Thomas Paine Selected Works collection: Common Sense, The American Crisis, The Rights of Man, The Age of Reason

FOUR BOOKS IN ONE! Common Sense is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775-1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Writing in clear and persuasive prose, Paine collected various moral and political arguments to encourage common people in the Colonies to fight for egalitarian government. It was published anonymously on January 10, 1776, at the beginning of the American Revolution and became an immediate sensation. Today, Common Sense remains a landmark document in the struggle for freedom, distinguished not only by Paine's ideas but also by its clear and passionate presentation. The American Crisis is a collection of articles by Thomas Paine, originally published from 1776 to 1783, that focus on rallying Americans during the worst years of the Revolutionary War. The pamphlets were contemporaneous with early parts of the American Revolution, when colonists needed inspiring works. The American Crisis series was used to "recharge the revolutionary cause." Written in a language that the common person could understand, they represented Paine's liberal philosophy. Paine's writings bolstered the morale of the American colonists, appealed to the British people's consideration of the war, and clarified the issues at stake in the war. These articles were so influential that others began to adopt some of their more stirring phrases, catapulting them into the cultural consciousness; for example, the opening line of the first Crisis, which reads "These are the times that try men's souls." Thomas Paine wrote the first part of The Rights of Man in 1791 as a response to the furious attack on the French Revolution by the British parliamentarian Edmund Burke in his pamphlet Reflections on the Revolution in France, published the previous year. Paine carefully dissects and counters Burke's arguments and provides a more accurate description of the events surrounding the revolution of 1789. He then reproduces and comments on the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens" promulgated by the National Assembly of France. A second part of the book, subtitled "Combining Principle and Practice," was published in February 1792. It puts forward practical proposals for the establishment of republican government in countries like Britain. The Rights of Man had a major impact, leading to the establishment of a number of reform societies. Today The Rights of Man is considered a classic of political writing and philosophy. The Age of Reason is an important work in the American Deist movement. Paine worked on it continually for more than a decade, publishing it in three parts from 1794 through 1807. It quickly became a best-seller in post-Revolution America, spurring a revival in Deism as an alternative to the prevailing Christian influence. The cool rationale of Paine's The Age of Reason influenced religious thinking throughout the world; and its pervasive influence continues to the present day.