Born February 9, 1737, Thomas

Paine was known as a pamphleteer

and contributed to both the

American and French Revolutions

with the pamphlets The Crisis,

Common Sense, and Rights of Man.

He died in New York, New York at

the age of 72 in 1809, but even

though he had been a key figure in

obtaining the independence of the

United States of America, only six

people attended his funeral because

of his criticism of Christianity.

The American Crisis, published from 1776-1783, was a series of 16 pamphlets

written by Thomas Paine under the pseudonym Common Sense.

The pamphlets were used as a way to motivate the American colonists into

becoming involved with the revolution and used to shame the people loyal to the

King and the people who wanted nothing to do with the revolution into helping.

He also states, “God Almighty will not give up a people to military destruction,

or leave them unsupportedly to perish, who have so earnestly and so repeatedly

sought to avoid the calamities of war, by every decent method which wisdom

could invent”, showing that he believes that God would agree with their cause.

Published anonymously on January 10, 1776, common sense was a pamphlet meant to convince the American colonists to gain their independence from the British.

It was written by ,Thomas Paine, in a way that he knew the colonists would be able to understand. With a variety of references to the holy bible and in a way similar to that of a sermon.

In the first year of its publication, Common Sense sold half a million copies, but the proceeds went to George Washington and his Continental Army

Rights of Man was written by

Thomas Paine as a way to counter

the response of Edmund Burke

towards the French revolution in

his Reflection on the Revolution in

France.

He states that a revolution is just if

the government in power does not

protect its citizens, or their rights.