The Bowen Freedom Foundation : The Great American Documents Series Presents :
[ Common Sense ]
by Thomas Paine


Thomas Paine
Biography # 1

Paine, Thomas
b. Jan. 29, 1737, Thetford, Norfolk, Eng. d. June 8, 1809, New York, N.Y., U.S.

English-American writer and political pamphleteer whose "Common Sense" and "Crisis" papers were important influences on the American Revolution. Other works that contributed to his reputation as one of the greatest political propagandists in history were Rights of Man, a defense of the French Revolution and of republican principles; and The Age of Reason, an exposition of the place of religion in society.

Written anonymously in 1776, Thomas Paine's Common Sense is commonly regarded as the spark that ignited the American Revolution. Maintaining "The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind," Paine passionately argued the for independence from Great Britain and the ability of the young country to prosper unfettered by the oppressive and economically draining English. An instant bestseller, this popular pamphlet set the foundation for the Declaration of Independence and ultimately the Revolutionary War.

Thomas Paine
Biography # 2

Published anonymously by Thomas Paine in January of 1776, Common Sense was an instant best-seller, both in the colonies and in Europe. It went through several editions in Philadelphia, and was republished in all parts of United America. Because of it, Paine became internationally famous.

"A Covenanted People" called Common Sense "by far the most influential tract of the American Revolution....it remains one of the most brilliant pamphlets ever written in the English language."

Paine's political pamphlet brought the rising revolutionary sentiment into sharp focus by placing blame for the suffering of the colonies directly on the reigning British monarch, George III.

First and foremost, Common Sense advocated an immediate declaration of independence, postulating a special moral obligation of America to the rest of the world. Not long after publication, the spirit of Paine's argument found resonance in the American Declaration of Independence.

Written at the outset of the Revolution, Common Sense became the leaven for the ferment of the times. It stirred the colonists to strengthen their resolve, resulting in the first successful anticolonial action in modern history.

Little did Paine realize that his writings would set fire to a movement that had seldom if ever been worked out in the Old World: sovereignty of the people and written constitutions, together with effective checks and balances in government. Paine has been described as a professional radical and a revolutionary propagandist without peer. Born in England, he was dismissed as an excise officer while lobbying for higher wages. Impressed by Paine, Benjamin Franklin sponsored Paine's emigration to America in 1774.

In Philadelphia Paine became a journalist and essayist, contributing articles on all subjects toThe Pennsylvania Magazine. After the publication of Common Sense, Paine continued to inspire and encourage the patriots during the Revolutionary War with a series of pamphlets entitled The American Crisis. Eventually, Paine went on to write The Rights of Man and The Age of Reason.

But, it all started with Common Sense, the writing that sparked an American Revolution.

Bibliography

A. Owen Aldridge, "Tom Paine's American Ideology." 1984. A.J. Ayer, "Thomas Paine." 1989. I. Dyck, ed., "Citizen of the World." 1988. David F. Hawke, "Paine." 1974. Thomas Clio Rickman, "The Life of Thomas Paine." London. 1819. Audrey Williamson, "Thomas Paine: His Life, Work and Times." 1973. Jerome D. Wilson and William F. Ricketson, "Thomas Paine." 1978.

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[ Common Sense ]