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Thomas Paine

**"These are the times that try men's souls."

Basic Information** On January 29, 1737, Thomas Paine was born in Thetford, England. At age 12, he failed out of school so he became an apprentice for his father; however, he failed again at the age of 19 and then was sent to sea. His time at sea did not last long and in 1772 he wrote //The Case of the Officers of Excise,// which argued for a pay raise for officers. Then, by shear luck, in London in 1774, he met Ben Franklin. Franklin them helped him to emigrate to America. In America, he became very important to the Revolutionary cause and in 1776, he wrote //Common Sense,// which described America's reasoning for independence. He then joined the Continental Army, but he did not succeed in fighting. His strength was in journalism, and he wrote //The Crisis// (1776-1783). This pamphlet united and inspired the Army for the rest of the war. Instead of staying with the Revolution, he returned to Europe to work on his own projects and then in 1791-1792 he wrote //The Rights of Man.// This book was in response to criticism of the French Revolution. The people of Britain were angered at these anti-monarchist views and tried to arrest him, however, he escaped to France for the National Convention. While in France, he was imprisoned because he opposed the execution of Louis XVI. While in jail, he wrote an anti-church text, //The Age of Reason.// In 1794, he was freed and narrowly escaped execution due to the efforts of James Monroe, the American ambassador to France. He stayed in France until 1802, and then left for America because of an invitation from Thomas Jefferson. Then on June 8, 1809, with no friends and the public hating him, he died at the age of 72 in New York City. 1.) Born January 29, 1737 in Thetford, England 2.) Was imprisoned in France for opposing the the execution of Louis XVI 3.) __The Case of the Officers of Excise__ (1772) - Argued for a pay raise for officers 4.) __Common Sense__ (1776) - Defended American Independence from Great Britain 5.) __The Crisis__ (1776-1777) - Pamphlet that inspired American troops during Revolutionary War 6.) __The Rights of Man__ (1791-1792) - Written in response to criticism of French Revolution 7.) __Age of Reason__ (1794, 1796) - Anti-church text that he wrote while he was in jail 8.) Escaped execution in 1794 due to the help of James Monroe 9.) British people viewed him as anti-monarchist 10.) Died on June 8, 1809, at the age of 72, in New York City [|**Thomas Paine Website**] Q: Why did Thomas Paine write __The Rights of Man__?
 * Facts/Accomplishments**
 * Website **
 * Essential Questions**

Q: Which work of Thomas Paine was read by a larger percentage of people in the 18th century than by the percentage of people today who watched the Super Bowl?

Q: Who published the first edition of //The Rights of Man// for Thomas Paine?

[|Answer to Questions Above]

**Works Cited** Kendig, Thomas. "Thomas Paine." __US History__. 17 Mar. 2008