A volume of Thomas Paine's most essential works, showcasing one of American history's most eloquent proponents of democracy. Upon publication, Thomas Paine’s modest pamphlet Common Sense shocked and spurred the foundling American colonies of 1776 to action. It demanded freedom from Britain—when even the most fervent patriots were only advocating tax reform. Paine’s daring prose paved the way for the Declaration of Independence and, consequently, the Revolutionary War. For “without the pen of Paine,” as John Adams said, “the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain.” Later, his impassioned defense of the French Revolution, Rights of Man, caused a worldwide sensation. Napoleon, for one, claimed to have slept with a copy under his pillow, recommending that “a statue of gold should be erected to [Paine] in every city in the universe.” Here in one volume, these two complete works are joined with selections from Pain's other major essays, “The Crisis,” “The Age of Reason,” and “Agrarian Justice.” Includes a Foreword by Jack Fruchtman Jr. and an Introduction by Sidney Hook

The impassioned democratic voice of the Age of Revolution, Paine possessed a gift for stating complex ideas in concise language. This accessible collection of highlights from the social and political philosopher's best-known works includes lengthy selections from Common Sense, The American Crisis, The Rights of Man, and The Age of Reason.

Thomas Paine's "Rights of Man" has been celebrated, criticized, maligned, suppressed, and co-opted, but Hitchens marvels at its forethought and revels in its contentiousness. In this book, he demonstrates how Paine's book forms the philosophical cornerstone of the U.S.

Madison & Adams press presents to you this meticulously edited Thomas Paine collection, formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Common Sense The American Crisis The Rights of Man The Age of Reason The Republican Proclamation To the Authors of "Le Républicain" To the Abbé Sièyes To the Attorney General To Mr. Secretary Dundas Letters to Onslow Cranley To the Sheriff of the County of Sussex To Mr. Secretary Dundas Letter Addressed to the Addressers on the Late Proclamation Address to the People of France Anti-Monarchal Essay for the Use of New Republicans To the Attorney General, on the Prosecution against the Second Part On the Propriety of Bringing Louis XIV to Trial Reasons for Preserving the Life of Louis Capet Shall Louis XVI have Respite? Declaration of Rights Private Letters to Jefferson Letter to Danton A Citizen of America to the Citizens of Europe Appeal to the Convention The Memorial to Monroe Letter to George Washington Observations Dissertation on First Principles of Government The Constitution of 1795 The Decline and Fall of the English System of Finance Forgetfulness Agrarian Justice The Eighteenth Fructidor The Recall of Monroe Private Letter to President Jefferson Proposal that Louisiana be Purchased Thomas Paine to the Citizens of the United States To the French Inhabitants of Louisiana A Letter Addressed to the Abbe Raynal The Life of Thomas Paine by Moncure D. Conway

The writings of Thomas Paine helped shape the American nation and left their imprint on democratic thought all over the world. This two-volume set represents an attempt to make these writings available to both the general reader and the student. Every effort has been made to include all of Paine's writings available at present, and to present them in a manner that would make clear their historical background. Emphasis has been placed throughout on presenting Paine's writings in their essential clarity, and for this purpose efforts have been made, without in any sense distorting Paine's meaning, to modernize the spelling, capitalization and punctuation wherever it was necessary to make the meaning clear to a present day reader. --Publisher description.

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves—and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives—and destroyed them. Now, Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are. Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers, and each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-drive design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped the world. Published anonymously in 1776, six months before the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was a radical and impassioned call for America to free itself from British rule and set up an independent republican government. Savagely attacking hereditary kingship and aristocratic institutions, Paine urged a new beginning for his adopted country in which personal freedom and social equality would be upheld and economic and cultural progress encouraged. His pamphlet was the first to speak directly to a mass audience—it went through fifty-six editions within a year of publication—and its assertive and often caustic style both embodied the democratic spirit he advocated, and converted thousands of citizens to the cause of American independence.