Common Sense and Other Works

by Thomas Paine

When Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense over the course of 1775 and 1776 it helped to galvanize the colonists to demand egalitarian government and separation from Great Britain. A bestseller in its day, it is recognized as one of the most important historical documents in the run up to the American Revolution. This volume contains not only the full text of Common Sense, but also the full text of Rights of Man, Paine’s defense of the French Revolution, and the first five pamphlets in his American Crisis series.

This special edition features an elegantly designed cover and a durable flexible binding. It is an indispensable addition to any home history library.

Genres: Politics, History

480 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 29, 2021

About the author

Thomas Paine was an English-American political activist, author, political theorist and revolutionary. As the author of two highly influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, he inspired the Patriots in 1776 to declare independence from Britain. His ideas reflected Enlightenment-era rhetoric of transnational human rights. He has been called "a corset maker by trade, a journalist by profession, and a propagandist by inclination".

Born in Thetford, England, in the county of Norfolk, Paine emigrated to the British American colonies in 1774 with the help of Benjamin Franklin, arriving just in time to participate in the American Revolution. His principal contributions were the powerful, widely read pamphlet Common Sense (1776), the all-time best-selling American book that advocated colonial America's independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and The American Crisis (1776–83), a pro-revolutionary pamphlet series. Common Sense was so influential that John Adams said, "Without the pen of the author of Common Sense, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain."

Paine lived in France for most of the 1790s, becoming deeply involved in the French Revolution. He wrote the Rights of Man (1791), in part a defence of the French Revolution against its critics. His attacks on British writer Edmund Burke led to a trial and conviction in absentia in 1792 for the crime of seditious libel. In 1792, despite not being able to speak French, he was elected to the French National Convention. The Girondists regarded him as an ally. Consequently, the Montagnards, especially Robespierre, regarded him as an enemy.

In December 1793, he was arrested and imprisoned in Paris, then released in 1794. He became notorious because of his pamphlet The Age of Reason (1793–94), in which he advocated deism, promoted reason and freethinking, and argued against institutionalized religion in general and Christian doctrine in particular. He also wrote the pamphlet Agrarian Justice (1795), discussing the origins of property, and introduced the concept of a guaranteed minimum income. In 1802, he returned to America where he died on June 8, 1809. Only six people attended his funeral as he had been ostracized for his ridicule of Christianity.

Reviews

[Gene Arthur Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this I realize that the revolutionary times of our founding were right and just. Thomas Paine was the original libertarian. In our current times we need another Thomas Paine. This proves Benjamin Franklin’s aside that we had a Republic, if we could keep it.

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad that most of the arguments within ‘The Rights of Man’ can be applied to the current day government. Paine is rolling in his grave right now.

Two of my favorites quotes from this work:

“The aristocracy are not the farmers who work the land, and raise the produce, but are the mere consumers of the rent; and when compared with the active world are the drones, a seraglio of males, who neither collect the honey nor form the hive, but exist only for lazy enjoyment.”

“When it shall be said in any country in the world, my poor are happy; neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them; my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars; the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive; the rational world is my friend, because I am the friend of its happiness: when these things can be said, then may that country boast its constitution and its government.”

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great compilation of important writings. Common Sense I would argue is Paine’s most timeless work, but The American Crisis and the Rights Of Man are great period pieces. The criticisms of the monarchy in common sense are actually more applicable to today than one might think. And the biting criticism of Lord Howe and Burke in his later writings are provocative and entertaining. Paine was witness to some of the most important events of the late 1700s and played a leading part in influencing the American and French. It is only tragic that the French Revolution that he held in such esteem turned its back on him, but revolutions only become more extreme and commonly eat their own. All in all a worthwhile read and Paine is a figure worth revering

[Josh Jablonski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Common Sense is one of the most beautifully written political literatures in history. Thomas Paine’s words should still inspire us today.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Common Sense by Thomas Paine (literally). Some men say that I'm intense, I run insane!!! You want a revolution?? I WANT A REVELATION!! So listen to MY declaration!!

My declaration is that this book is GOOD.