Thomas Paine

English-American, 1737–1809

Thomas Paine (1737–1809) was an English-American political activist, philosopher, and revolutionary whose pamphlet Common Sense galvanized American colonists toward independence from Britain. His clear, passionate prose made complex political arguments accessible to ordinary people, and The Rights of Man defended the French Revolution and the principles of democratic government. Paine is considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.