The pamphlet proved so influential that John Adams reportedly declared, “Without the pen of the author of ‘Common Sense,’ the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain.” In it, Paine argues that representational government is superior to a monarchy or other forms of government based on aristocracy and heredity. “Common Sense” is credited as playing a crucial role in convincing colonists to take up arms against England. By the end of that year, 150,000 copies–an enormous amount for its time–had been printed and sold. Paine’s most famous pamphlet, “Common Sense,” was first published on January 10, 1776, selling out its thousand printed copies immediately. He wrote in the magazine–under the pseudonyms “Amicus” and “Atlanticus”–criticizing the Quakers for their pacifism and endorsing a system similar to Social Security. Paine immediately found work in journalism when he arrived in Philadelphia, becoming managing editor of Philadelphia Magazine.
Three months later, Paine was on a ship to America, nearly dying from a bout of scurvy. In 1774, Paine met Benjamin Franklin, who is believed to have persuaded Paine to immigrate to America, providing Paine with a letter of introduction. Paine printed 4,000 copies and distributed them to members of British Parliament. In 1772, he wrote his first pamphlet, an argument tracing the work grievances of his fellow excise officers.
In 1768, Paine began work as an excise officer on the Sussex coast. Three years later he did join the crew of the privateer ship King of Prussia, serving for one year during the Seven Years' War. Paine apprenticed for his father but dreamed of a naval career, attempting once at age 16 to sign onto a ship called The Terrible, commanded by someone named Captain Death, but Paine’s father intervened. Thomas Paine was born January 29, 1737, in Norfolk, England, the son of a Quaker corset maker and his older Anglican wife.
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