Thomas Paine

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Thomas Paine dedicated his life to three great causes: the American Revolution, the rights of man and the reform of religion. The author points out that Paine's writings "Common Sense" and "The American Crisis" made him a hero of the American Revolution; however, his attack on the religion of his day in "The Age of Reason" caused him to be ostracized. The paper relates that, as one of the America Revolution's chief pamphleteers, Paine's "plain" style of language helped him explain to the masses his passionate demands for political reform based on his republican views.

From the Paper:

"Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737 in Thetford, England. His father, Joseph Paine, was a maker of ladies corsets. His mother was Frances Cocke. He was a well-educated child, and stayed in school until the age of thirteen. His parents, both being Quakers were not supporters of poetry, but along with Paine were very enthusiastic about his talent. After leaving school, Paine worked at his father's trade until age eighteen. In 1757, he left for London where he found a job as a corset maker to pay for his studies. There he bought a pair of globes to study astronomy and physics."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Coolidge, Olivia. Tom Paine, Revolutionary. New York: Charles Scribners Sons. 1969
• Paine, Thomas. Age of Reason. New York: Buccaneer Books, Inc. 1976
• Paine Thomas. Selected Writings of Thomas Paine. New York: Everybody's Vacation Publishing co. 1945(edited by Richard E. Roberts).
• "Thomas Paine" [online], October 2001. available: http://www.Americanwriters.org/writers/paine.asp
• "Thomas Paine (1736-1809)" [online] 2001. available: http:// www.utm.edu/research/iep/p/paine.htm

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