Thomas Paine: Faith and Reason Essay

In December of 1776, in the midst of the American Revolution, Thomas Paine, an audacious and rebellious persuasive writer living in the American colonies, gathered the attention of fellow colonists, militiamen, and military generals through his controversial opinions and creative writing style, particularly illustrated in his essay, “The Crisis No. 1.” Paine, a dauntless supporter of the revolution, wrote his essay urging colonists to join the fight and earn their freedom through battle. In order to construct his eloquent and compelling essay, he used an impressive combination of the persuasive techniques; rhetorical appeal, figurative language, and tone.

Thomas Paine claims in Common Sense that the people living in America do not need to tolerate the oppression from their British overlords. His main purpose for writing this pamphlet was to expose the injustice of the British towards the Americans and to persuade those who still believed that the British were either needed or were beneficial for the Americans in 1776. Paine values the idea that the Americans need to revolt against their evil ,oppressive, monarchical rulers in Britain and to establish pure democracy in the Thirteen Colonies. Paine writes from the perspective of an equal to his fellow American man, thus making him relatable from common folk to the wealthy merchants and upper classes. Paine shows the British tyranny over America as horrific and he wishes to expose British faults and impurities to inspire the colonists

Thomas Paine originally came from Thetford, United Kingdom, born into a Quaker family. Paine received little formal education from Thetford Grammar School in the years 1744 to 1749, but learned standards for an educational foundation such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. In his youth, he worked alongside his father as a stay maker and “later worked as an officer of the excise, hunting smugglers, and collecting liquor and tobacco taxes” (Biography). Unfortunately, Paine was unsuccessful in his work attempts despite holding multiple jobs while living in England. After his termination as an excise officer, he met Benjamin Franklin who convinced Paine to move to America and provided him with letters detailing life in the new nation.

Because Thomas Paine is writing to Americans who have endured the painful pre-stages of Revolutionary war, Paine has to include a personal anecdote to relate to his audience. As an American patriot and soldier, Paine’s purpose is to persuade these Americans to join the Patriotic cause. Some of these Americans have yet to support the Patriots or the British in the inevitable upcoming war. The personal experiences become a necessity for persuasion because it is easier for the audience to relate to Paine. Also, Thomas Paine came to America just some years before, so the audience is even more persuaded to support the Patriots because of his quick transition from supporting Britain to supporting the Patriots.

“These are times that try men’s souls,” stated Thomas Paine. Paine was a man from Thetford, England, and born on June 8, 1809. Today, he is now known for his encouragement of the American Revolution, along with his various words of wisdom and to motivate independence and self-rights. Through his successes came great struggle when Paine’s wife and child had both died during childbirth. Taking the title of “The Father of the American Revolution”, he greatly influenced American history with his deist worldviews and his “Common Sense”.

It was this variance in heritage that nurtured both Paine’s familial recognition of the common man’s adversity in a monarch’s dominion and his natural predisposition for the written word and self-edification. Liell draws on this point citing Paine’s short lived days at a grammar school near his homeland.(pg.27) Such an opportunity was uncommon for the son of a corset maker and although it would have been more anticipated that he would simply follow his father’s vocation, his parents stressed the significance of pursuing knowledge. Paine further established his kinship and compassion of the common man when he ventured out as a privateer, despite his father’s previous attempts of curtailing such adventures. Not much is known of Paine’s days as a privateer other than it was short lived. It is assumed that he had grown distaste for the lifestyle, perhaps because he simply found it disagreeable or found disdain for the lack of principles for which privateers’ stand. Nonetheless, the experience left Paine with a greater understanding of the soldier class. Not too long after his days as a privateer, Paine finds himself under the employ of the government, a peculiar position for the man who would inspire a revolution against the same government not but a few years later. Furthermore, Paine was an excise man. Not the position a man of the people would be expected to fill. However, Paine,

In his writing, Paine acknowledges that, “Volumes have been written on the subject of the struggle between England and America.” (Paine, 683) He further states that these writings had proven

Scott Liell’s book 46 pages: Thomas Paine, Common Sense, and the Turning Point to Independence ultimately describes Thomas Paine’s life and showcases the struggles he went through and the outside forces that influenced him to write Common Sense. Liell’s book also expresses the importance of Common Sense, stating that it is the “single most influential political work in American history” (16). Paine was born and raised in England, in which the King and his monarchial rule would have evident influence in his later

As alluded to in the previous paragraph, Thomas Paine identified as a deist. Similar to revealed religions, deism, or natural theology, teaches that there must have been a “divine First Cause” (Introduction, pg. 11), simply meaning that God created all things; however, natural religion differs from revealed religion in the fact that deist view God as simply that, they do not believe that the deity intervenes with humans in any aspects other than that of creation. In analyzing the core beliefs of each category of religion it is important to consider what actions must be taken to serve the Lord; Paine, as well as other deist, claim “the best way to honor the deity was trough the exercise of reason and

In American history, Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson were two of the most important people that were most talked about during their time period. Thomas Paine took place during 1776, Whereas, Thomas Jefferson took place during the fourth in 1776. Paine tone tends to override Jefferson, but they both make efforts to acknowledge their backgrounds. The similarities and differences in both stories: Thomas Paine “Common Sense” and Thomas Jefferson the Declaration of Independence, can both be differentiated. However, Paine and Jefferson both have some comparatives in their surroundings, beliefs, and accomplishments.

Thomas Paine was an English American writer, journalist & inventor from the 18th century whose writings help shape the American Revolution. He was born January 29th 1737, he learned how to read with only little education under his belt. As a young man he had a few jobs and was not very good at them suffering multiple failures. Around the same time of his wife’s death during childbirth his business of making ropes had started to fail. He came to America in the fall of 1774 and began his career as a writer.

Thomas Paine was responsible for some of the most influential works of the revolution. Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense was a very crucial part to America and its movement of independence from Britain. Paine was effective with his writings by being very plain. He wanted both farmers and officials to understand what he was talking about and be able to comprehend his ideas. Paine wanted to put his ideas out to the people of the American colonies so that they could understand it just by reading and not have to analyze and decipher what he was really trying to get across. He wanted to let the colonist know that there was no more room for talking about a split from English rule but it was time for the colonies to unite and take up arms against their British oppressors.

The United States of America was created by people who were not afraid to stand up for what they believed in. Together they fought, died, and built a new nation of freedom for all. However, the American Revolution would not have gained such widespread support without one man who believed in the freedom of speech. Thomas Paine risked his life to fight the British's censorship of the colonists and encouraged the people to fight back against the King's opposition. Paine fought for his ideals by illegally printing his book Common Sense, giving the people morale through The American Crisis, and becoming involved in the French Revolution through Rights of Man.

Jefferson was born and brought up in a very wealthy family and since his family had the means, he acquired a good education and was a very adroit scholar. On the other hand, Paine was born and brought up in a poor family. Owing to their differences in social standing, Paine settled for lowly jobs while Jefferson was bequeathed much wealth by his parents. Nonetheless, Paine, having not been born in a colony, had an advantage, especially in the advent of the French and American Revolution. While in Great Britain, Paine had cherished the disposition of fighting for the poor by advocating for better pay and working conditions. He was working as an excise officer. Moreover, his tough upbringing furthered his advocacy for the United States independence.

He wrote the influential pamphlet Common Sense, which was an assault on monarchial rule and the American colonies independence from Britain. “Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer. ”(Paine) Paine also felt that society as a whole, was produced by our wants, and governed by our wickedness. Paine was once imprisoned in Britain for sedition.