Emigrated to Philadelphia in 1774 and edited the Pennsylvania Magazine. He published his pamphlet,
Common Sense, on January 1, 1776 in which he called for the colonies to become independent.
During the revolution, Paine wrote a series of pamphlets, The American Crisis, the first of which
opened with the now-famous lines "These are the times that try men's souls". He was
appointed secretary of the committee of foreign affairs in 1778 by Congress. After the war, he
was awarded a confiscated Loyalist farm in New Rochelle, NY as compensation for his
expenses.
He returned to Britain in 1787 and published The Rights Of Man in 1791-92. The British
government charged Paine with treason and he fled to France where he was elected a deputy
to the National Convention. He was subsequently imprisoned by Robespierre for 11 months
for favouring the exile of Louis rather than execution. He published The Age Of Reason in 1792.
He returned to America in 1802 on a ship placed at his disposal by President Thomas Jefferson. |
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