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PERHAPS the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not YET sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor; a long habit of not thinking a thing WRONG, gives it a superficial appearance of being RIGHT, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defence of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.

As a long and violent abuse of power, is generally the Means of calling the right of it in question (and in Matters too which might never have been thought of, had not the Sufferers been aggravated into the inquiry) and as the King of England hath undertaken in his OWN RIGHT, to support the Parliament in what he calls THEIRS, and as the good people of this country are grievously oppressed by the combination, they have an undoubted privilege to inquire into the pretensions of both, and equally to reject the usurpations of either.

In the following sheets, the author hath studiously avoided every thing which is personal among ourselves. Compliments as well as censure to individuals make no part thereof. The wise, and the worthy, need not the triumph of a pamphlet; and those whose sentiments are injudicious, or unfriendly, will cease of themselves unless too much pains are bestowed upon their conversion.

The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. Many circumstances have, and will arise, which are not local, but universal, and through which the principles of all Lovers of Mankind are affected, and in the Event of which, their Affections are interested. The laying of a Country desolate with Fire and Sword, declaring War against the natural rights of all Mankind, and extirpating the Defenders thereof from the Face of the Earth, is the Concern of every Man to whom Nature hath given the Power of feeling; of which Class, regardless of Party Censure, is THE AUTHOR




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WHEN Thomas Paine sailed from America for France, in April, 1787, he was perhaps as happy a man as any in the world. His most intimate friend, Jefferson, was Minister at Paris, and his friend Lafayette was the idol of France. His fame had preceded him, and he at once became, in Paris, the centre of the same circle of savants and philosophers that had surrounded Franklin. His main reason for proceeding at once to Paris was that he might submit to the Academy of Sciences his invention of an iron bridge, and with its favorable verdict he came to England, in September. He at once went to his aged mother at Thetford, leaving with a publisher (Ridgway), his " Prospects on the Rubicon." He next made arrangements to patent his bridge, and to construct at Rotherham the large model of it exhibited on Paddington Green, London. He was welcomed in England by leading statesmen, such as Lansdowne and Fox, and above all by Edmund Burke, who for some time had him as a guest at Beaconsfield, and drove him about in various parts of the country. He had not the slightest revolutionary purpose, either as regarded England or France. Towards Louis XVI. he felt only gratitude for the services he had rendered America, and towards George III. he felt no animosity whatever. His four months' sojourn in Paris had convinced him that there was approaching a reform of that country after the American model, except that the Crown would be preserved, a compromise he approved, provided the throne should not be hereditary. Events in France travelled more swiftly than he had anticipated, and Paine was summoned by Lafayette, Condorcet, and others, as an adviser in the formation of a new constitution.

Such was the situation immediately preceding the political and literary duel between Paine and Burke, which in the event turned out a tremendous war between Royalism and Republicanism in Europe. Paine was, both in France and in England, the inspirer of moderate counsels. Samuel Rogers relates that in early life he dined at a friend's house in London with Thomas Paine, when one of the toasts given was the " memory of Joshua,"-in allusion to the Hebrew leader's conquest of the kings of Canaan, and execution of them. Paine observed that he would not treat kings like Joshua. " I 'm of the Scotch parson's opinion," he said, "when he prayed against Louis XIV.-`Lord, shake him over the mouth of hell, but don't let him drop! ' " Paine then gave as his toast, " The Republic of the World,"-which Samuel Rogers, aged twenty-nine, noted as a sublime idea. This was Paine's faith and hope, and with it he confronted the revolutionary storms which presently burst over France and England.


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Collected here in this omnibus edition are Thomas Paine's most important books, along with his short essay Agrarian Justice. This edition has also restored the Third Part to The Age Of Reason. In January of 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense; the book inflamed its readers and ignited the American Revolution. Between 1776 and 1779, he wrote The American Crisis, in an effort to justify the American Revolution and to bolster the morale of the Continental Army. In The Rights of Man, Paine defends the representational form of government. He posits that all men are born with God-given rights that cannot be taken from them by any government. Thomas Paine was a devout deist. That is, he believed in God, not because of faith, but rather because of the rational empirical evidence that the natural world provides. The Age of Reason was Paine's treatise on religion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Every generation and age must be as free to act for itself
This was required reading for a graduate course in the history of the French Revolution.For Thomas Paine, the eighteenth century was the Age of Enlightenment because for the first time humankind was throwing off the millstones of religious dogmatism and political despotism.Paine essentially believed that the rights of man encompassed, "...all the intellectual rights, or rights of the mind, and also all those rights of acting as an individual for his own comfort and happiness, which are not injurious to the natural rights of others" (Paine, 68).

Paine's Rights of Man was an eloquent yet blistering rebuttal to Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France.Paine got right to the crux of the disagreement he had with Burke when he admonished him for his argument that governmental enactments of previous generations had the force and authority to bind citizens for all time.An example that Burke used was the English Parliament of 1688, which he praised as a model of the type of reform French citizens should emulate.Paine's answer was swift and cutting "Radical Enlightenment" reason."Every age and generation must be as free to act for itself, in all cases, as the ages and generations which preceded it.The vanity and presumption of governing beyond the grave, is the most ridiculous and insolent of all tyrannies" (41-42).Paine also took Burke to task for his narrow understanding of French socio-political and economic problems leading up to 1789.Unlike Burke, Paine understood that the French Revolution, unlike the others that took place in Europe, was not just a revolt against the king."Between the monarchy, the parliament, and the church, there was a rivalship of despotism, besides the feudal despotism operating locally, and the ministerial despotism operating everywhere" (48).Thus, what Paine witnessed, Alexis de Tocqueville and Georges Lefebvre observed, agreed with, and commented on, in their history's years later.The institutions that Burke defended in his Reflections, such as the nobility, Church, and monarchial rule, all became "fodder" for Paine's "grist mill" in his defense of France's new constitution.

Paine abhorred the institution of nobility and supported its dissolution for several reasons.
"Because the idea of hereditary legislation is as inconsistent...and absurd as an hereditary mathematician....Because it is continuing the uncivilized principle of governments founded in conquest, and the base idea of man having property over man, and governing him by personal right" (83).No friend to tradition, Paine took Burke to task for defending the notion of, "...hereditary rights, and hereditary succession, and that a Nation has not a right to form a Government for itself" (Paine, 116).Paine defended the French constitution's eradication of tithes to the Catholic Church and it "...hath abolished or renounced Toleration, and Intolerance also, hath established UNIVERSAL RIGHT OF CONSCIENCE" (85).Finally, Paine unleashed a most scathing attack against Burke's suggestion that France should reform its absolutist monarchy into a benign form of constitutional monarchy similar to what Britain enjoyed."All hereditary government is in its nature tyranny" (172)."It occasionally puts children over men, and the conceits of nonage over wisdom and experience.In short, we cannot conceive a more ridiculous figure of government, than hereditary succession" (173).

Thus, Paine's Radical Enlightenment polemic, which sold more than 200,000 copies throughout Europe, was his reasoned and articulate project towards developing a better world.Consequently, there is no doubt that Paine, whose Radical Enlightenment pen proved to be "mightier than the sword" of despotism both in the American and French Revolutions, understood the importance of the nurturing relationship that Enlightenment philosophes had on the French Revolution."But all those writings and many others had their weight; and by the different manner in which they treated the subject of government...by their moral maxims and systems of economy, readers of every class met with something to their taste" (Paine, 94).

Recommended reading for anyone interested in political philosophy, enlightenment history, and the French Revolution.
... Read more

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When the British fired Thomas Paine it cost him his marriage - but it cost the British their American colonies.Written in the form of a script, Eyes of Fire tells how Thomas Paine rose from obscurity to become, in Murray Rothbard's words, "the voice of the American Revolution and the greatest single force in propelling it to completion and independence." Eyes of Fire puts you in the thick of the action, from the Tea Party to Trenton.Experience history as moving drama, rather than dry narrative, and learn how Thomas Paine did more than any Founder to assure an independent United States. ... Read more

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History presented a new way - great for teachers.
Just finished reading Eyes of Fire by George Smith.I really enjoyed reading it - went fast, but filled with lots of history.Different way of reading a "novel" since it's in script form.Found that interesting and not distracting.I think it would be great to be picked up by the History Channel or PBS and actually film the script.Also would highly recommend it for American Revolution history teachers.This would be great for entertaining classroom participation by acting out the parts - very novel - and I believe this would increase interest - presenting history in a more enjoyable format.Believe there's also lots of thought provoking parts that would spur discussion.Great book - I recommend. ... Read more

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A biography profiling Thomas Paine, whose writings had tremendous influence on the political leaders of the Revolutionary War. Includes source notes and timeline. ... Read more

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"The American Crisis" was a series of pamphlets published from 1776 to 1783 during the American Revolution by 18th-century Enlightenment philosopher and author Thomas Paine. The first volume begins with the famous words "These are the times that try men's souls". There were sixteen pamphlets in total together often known as "The American Crisis" or simply "The Crisis". Thirteen numbered pamphlets were published between 1776-1777 with three additional pamphlets released between 1777-1783.The writings were contemporaneous with the early parts of the American Revolution, during the times that colonists needed inspiring, and were written in a language the common man could manage. They are indicative of Paine's liberal philosophies. Paine signed them with one of his many pseudonyms, "Common Sense." The writings bolstered the morale of the American colonists, appealed to the English people's consideration of the war with America, clarified the issues at stake in the war, and denounced the advocates of a negotiated peace. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Every age and generation must be as free to act for itself
This was required reading for a graduate course in the history of the French Revolution.For Thomas Paine, the eighteenth century was the Age of Enlightenment because for the first time humankind was throwing off the millstones of religious dogmatism and political despotism.Paine essentially believed that the rights of man encompassed, "...all the intellectual rights, or rights of the mind, and also all those rights of acting as an individual for his own comfort and happiness, which are not injurious to the natural rights of others" (Paine, 68).

Paine's Rights of Man was an eloquent yet blistering rebuttal to Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France.Paine got right to the crux of the disagreement he had with Burke when he admonished him for his argument that governmental enactments of previous generations had the force and authority to bind citizens for all time.An example that Burke used was the English Parliament of 1688, which he praised as a model of the type of reform French citizens should emulate.Paine's answer was swift and cutting "Radical Enlightenment" reason."Every age and generation must be as free to act for itself, in all cases, as the ages and generations which preceded it.The vanity and presumption of governing beyond the grave, is the most ridiculous and insolent of all tyrannies" (41-42).Paine also took Burke to task for his narrow understanding of French socio-political and economic problems leading up to 1789.Unlike Burke, Paine understood that the French Revolution, unlike the others that took place in Europe, was not just a revolt against the king."Between the monarchy, the parliament, and the church, there was a rivalship of despotism, besides the feudal despotism operating locally, and the ministerial despotism operating everywhere" (48).Thus, what Paine witnessed, Alexis de Tocqueville and Georges Lefebvre observed, agreed with, and commented on, in their history's years later.The institutions that Burke defended in his Reflections, such as the nobility, Church, and monarchial rule, all became "fodder" for Paine's "grist mill" in his defense of France's new constitution.

Paine abhorred the institution of nobility and supported its dissolution for several reasons.
"Because the idea of hereditary legislation is as inconsistent...and absurd as an hereditary mathematician....Because it is continuing the uncivilized principle of governments founded in conquest, and the base idea of man having property over man, and governing him by personal right" (83).No friend to tradition, Paine took Burke to task for defending the notion of, "...hereditary rights, and hereditary succession, and that a Nation has not a right to form a Government for itself" (Paine, 116).Paine defended the French constitution's eradication of tithes to the Catholic Church and it "...hath abolished or renounced Toleration, and Intolerance also, hath established UNIVERSAL RIGHT OF CONSCIENCE" (85).Finally, Paine unleashed a most scathing attack against Burke's suggestion that France should reform its absolutist monarchy into a benign form of constitutional monarchy similar to what Britain enjoyed."All hereditary government is in its nature tyranny" (172)."It occasionally puts children over men, and the conceits of nonage over wisdom and experience.In short, we cannot conceive a more ridiculous figure of government, than hereditary succession" (173).

Thus, Paine's Radical Enlightenment polemic, which sold more than 200,000 copies throughout Europe, was his reasoned and articulate project towards developing a better world.Consequently, there is no doubt that Paine, whose Radical Enlightenment pen proved to be "mightier than the sword" of despotism both in the American and French Revolutions, understood the importance of the nurturing relationship that Enlightenment philosophes had on the French Revolution."But all those writings and many others had their weight; and by the different manner in which they treated the subject of government...by their moral maxims and systems of economy, readers of every class met with something to their taste" (Paine, 94).

Recommended reading for anyone interested in political philosophy, enlightenment history, and the French Revolution.
... Read more

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An anthology of writings from Thomas Paine, including "Common Sense", "African Slavery in America", "An Occasional Letter on the Female Sex", "Agrarian Justice", "The Rights of Man",and "The Age of Reason".Paine's radical views on the abolition of slavery, the emancipation of women, the redistribution of wealth and social equality, and religion, made him an outcast even among his fellow American Revolutionaries.Even today, he remains the only major figure of the American Revolution who has no monument anywhere in Washington DC. ... Read more

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"There can be no doubt that Gregory Claeys..has written by far the best study so far of the thought of Tom Paine...Claeys shows that he was a more significant political theorist than is usually admitted...This is a satisfying and authoritative book." - Journal of The Historical Association Thomas Paine is the most comprehensive and incisive study of the social and political thought of one of the most important political writers of the modern era; it is also the first account to consider Paine with due seriousness as a political thinker. Gregory Claeys concentrates on Paine's most influential work (and one of the best-known political tracts of all time) the Rights of Man. He is careful, however, to place this work in the context of the evolution of Paine's thinking from his early American writings, and against a background of natural law and rights writings, republicanism and radicalism, and Paine's Quaker and deist beliefs. The book has three major strengths. First, it brings together debates amongst historians about Paine's American and European works and periods, and demonstrates the underlying consistency in Paine's thought. Second, Gregory Claeys considers at length the British reception of the Rights of Man, the immense controversy the text engendered, and the successful efforts to stifle the growth of the radical parliamentary reform movement that it inspired. Third, the characterization and discussion of Paine's ideas is considerably more sophisticated than any existing analysis, and presents in effect a completely new view of Paine that will serve as the standard interpretation. ... Read more

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Thomas Paine's Collected Writings which include Common Sense, The Rights of Man, The American Crisis, and The Age of Reason written by legendary author Thomas Paine is widely considered to be one of the top 100 greatest books of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, Thomas Paine's Collected Writings which include Common Sense, The Rights of Man, The American Crisis, and The Age of Reasonis required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by Thomas Paine is highly recommended. Published by Classic House Books and beautifully produced, Thomas Paine's Collected Writings which include Common Sense, The Rights of Man, The American Crisis, and The Age of Reasonwould make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library. ... Read more

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Thomas Paine
I picked this up from the library because I have been wanting to read The Age of Reason. It gets 5 stars just for Paines brilliant dismantling of Christianity and the Bible. I don't see how even the most foaming at the mouth Christian could read Age of Reason and not consider the Bible at best a horribly flawed and contradictory historical document.

You'd also have to give this 5 stars for his other well known and not so well known writings in this, even though some of them are quite boring to be honest, but for no other reason its a great historical source as to what one of the "founding Fathers" opinions were on government, politics, etc. I also enjoyed the corresponses between Paine and other "founding Fathers" that were included in this. There was plenty that I disagree with all of them on, and some of them were incredibly hypocritical when you compared what they said, with what they actually did, but these were truly brilliant people, and for the most part they were free thinkers. ... Read more

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ON THE
ORIGIN
FREE-MASONRY.
Jt is always understood that Free-Masons have a secret Avhich they carefully conceal; but from every thing* that can be collected from their own accounts of Masonry their real secret is no other than their origin, which but few of them understand; and those who do, envelope it in mystery.
The society of Masons are distinguished into three classes or degrees. 1st, the Entered Apprentice. 2d, the Fellow Craft.' 3d, the Master-Mason.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.

Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the difficult to read text. Read books online for free at www.forgottenbooks.org ... Read more

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"We have it in our power to begin the world over again." Thomas PainePublished to commemorate the bicentennial of Thomas Paine’s death, these texts have remained two of the most influential arguments for liberty in political thought. Common Sense is a pamphlet that Paine wrote in support of American independence. Due to its original and simple style it spread like wildfire through the colonies, inspiring the American Revolution. The Rights of Man is Paine’s passionate defense of the French Revolution that led to his trial for sedition and libel. The acclaimed historian Peter Linebaugh provides an original examination of Paine’s thought and legacy.
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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Thomas Paine has been celebrated for his role in persuading the American colonists to revolt against Britain and declare their independence.At the same time,however, scholars have generally dismissed his writings as propaganda. This book demonstrates that Paine was a skilled and sophisticated writer and thinker who transformed political literature in the late eighteenth century by creating a new literature of politics that bridged political philosophy and the everyday, common-sensical knowledge of ordinary people. The impact of this new political language would be remarkable as it energized a mass public to participate in the arena of politics, an arena from which they had been excluded. ... Read more

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The Debate Around Paine
One of the finest accounts ever written about the debate (scholar Jerry Knutson called it "the RAGE") around Tom Paine. Paine spurred debate from the time of his earliest well-known work, COMMON SENSE, to his death in 1809. Most Americans are utterly unaware of the historical newspaper debates and the rancorous controversy that descended upon Paine when he returned from taking part in -- and nearly losing his life -- in the French Revolution; the many works written in reply to his AGE OF REASON; the outrage and venom precipitated by his LETTER TO GEORGE WASHINGTON, or the part that Paine played in the fight for freedom of the press in Britain and his contributions to natural philosophy and the language of science. These are just a few of the issues which Prof. Larkin takes on in his sweeping treatment of Paine's language, ideology, and the controversies they sparked.

Larkin explains how Paine created a new kind of reader in America and, in so doing, made his own works some of the most influential and greatest selling works in history. Moreover, this book affirms Paine's status as an important transatlantic intellectual who could translate the major political theories of the eighteenth-century into the language of the common man. Larkin's literary approach to his subject is complimented by sound historical research and acute analysis.

Along with a good index and rich bibliography, this work is readable and valuable both to the advanced scholar and to the average reader in search of an understanding of the part played by the greatest agitator of them all, Tom Paine, in the origins of democratic reform. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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THIS 29 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: The American Bible: Elbert Hubbard's Selected Writings Part 12, by Thomas Paine. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 076610382X. ... Read more