Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine, an important Enlightenment thinker, was born in Thetford, England in the county of Norfolk. With the help of Benjamin Franklin, Paine immigrated to the American colonies in 1774 and participated in the American Revolution. Paine’s main contribution was as the author of the widely influential pro-revolutionary pamphlet Common Sense. In the 1790s, Paine contributed similarly to the French Revolution, authoring the book Rights of Man. In France, Paine also wrote The Age of Reason, a book that argues against institutionalized religion, and the pamphlet Agrarian Justice. Paine later returned to America, where he died in 1809. As Paine was ostracized for criticizing Christianity, his funeral was only attended by six people.