Paine, Thomas, 1737-1809
Dates
- Existence: 1737 - 1809
Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain)(February 9, 1737 [O.S. January 29, 1736 – June 8, 1809) was an English-born American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary. He authored "Common Sense" (1776) and "The American Crisis" (1776–1783), the two most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, and helped inspire the patriots in 1776 to declare independence from Great Britain. His ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of transnational human rights.