Thomas Paine was born a son of a Quaker on the January 29, 1737 in Thetford, Norfolk in England. The young man had a very basic education and started to work for his father and then as an officer of excise. Thomas Paine was unsuccessful but his luck started to take a turn when he met Benjamin Franklin in London in 1774. Benjamin Franklin saw the potential in Thomas Paine and offered him a letter of recommendation and the advice to immigrate to America. Paine arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 30, 1774 and started his life as a publicist. He first published African Slavery in America in 1775, which criticized slavery in America. He also became the co-editor of Pennsylvania Magazine. Thomas Paine influenced the lives of many people and set fire to the independence of America by his writings, Common Sense, The Crisis, The Rights of Man and the Age of Reason. .
When Paine arrived in Philadelphia, he sensed the tension and rebellion amongst the colonies especially after the events of the Boston Tea Party and the battles of Lexington and Concord. Paine believed that the colonies should not have to pay taxes, especially without a representation in the Parliament at Westminster. In fact, the smart man believed that the colonies should be independent from England. Therefore, on January 10, 1776, Paine published his ideas in his pamphlet, Common Sense. .
In his Common Sense, Paine passionately argued for the independence from England and emphasized on the ability of the young country to grow and prosper, " the cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. " He declared simply that it was just " common sense" to stop being dominated by King George III, the " royal brute". He criticized the government, " Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one. " His argument was that any true-blooded American who was not revolted by the bloody chaos of conflict, and not prepared to fight in consequence, had the " heart of a coward and the spirit of a sycophant.
