THOMAS PAINE
Thetford, England
January 29, 1737–June 8, 1809
Roving Revolutionary
Thomas Paine is sometimes called “The Father of the Revolution,” though the seeds of the revolution were planted long before he arrived in the United States. Paine came from England to Philadelphia and earned national prominence in 1776 when he published Common Sense, in which he ardently supported American independence. He also served in the army for a short time during the Revolutionary War. His biggest contribution was The Crisis, a pamphlet that encouraged Americans to remain resolved.
Fired with Enthusiasm: Fired from
Everything Else
Young Thomas Paine exasperated his father and everyone around him. He flunked out of school before he was twelve. He served an apprenticeship with his father as a corsetmaker but refused to be tied down, so he tried his hand as a sailor. That did not work either.
Losing jobs, businesses, and the people he loved was commonplace for Paine in his younger years. He started a business as a corsetmaker in Sandwich, Kent, in 1759, the same year he married Mary Lambert. His business failed. They moved to Margate, England, to get a fresh start. Mary became pregnant, but went into early labor. Lamentably, she and the child died in 1760—less than a year after their wedding.
REVOLUTIONARY REVELATIONS
Thomas Paine also worked as a servant and schoolteacher. According to some accounts, he was an ordained Church of England clergyman—even though he had been raised as a Quaker.
Later, he obtained a job in 1768 as a tax officer in Lewes, England, working for a government for which he had no particular fondness. Paine functioned as a tax officer for four years. During that time he was fired twice. After being fired the first time, he opened a tobacco shop and married his landlord’s daughter, Elizabeth Olive, on March 26, 1771. The shop and the marriage failed. He was able to obtain a second appointment as a tax officer.
Although Paine was unable to hold a job, he found his true calling during his time with the tax authority. He wrote his first political tract in 1772, a twenty-one page pamphlet called The Case of the Officers of Excise. In it, he argued on behalf of his fellow tax officers in Lewes for a pay raise and better working conditions. Two years later he was discharged for being absent from his post without permission.
Quotations to Live (and Die) By!
“SOCIETY IS PRODUCED BY OUR WANTS AND GOVERNMENT BY OUR WICKEDNESS.”
—THOMAS PAINE
REVOLUTIONARY REVELATIONS
Paine had 4,000 copies of The Case of the Officers of Excise printed. Among the first recipients were the members of Parliament. They were not amused.
He moved to London, where he met Benjamin Franklin in the early 1770s. Franklin was impressed by Paine’s passion. The elder statesman suggested to Paine that a man of his talents—which had not yet been developed fully—should move to America. Paine followed Franklin’s advice.
The Power of the Press
Paine arrived in Philadelphia on November 30, 1774. He began writing articles for Pennsylvania Magazine to gain journalistic experience. During his first year in the city he developed an appreciation for the American’s pursuit of independence.
On January 10, 1776, Paine published his short work, Common Sense, in which he attacked the British form of government and its constitution, opposed reconciliation with Britain, called for an American declaration of independence, and espoused a republican style of government in the new country. The controversial pamphlet was an immediate success.
Paine became an instant hero in America. His words were a clarion call to independence—and war. Paine put down his pen and joined the army. He picked it up again quickly.
Quotations to Live (and Die) By!
“I FIND COMMON SENSE IS WORKING A POWERFUL CHANGE IN THE MINDS OF MEN.”
—GEORGE WASHINGTON
Never Lose a Good Crisis
Even as Paine joined the army in its retreat across New Jersey, he continued writing. He authored a series of pamphlets known collectively as The American Crisis, which bolstered soldiers’ flagging morale and kept the spirit of independence alive.
Quotations to Live (and Die) By!
“THESE ARE THE TIMES THAT TRY MEN’S SOULS.”
—THOMAS PAINE
Paine kept writing as the war drew to a close, and Americans continued to draw inspiration from his words. Finally, in The Crisis, XIII, he wrote, “The times that tried men’s souls are over—and the greatest and completest revolution the world ever knew, gloriously and happily accomplished.” Then he disappeared.
After the fighting ended, there was no need for Paine’s pen. He busied himself with more worldly issues, like wheedling money out of Congress. Since he was in dire financial straits after the war, he petitioned various governments for compensation. Congress eventually awarded him $3,000, and New York gave him a farm in New Rochelle it had seized from a Tory sympathizer.
REVOLUTIONARY REVELATIONS
Thomas Paine tried to earn some money on his own after the Revolutionary War by developing a smokeless candle and an iron bridge. Like most of his prior business ventures, his inventions did not pan out.
Finally, disenchanted with the United States and its lack of support for him, he moved back to Europe, bouncing between France and England. He wrote pamphlets in support of the French revolutionaries, for which he went to jail.
Paine languished in Luxembourg Prison from December 28, 1793, to November 4, 1794. The new U.S. ambassador to France, James Monroe, finally secured his release.
A Sad End
Friends were getting hard to come by for Paine as the nineteenth century began. He had begun a series of attacks on religion, which was making him persona non grata in Europe. Thomas Jefferson came to his rescue and invited him back to the United States.
News of Paine’s attacks on religion reached the United States long before he did in October 1802. When he got back to what he thought was friendly territory, former friends greeted him with less than open arms.
Paine spent his final years in New York City, suffering from alcoholism, poverty, and poor health. He had become a subject of derision, rather than a returning hero. He died at the age of seventy-two, and was buried at his farm in New Rochelle.
Quotations to Live (and Die) By!
“HE HAD LIVED LONG, DID SOME GOOD AND MUCH HARM.”
—THOMAS PAINE’S OBITUARY, NEW YORK CITIZEN NEWSPAPER
Only five people attended Paine’s funeral. That was a sad farewell for the man many people called “The Father of the Revolution.”