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Thomas Paine's 'Rights of Man' is a seminal work advocating for equality, popular sovereignty, and the rights of citizens against hereditary rule. It reflects on the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and criticizes monarchies, envisioning a just society with the right to revolution. Paine's ideas on government accountability and the redistribution of resources to support the vulnerable remain influential.
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Thomas Paine was born in England in 1737 and received a limited formal education
Paine pursued self-education through extensive reading and writing after his formal education ended at the age of twelve
Paine's first involvement with political issues came with his publication of "The Case of the Officers of Excise" in 1772
Paine's meeting with Benjamin Franklin in London in 1774 led to a letter of recommendation that helped him move to the American colonies
Paine found work as a journalist in America, writing articles and essays that would lay the groundwork for his influential pamphlets
Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense," published in 1776, propelled him to fame as a political thinker and influenced the American Revolution
Paine wrote "Rights of Man" in 1791 as a defense of the French Revolution and a rebuttal to Edmund Burke's conservative critique
Paine's "Rights of Man" argues for the principles of equality, popular sovereignty, and the rights of citizens against hereditary rule and aristocratic privilege
Paine condemns hereditary government and monarchy, arguing that intelligence and wisdom cannot be inherited and that people are capable of governing themselves
Paine praises the French declaration for affirming equality and individual freedoms, and sees it as an exemplar for Europe
Paine envisions a society where government is accountable to the people and policies are evaluated based on their justice rather than their novelty