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Thomas Paine and His Influence on Political Philosophy

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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.

Thomas Paine's Formative Years and Emergence as a Political Writer

Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737 (not 1736), in Thetford, Norfolk, England. He grew to become a significant political philosopher, influencing the American and French revolutions with his writings. Paine's formal education ended when he was twelve, leading him to pursue a path of self-education through extensive reading and writing. His initial engagement with political issues came with the publication of "The Case of the Officers of Excise" in 1772, where he argued for better pay for tax officers, a group to which he belonged. A transformative meeting with Benjamin Franklin in London in 1774 resulted in Paine receiving a letter of recommendation that facilitated his move to the American colonies. Once in America, Paine found work as a journalist, writing articles and essays that would lay the groundwork for his later influential pamphlets.
Quill pen with iridescent sheen and ink drop on blank parchment paper, beside a brass inkwell, on an antique wooden desk with soft lighting.

"Common Sense" and the Development of "Rights of Man"

Thomas Paine's "Common Sense," published in January 1776, was a defining pamphlet that propelled him to fame as a political thinker. Its widespread influence prepared the intellectual ground for his later work, "Rights of Man," written in 1791 as a defense of the French Revolution and a rebuttal to Edmund Burke's conservative critique. Paine's "Rights of Man" argued for the principles of equality, popular sovereignty, and the rights of citizens against the idea of hereditary rule and aristocratic privilege. His experiences in revolutionary France and his alignment with the principles of both the American and French revolutions informed his advocacy for natural rights and a government based on the consent of the governed.

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00

______ ______ was born on ______ ______, ______ in ______, ______, ______.

Thomas Paine

January 29

1737

Thetford

Norfolk

England

01

In 1772, ______ ______ published 'The Case of the Officers of Excise', advocating for improved ______ for tax ______.

Thomas Paine

pay

officers

02

A pivotal encounter with ______ ______ in 1774 helped ______ ______ emigrate to the ______ ______.

Benjamin Franklin

Thomas Paine

American colonies

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