Thomas Paine Biography Essay

Submitted By cobras89
Words: 377
Pages: 2

Thomas Paine was born on January 29th of 1737 in England. His father was a poor Quaker corseter. He tried to provide his son with an education, but he failed out of that. When Thomas attempted to be an apprentice for his father, he also failed and became a tax collector. As a tax collector he wrote the document “The Case of the Officers of Excise” and it provided an idea of what he might become. In 1774, he met Benjamin Franklin who helped him get to America. When he arrived in America, he settled in Philadelphia and became a journalist. In 1776, he published the short pamphlet “Common Sense” for which he became known as a revolutionary propagandist. Though he hadn’t been there for long, he wasn’t afraid to attack the British government for their monarchy. He also said that America should not have any reconciliation with Great Britain and that they need to make an immediate declaration of independence and set up a republic. While traveling with the Continental Army he wrote “The American Crisis” which inspired US troops. As soon as America won the revolution he left for Europe, mainly France. During the revolution, he wrote two parts to the pamphlet “Rights of Man” which urged political rights for all men. IN it he condemned all forms of hereditary government as he considered it based on force and farce. The popularity of these books forced him out of England and made him an outlaw. After he was exiled, In 1792, he was made a French Citizen and elected to the