"In my youth I also read tragedies,epic poems, romances, and divinity.Now I read Common Sense."Robert BageA Brief History Of Thomas PaineThomas Paine was born Tom Pain in the town of Thetford, Norfolk onJanuary 29, 1737. His father, Joseph, was a Quaker staymaker, while his motherwas the daughter of an attorney. Tom was raised in Quaker fashion and schooledfrom age six to thirteen. In 1750, he began to apprentice in his father's shop tolearn the family trade. At sixteen he ran away from home and went onto amerchant ship. He was brought back by his father, but just three years later, heleft Thetford for good.In 1758, at the age of twenty-one, he moved to the village of Sandwich,and opened a shop of his own. Within a year, he met and married Mary Lambert,but with her dying the following year, the marriage was short lived.Two years later, he took up the job of exciseman, to collect duties leviedupon imported products such as tobacco and beverages. Then in 1765, just threeyears after acquiring his new job, he was fired for not examining the stampedgoods. After a few random jobs, he came back to the Excise Service in 1768 andwas assigned to Lewes in Sussex and remained there for the next six years.At 31, he returned to politics, business, and the family. He gained areputation that after a few beers he could take on the town officers in heateddebates. He opened a tobacco and grocery business, but it faired poorly due tolack of business sense. During this time he remarried, but was soon permanentlyseparated.Going back to Excise work, he drew up a pamphlet titled, The Case of the Officersof Excise, which made the case that officers should be paid more. Six months later he wasfired for leaving his post unattended.He moved to London where he met Ben Franklin, who wrote Paine arecommendation to his son-in-law, and was on his way to Philadelphia and the NewWorld.Once in America, he was persuaded to write for Pennsylvania Magazine, on allsubjects including slavery and women's rights. In 1775, he left to write Common Sense.It went on to sell out and a second printing was made.His new title became Thomas Paine after adding the 'e' to his name to finallydeclare he was no longer an Englishman, he was an American.A Brief Summary of Common SenseCommon Sense is in essence an argument for America's independence, though itdoesn't come right out and say it. The publication as a whole is based on liberal ideas onwhat the government's role should be. Basically, Paine felt the...
