Thomas Paine, born January 29, 1737, arrived in America in 1774 at Benjamin Franklin’s request. On January 10, 1776, he published Common Sense, a powerful republican pamphlet advocating the separation of church and state (among other things) which had an immediate impact, and is the influence for the title of this blog.
Paine served in the Revolutionary War and in the Pennsylvania legislature. In his other major essay, Age of Reason, Paine expressed that “all religions are in their nature mild and benign” when not associated with political systems. Thomas Paine was the quintessential Deist of the 18th century.
In 1791 and 1792 Paine published numerous editions of his Rights of Man, in which he defended the French Revolution.
The work of Thomas Paine inspired many to strive for political, economic, and social advancement. He was among the first to call for an end to slavery and the establishment of human rights around the world.
I am proud to call him a great influence on myself and the early American political system.
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