Thomas Paine
American Founding Father, philosopher, and political activist (1737–1809)
- Fame74.2
- Momentum0.5
- Academics rank#95
Source-basedFalling
- Fame74.2
- Momentum0.5
- Academics rank#95
- Wikipedia57.5K
Lived 1737–1809, aged 72United Kingdom
United KingdomSummary
Updated 2026-06-09
The pamphleteer who lit the fuse for American independence then burned every bridge he had. Common Sense made him the Revolution's indispensable voice; The Age of Reason made him radioactive—so toxic that six people showed up to bury him.
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Born in Thetford, Norfolk, in 1737, Paine crossed to the colonies in 1774 with Benjamin Franklin's backing and arrived just as rebellion crystallized. His 47-page Common Sense in 1776 catalyzed the break from Britain—virtually every Patriot read it—and he followed with The American Crisis pamphlets through 1783. He returned to Britain in 1787, wrote Rights of Man in 1791 to defend the French Revolution against Edmund Burke, and was convicted in absentia for seditious libel in 1792. He fled to France that September, won a seat in the National Convention despite speaking no French, then landed i…
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Momentum0.5
Historical26.1
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Completeness75.0
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