Thomas Paine was born in England in 1737 and worked as a schoolteacher, storekeeper, and customs inspector before moving to Philadelphia in 1774. He quickly acquired a reputation as a journalist and published his hugely successful and influential pamphlet Common Sense in 1776. The Crisis , written when Paine was a soldier in the darkest days of the revolution-with its famous opening words, "These are the times that try men's souls"-called for perseverance and prevented Washington's army from disintegrating. To honor him for defending the French Revolution in Rights of Man , France made him a citizen and elected him to their constitutional convention. He died in 1809.

Common Sense, Rights of Man, and Other Essential Writings of Thomas PaineForewordIntroductionCOMMON SENSEIntroductionOf the origin and design of government in generalOf monarchy and hereditary successionThoughts on the present state of American affairsOf the present ability of AmericaAppendixThe CrisisNumber INumber III (Selections)Number IV (Selections)Number VNumber VII (Selections)Number VIII (Selections)Number XIIIRights of ManPart the FirstPrefaces: To the French Edition; To the English EditionRights of ManDeclaration of the Rights of Man and of CitizensObservations on the Declaration of RightsMiscellaneous ChapterConclusionPart the Second: Combining Principles and PracticePrefaceIntroductionChapter I: Of Society and CivilizationChapter II: Of the Origin of the Present Old GovernmentsChapter III: Of the Old and New Systems of GovernmentChapter IV: Of ConstitutionsChapter V: Ways and Means of Improving the Conditions of Europe, Interspersed with Miscellaneous Observations (Selections)The Age of ReasonPart One (Selections)Agrarian Justice (Selections)Suggested Readings

A volume of Thomas Paine's most essential works, showcasing one of American history's most eloquent proponents of democracy.Upon publication, Thomas Paine's modest pamphlet Common Sense shocked and spurred the foundling American colonies of 1776 to action. It demanded freedom from Britain-when even the most fervent patriots were only advocating tax reform. Paine's daring prose paved the way for the Declaration of Independence and, consequently, the Revolutionary War. For "without the pen of Paine," as John Adams said, "the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain."Later, his impassioned defense of the French Revolution, Rights of Man, caused a worldwide sensation. Napoleon, for one, claimed to have slept with a copy under his pillow, recommending that "a statue of gold should be erected to [Paine] in every city in the universe."Here in one volume, these two complete works are joined with selections from Pain's other major essays, "The Crisis," "The Age of Reason," and "Agrarian Justice."Includes a Foreword by Jack Fruchtman Jr.and an Introduction by Sidney Hook