Thomas Paine, To Citizens Of America, 1803 (2024)

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Why was Thomas Paine important to America? ›

In January 1776, Thomas Paine published a document that sparked the American fight for independence from England. His political pamphlet, called Common Sense, showed the colonists that they could be free from the tyranny of a king by creating an independent nation where they could justly and fairly govern themselves.

Paine; he was actually a citizen of the United States, and of the United States only: for the revolution which parted us from Britain broke the allegiance which was before due to the crown of all those who took our side: he was of course not a British subject: nor was he strictly a citizen of France, for he came by ...

Common Sense was an instant best-seller. Published in January 1776 in Philadelphia, nearly 120,000 copies were in circulation by April. Paine's brilliant arguments were straightforward. He argued for two main points: (1) independence from England and (2) the creation of a democratic republic.

He authored Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776–1783), two of the most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, and he helped to inspire the Patriots in 1776 to declare independence from Great Britain.

The publication of Thomas Paine's Common Sense caused a sensation in early 1776 as it explained the need for freedom. But it was a second series of pamphlets published on December 19 of that year that inspired a huge American military victory.

By promoting the idea of American exceptionalism and the need to form a new nation to realize its promise, Paine's pamphlet not only attracted public support for the Revolution but put the rebellion's leaders under pressure to declare independence.

Over time, however, Paine became a social outcast, particularly for his controversial views on organized religion. He died in poverty on June 8, 1809 and only six people attended the burial at his farm in New Rochelle, New York.

By the 1770s, many colonists were angry because they did not have self-government. This meant that they could not govern themselves and make their own laws. They had to pay high taxes to the king. They felt that they were paying taxes to a government where they had no representation.

Paine died on June 8, 1809, in New York City, and was buried on his property in New Rochelle. On his deathbed, his doctor asked him if he wished to accept Jesus Christ before passing. “I have no wish to believe on that subject,” Paine replied before taking his final breath.

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it. The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value.

Why did Thomas Paine argue for independence? ›

In Common Sense, Paine argued that it was absurd for an island to rule a Continent, that America could avoid European conflicts by being free of Great Britain, that London was too far from America to rule it, and that the King and Parliament would inevitably rule for Britains benefit, not Americas.

Thomas Paine was an English-American writer and political pamphleteer. His Common Sense pamphlet and Crisis papers were important influences on the American Revolution.

Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that convinced many colonists to support independence. The main idea was that the American colonies should become independent of Britain. It made the prices of food, clothing, and supplies go up during the war. A Loyalist was someone who supported Britain.

What does Piane see as the global significance of the American struggle for independence? All countries' goal was freedom because Paine hoped the colonists obtained the rights to freedom from the British. They fought between the countries in Europe because other countries tried to get America's lands for themselves.