Paine on the RPF

Bio

"Paine was born in eastern England, in Thetford, Norfolk. His father,
Joseph Paine, was a corseter and Quaker, while his mother, Frances
"Cocke" Paine, belonged to the Church of England. Paine grew up around
farmers and other common people, and at the age of 12, failed out of
school. He began work as an an apprentice with his father at age 13, but
failed at this as well. At age 19, Paine became at sailor, where he served
a very short time before returing to England in April 1759, setting up a
corset shop in Sandwich, Kent. He then worked as a supernumerary
officer, and then as an exise officer. At one point, Paine was discharged
from his post for claiming to have inspected goods when in fact he had
only seen the documentation. He later requested to be reinstated, and his
request was granted. He also applied to become an ordained Minster of
the Church of England, and according to some accounts preached in
Moorfields.

"In 1768, Paine was appointed to Lewes, East Sussex where he first
became involved in civic matters. His landlord Samuel Ollive introduced
him into the Society of Twelve, a group of town elites who met twice a year
to discuss town issues. In addition, Paine participated in the Vestry, the
influential church group that collected taxes and tithes and distributed
them to the poor. He married his landlord's daughter, Elizabeth Ollive, on
March 26, 1771.

"Paine lobbied Parliament for better pay and working conditions for
exisemen, and in 1772 published 'The Case of the Officers of Excise,' a
21-page article and his first political work. In September 1774, Paine met
Benjamin Franklin in London. Franklin advised Paine to emigrate to the
British colonies in America, and wrote him letters of recommendation.
Paine left England in October, arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on
November 30. Just before he left, Paine and his second wife, with whom
he did not get along, were legally separated (his first wife died shortly
after their marriage).

"Paine advocated a liberal world view, which was radical at the time. He
had no use for royalty, and viewed government as a necessary evil. He
opposed slavery and was an early supporter of social security, public
education, and many other ideas that came to fruition decades later. He
was a Deist and outspoken critic of organized religion.

"Paine soon became an articulate spokesman for the American
independence movement. Paine's pro-independence pamphlet Common
Sense, published on January 10th 1776, quickly became well known to
every literate colonist. It is claimed that as many as half a million copies
may have been distributed in a country with only a few million inhabitants.
He had a powerful ability to present ideas common to his time in clear
form, in contrast with highly philosophical approaches used by his
colleagues.

"Legend tells that Paine was tarred and feathered at one time in New
Jersey, but no proof exists of this legend. Many scurrilous tales about
Paine were circulated, first by the British during the time of the American
Revolution, and later by his political opponents.

"Common Sense convinced many Americans, including George
Washington, to seek redress in political independence from the Kingdom
of Great Britain. Benjamin Rush had a great influence on this work,
including its name (Paine had proposed the title Plain Truth). It was
instrumental in bringing about the Declaration of Independence. Paine
also has the distinction of being the man who proposed the name United
States of America for the new nation.

"During the Revolutionary War Paine published a series of pamphlets
called The American Crisis that served to inspire Americans during the
long struggle. The first Crisis paper, published December, 1776, began
with the immortal line, 'These are the times that try men's souls.'
Following a series of military failures, morale was wavering among the
Patriot army. The first Crisis paper was so uplifting that Washington had it
read to all of his troops.

"In 1791, Paine finished his Rights of Man, which was originally published
in England. It was an abstract political tract published in support of the
French Revolution, written as a reply to Reflections on the Revolution in
France by Edmund Burke. Here, among other things, Paine enumerates
‘The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens’ written by the
National Assembly of France. The book - which was highly critical of
monarchies and European social institutions - was so controversial that
the British government put Paine on trial in absentia for seditious libel.
Paine had already (prudently) left for Paris."

In the Rights of Man, Paine levels convincing arguments against any
power setting itself up by its authority alone. Any government
misrepresenting the public trust, and then pretending to judge its own
legitimacy according to the laws which it has set, is like ‘the criminal
sitting in judgment upon himself.’ Paine argues more vehemently still
against any type of hereditary authority. If a family simply conquers a
nation, ‘all men will concur in calling it despotism.’ But society had come
to look upon hereditary monarchies as somehow legitimate, both through
habit, and because of the purportedly paternal intentions of monarchs
toward their nations. This specious paternal instinct, however, does
nothing to alleviate the original despotism: ‘It is no relief, but an
aggravation to a person in slavery, to reflect that he was sold by his
parent.’

"Although Paine was an enthusiastic supporter of the French Revolution,
as a member of the National Convention, he opposed the execution of
Louis XVI and advocated he be exiled to the USA instead. That was
enough to bring Paine - who was never noted for his diplomacy - into
conflict with the increasingly out-of-control revolutionary leaders.
Imprisoned and sentenced to death by Robespierre, Paine escaped
beheading apparently by chance. A guard walked through the prison
placing a chalk mark on the doors of the condemned prisoners. He
placed one on Paine's door - but because a doctor was treating Paine at
that moment, the prison door was open. When the doctor left, the door
was swung closed, such that the chalk mark faced into the cell. Later,
when the condemned prisoners were rounded up for execution, Paine
was spared because there was no apparent chalk mark on his cell door.
In prison, convinced he would soon be dead, Paine wrote Age of Reason,
an assault on organized religion. A second part was written and
published after his release from prison.

"Paine published his last great pamphlet, Agrarian Justice, in the winter of
1795-1796. In this pamphlet, Paine further developed ideas proposed in
the Rights of Man as to how the institution of land ownership separated
the great majority of persons from their rightful natural inheritance and
means of independent survival. The U.S. Social Security Administration
recognizes Agrarian Justice as the first American proposal for an old-age
pension. Paine died at 59 Grove Street in Greenwich Village, in New York
City on June 8, 1809."

(Excerpts adapted, and portrait taken, from the Wikipedia article on Paine. Click here
for complete article.)

Works

Common Sense

Rights of Man