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Thomas Paine Timeline
(1737 - 1809)Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was an English-born American political activist, philosopher, and revolutionary whose pamphlets, including Common Sense and The American Crisis, were instrumental in inspiring the American Revolution. He later wrote Rights of Man in defense of the French Revolution and The Age of Reason, advocating deism. More Less
Early Life
Apprenticed as a corset maker
1750
Paine apprenticed under his father as a staymaker (corset maker), learning the trade that he would practice intermittently throughout his early adult years.
Serves briefly as a privateer
1756
Paine served for a short period aboard the privateer ship King of Prussia during the Seven Years' War, an adventurous episode in his otherwise modest early career.
Becomes excise officer in Lewes
1768
Paine was appointed an excise officer collecting taxes on goods in Lewes, Sussex, where he became involved in local politics and debate clubs, honing his skills as a writer and agitator.
Image source: Excise
Dismissed from excise service after organizing petition
1774
After lobbying Parliament for better pay for excise officers, Paine was dismissed from his post. Bankrupt and separated from his wife, he decided to seek a new life in America with a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin.
Image source: Thomas Paine
American Revolution
Emigrates to Philadelphia
Nov 30, 1774
Seriously ill during the voyage, Paine arrived in Philadelphia carrying letters of recommendation from Benjamin Franklin. He soon found work editing Pennsylvania Magazine and immersed himself in colonial political life.
Image source: Common Sense
Serves as aide to General Nathanael Greene
1776
During the Revolutionary War campaign, Paine accompanied General Nathanael Greene's forces and witnessed the retreat across New Jersey, experiences that inspired his American Crisis writings.
Image source: Nathanael Greene
Publishes Common Sense
Jan 10, 1776
Paine's pamphlet Common Sense argued forcefully for American independence from Britain in plain language accessible to ordinary colonists. It sold hundreds of thousands of copies and dramatically shifted public opinion toward independence.
Publishes American Crisis essays
Dec 19, 1776 - 1783
Beginning with the famous words 'These are the times that try men's souls,' Paine's Crisis papers bolstered Continental Army morale during the darkest days of the Revolutionary War. George Washington had the first essay read aloud to his troops at Valley Forge.
Image source: The American Crisis
Appointed secretary of the Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs
Apr 17, 1777
The Continental Congress appointed Paine secretary to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, though he was later forced to resign after publishing confidential information about French aid negotiations.
Image source: Committee of Secret Correspondence
Publishes Public Good attacking land speculation
Dec 30, 1780
In Public Good, Paine attacked claims by Virginia and speculators over western lands, defending the rights of settlers in territories claimed by states, demonstrating his consistent concern for ordinary people's interests.
Image source: Public good
Key Facts
- Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737, in Thetford, Norfolk, England, and emigrated to America in 1774 with encouragement from Benjamin Franklin.
- His pamphlet Common Sense, published in January 1776, sold hundreds of thousands of copies and was crucial in persuading colonists to support independence from Britain.
- Paine wrote the American Crisis essays during the Revolutionary War; the first, beginning 'These are the times that try men's souls,' was read to troops at Valley Forge to boost morale.
- In 1791-1792 he published Rights of Man, a defense of the French Revolution against Edmund Burke's criticism, which led to his exile from Britain and eventual election to the French National Convention.
- Paine died in relative obscurity on June 8, 1809, in New Rochelle, New York, after his critiques of organized religion in The Age of Reason made him a controversial figure.
Source
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