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Thomas Paine
On January 29, 1737, Thomas Paine was born in Thetford, England. His career turned to journalism while in Philadelphia, and suddenly, Thomas Paine became very important. In 1776, he published Common Sense, a strong defense of American Independence from England. "Common Sense was read by or read to more people than today watch the Super Bowl."
Sources http://www.ushistory.org/PAINE/ http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/paine.html Images http://www.scrollpublishing.com/store/media/Thomas-Payne.jpg
In 1793, Paine was imprisoned in France for not endorsing the execution of Louis XVI. During the time of his imprisonment, he wrote and distributed the first part of what became his most famous work at the time, the anti-church text, The Age of Reason (1794-96). He was freed in 1794, (narrowly escaping execution) because of James Monroe.
Due to religious views, Paine's contributions to the American Revolution had been erased. He was derided by the public and abandoned by his friends, he died on June 8, 1809 at the age of 72 in New York City.
The strength of Common Sense was not in the originality of its ideas, but the simplicity of its style. Paine was a pioneer in a new style of political writing suitable to the kind of democratic society he envisioned.Common Sense showed complex ideas intelligible to average readers, with clear, concise writing.
Paine was convinced that the American Revolution was a crusade for a superior political system and how America was unconquerable. He did as much as any writer could to encourage resistance and to inspire faith in the Continental Army.
Kevin Leong
