start a Revolution. Congress did not believe that the colonies could assemble a sufficient army to defeat the British. These reservations did not last very long though. Widespread support among citizens made Revolution a reality (Foerster, 189). Paine contributed to the Revolution in two ways. First and foremost his pamphlet Common Sense challenged Americans to stand up and fight for independence. In this essay Paine wrote of the natural right of man to govern themselves instead of living under control of George III. Paine spoke out boldly against George III, more so than anyone before him. Paine states that not only George III was corrupt but also the entire institution of monarchy was inherently evil. He said that, â€Å"a government of our own is our natural right. O ye that love mankind, ye that dare oppose not only tyranny but the tyrant stand forth†(Garraty 118). This call to arms spread through the country like wildfire. The talk of revolution was on the tongues of almost all of the colonists. After the release of this pamphlet the mood of the great debate changed drastically. The continental Congress began to speak and act more deliberately. In the month of March, Congress turned American Privateers agai! nst the British. Two months later, Congress encouraged states to set up their own government and Constitution. All of these things were sparked by Paine’s, Common Sense. Paine’s second great contribution to the revolution was the â€Å"American Crisis.† With these letters, Paine chall... Free Essays on Thomas Paine Free Essays on Thomas Paine The Life and Writings of Thomas Paine Thomas Paine was one of the most important minds in American History. Through his pamphlet Common Sense, he revolutionized political writing, by bringing his message to the most humble of people. He did so by making a clear, concise document, which could be understood by anyone. Thomas Paine was born on January 29th 1737 in Norfolk England. His father, Joseph, was a Quaker staymaker (he made women’s corsets) and also had a small farm so he could afford to send Tom to grammar school. Tom’s mother was Francis Cooke, an Anglican, who seemed to have little or no influence on Tom’s upbringing. Tom stayed in school until he was sixteen when he left home to join the privateer ship The Terrible, commanded by a fellow named Captain Death. Needless to say, his father was very concerned about his career choice, so he tracked Tom down and convinced him to come back home and continue his staymaker apprenticeship. Tom stayed with his apprenticeship for about three years until the beginning of the Seven Years’ War, whereupon he ran away and joined the privateer The King of Prussia. This would prove to be another failed career choice seeing as that he served on the ship for a maximum of one year. After leaving The King of Prussia, he resumed his staymaking business in London. Then in 1759, at the age of twenty-two, he married a maid named Mary Lambert. He then moved with his wife to Margate, a province outside of London, whereupon she died of unknown causes. Some historians believe she died during childbirth, but there is no record of her death. After Mary’s death, Tom decided to pick up her father’s profession as a customs officer. It was a hard job and offered minimal wages, however it offered Tom a break from staymaking. He held the job for three years until he was fired for stamping some uninspected goods. Tom went back to staymaking and served as a grammar school Engl... Free Essays on Thomas Paine Thomas Paine was an Anglo-American political philosopher whose writings had great influence during two disturbances in the 18th century: the American Revolution and the French Revolution. He remained poor throughout his life. At the age of 13 he began working for his father, and at 19 he went to sea. Paine returned to England shortly thereafter and moved through various jobs, eventually becoming an excise officer. As an officer he had to collect taxes from smugglers he tracked down. He was dismissed in 1772 for publishing a document calling for an increase in wages as a means of reducing corruption in government service. His personal life did not fare much better; his first wife died and he later legally separated from his second wife. In London Paine met and befriended Benjamin Franklin, who was serving as a representative of the American colonies in Great Britain. On Franklin's advice, and equipped with letters of introduction from him, Paine immigrated to Philadelphia in 1774. He became an editor on the Pennsylvania Magazine and also anonymously published writings, including poetry. One of his publications was the article "African Slavery in Americ! a," in which he condemned the practice of slavery. Paine published his most famous work, the 50-page pamphlet, Common Sense, on January 10, 1776. In a dramatic, rhetorical style, the document asserted that the American colonies received no advantage from Great Britain, which was exploiting them, and that every consideration of common sense called for the colonies to become independent and establish a republican government of their own. The document went on to criticize the monarchy as an institution. Published anonymously, the pamphlet sold more than 500,000 copies and helped encourage, with comments such as "The birthday of a new world is at hand," the writing of the Declaration of Independence six months later. Paine wrote a series of pamphlets between 1776 and 1783 e... Free Essays on Thomas Paine Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737 at Thetford, Norfolk in England. After a short education, he started to work, at first for his father.. During this time Thomas Paine was an unsuccesfull man.. In 1774, he met Benjamin Franklin in London, toldhim to emigrate to America. Paine arrived in Philadelphia on November 30, 1774. He started out as a publicist, he first published his African Slavery in America, in 1775, criticizing slavery in America as being unjust and inhumaine. At this time he also had become co-editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine In Philadelphia, Paine had sensed the rise of tension, and the spirit of rebellion, that had steadily mounted in the Colonies after the Boston Tea Partyand when the fightings had started, in April 1775, with the battles of Lexington and Concord. In Paine's view the Colonies had all the right to revolt against a government that imposed taxes on them but which did not give them the right of representation in the Parliament at Westminster. But he went even further: for him there was no reason for the Colonies to stay dependent on England. On January 10, 1776 Paine formulated his ideas on american independence in his pamphlet Common Sense. In his Common Sense, Paine states that sooner or later independence from England must come, because America had lost touch with the mother country. In his words, all the arguments for separation of England are based on nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments and common sense. Government was necessary evil that could only become safe when it was representative and altered by frequent elections. The function of government in society ought to be only regulating and therefore as simple as possible. Not suprisingly, but nevertheless remarkable was his call for a declaration of independence. Due to the many copies sold (500.000) Paine's influence on the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776 is eminent. Another sign of his great influen... Free Essays on Thomas Paine The Writings of Thomas Paine were crucial to the execution and success of the American Revolution. In the pamphlet Common Sense, Thomas Paine defines the American Revolution. He speaks of man’s natural right to govern themselves and King George’s actions not protecting but suppressing these rights. This type of talk was controversial to Congress who at this point was trying to patch relations with England rather than start a Revolution. Congress did not believe that the colonies could assemble a sufficient army to defeat the British. These reservations did not last very long though. Widespread support among citizens made Revolution a reality (Foerster, 189). Paine contributed to the Revolution in two ways. First and foremost his pamphlet Common Sense challenged Americans to stand up and fight for independence. In this essay Paine wrote of the natural right of man to govern themselves instead of living under control of George III. Paine spoke out boldly against George III, more so than anyone before him. Paine states that not only George III was corrupt but also the entire institution of monarchy was inherently evil. He said that, â€Å"a government of our own is our natural right. O ye that love mankind, ye that dare oppose not only tyranny but the tyrant stand forth†(Garraty 118). This call to arms spread through the country like wildfire. The talk of revolution was on the tongues of almost all of the colonists. After the release of this pamphlet the mood of the great debate changed drastically. The continental Congress began to speak and act more deliberately. In the month of March, Congress turned American Privateers agai! nst the British. Two months later, Congress encouraged states to set up their own government and Constitution. All of these things were sparked by Paine’s, Common Sense. Paine’s second great contribution to the revolution was the â€Å"American Crisis.† With these letters, Paine chall...