Thomas Paine came as a English man who didn’t have much of anything,
not many friends, not much money, but with the help of others wishing to
keep him alive and give him a chance at a new life. Thomas Paine grew from
a sick, unshaven, almost penniless, dirty man to a clean shaven man who
helped band thousands of Englishmen together to fight for Independence.
Thomas Paine was born in England on January 29, 1737. Paine travelled
to American 1774, He landed, then went to Pennsylvania. When he landed he
started teaching two children with the recommendation of Benjamin Franklin.
After he got a job as a journalist and essayist and helped a Scotsman named
Robert Aitkin start a magazine called the Pennsylvania Magazine. They
talked all night about it. Aitkin taught Paine everything he would need to
know about the job. Atkin gave Paine food, a shaving, clean clothes and
cleaned up his act. Paine, who had been a heavy drinker had stopped
drinking for a while, too.
The Battle at Lexington and Concorde soon came about and nobody was
too happy about it. The next day after they heard this news, a huge mob
assembled outside of the state house. Thomas Paine was one of the speakers
trying to calm down all of the eight-thousand people that were in front of
the building.
Paine soon went to a ball to represent the Pennsylvania Magazine in
which he represented. He had a lot of answers to questions people kept
asking him. Paine was finally fired when he argued with Aitkin because he
wanted to put an article in the paper. It was called Reflections on
Titles.
The Second Continental Congress met, and Paine was introduced to
someone he didn’t recognize named George Washington. Paine spent two days
in his room trying to write down what he thought of all this. One night
soon after, Paine was drunk with Sam Adams and Michael Clowsky, the
expatriate pole and he mentioned that he thinks they need a new world, or
independence. At first the Pole laughed at him, but Adams liked the idea.
Aitkin still tried to get Paine back because many people liked his
articles and his poems he’d have in the paper. Paine still stood his
ground and said no, Aitkin also didn’t want Paine to hold a grudge, but
Paine said he doesn’t hold a grudge against anyone but himself.
One of Paine’s friends was Thomas Jefferson. Paine looked forward to
sharing a pot of coffee with him, dinner or just sitting in front of a
fire. Jefferson drew from Paine as much of him as he could and then put
the confused memories and assembled it all with meaning. One time Jefferson
was giving a small dinner and asked Paine to come. At first Paine refused
because he valued his friendship with Jefferson and didn’t want to make a
fool out of himself in front of Virginians. Jefferson finally persuaded
Paine to go. Paine was amazed at the dinner. Washington knew of Paine and
quickly shook hands with him. Washington often read the Pennsylvania
Magazine while Paine didn’t expect him to of read anything. Paine grew a
friendship with Washington and wasn’t surprised when Washington was made
commander in chief of group of Yankees who were like hungry wolves around
Boston.
After meeting a family called the Rumpels, Paine knew what he had to
do. He wanted to be more clear. Then he started to write Common Sense. He
only had a bed, a bolster, chest, coat-rack, table, two fairly good suits
of clothes, ink and paper. That was all that he needed plus a few pennies
for candles, something for food, and something to drink. Paine started
drinking rum or anything that would help his pen move on the paper.
Without realizing it, he neglected his appearence, sometimes spending
twenty-four hours in his room, shaving less often, holding his small stash
of money, allowing his clothes to wear out and become shabby. Thomas
sometimes sold a poem or two to Aitkin. While he would sell, Aitkin would
ask how his masterpiece would be coming along. Paine said that it wasn’t a
masterpiece, it was just some common sense. When he was finished with it,
Aitkin refused to publish it because he didn’t want to get caught for
treason. He did, however, recommend someone who ‘prints everything. Paine
went to the man whose name was Bobby Bell, also a Scotsman. It was soon
published as a small book. People everywhere were buying it and reading it
to groups of people. Paine said that Bell could keep the profits because
Paine didn’t expect to sell any books. To his surprise though, one
hundred-thousand copies were sold in three months. He made up many peoples’
minds during the Revolution for what they were fighting for. He continued
to publish a series of pamphlets called the Crisis which was published from
1776-83.
Paine died on June 8, 1809. He was living in poverty. He wasn’t as
famous and well-known as he had been before because of some criticism he
made of George Washington in a letter to him. On his deathbed, many people
tried to make him turn into a Catholic since he had no religion. All their
efforts were lost as soon as he died. He wasn’t as famous and well-known as
he had been before because of some criticism he made of George Washington
in a letter to him.
Bibliography
BOOKS-
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? Howard Fast, The Selected Work of Tom Paine?
? Published- Random House, 1943 and 1945?
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? Prodigy, Encyclopedia under Paine?
? Published- Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc., 1990 ?
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? Ray B. Brown, The Burke-Paine Controversy ?
? Published- Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1963 ?
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