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Thomas Paine began his writing career while still living in England. He was involved in political matters and in 1772 published The Case of the Officers of Excise. This 21 page article was asking for higher pay for excise officers.
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Thomas Paine married for the second time on March 26th, 1771, to Elizabeth Olive, the daughter of his landlord.
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In 1774 Thomas Paine lost his job as an excise officer and in order to avoid debtor's prison he sold all of his possessions. His second marriage ended soon after.
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Thomas Paine moved to London and met Benjamin Franklin, who encouraged him to move to America and provided him with a letter of recommendation. In October Thomas left England and arrived in Philadelphia on November 30th, 1774.
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Thomas Paine began editing the Pennsylvania Magazine in January 1775, only a few months after arriving in America.
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While working as editor at Pennsylvania Magazine Thomas Paine began writing articles that were politically motivated. He wrote "African Slavery in America" in which he condemned the practice. He signed the article under the pseudonym 'Justice and Humanity'.
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Thomas went on to write about his views on injustice and on revolution in America.
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Following the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19th, 1775, Thomas Paine wrote a 50 page pamphlet titled "Common Sense", in which he suggested that America should revolt against Britain and demand its complete independence. It was printed on January 10th, 1776.
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Thomas Paine's work "Common Sense" is believed to have forced the issue of creating the Declaration of Independence.
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"Common Sense" sold more than 500,000 copies within a few months of its first printing.
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"Common Sense" was printed on January 10th, 1776 and the Declaration of Independence was ratified, unanimously, on July 4th, 1776.
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During the Revolutionary War Thomas Paine traveled with General Nathanael Greene of the Continental Army, as his personal assistant. During this time he wrote 16 "Crisis" papers which were published between 1776 and 1783.
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In 1777 Thomas Paine was appointed Secretary to the Committee for Foreign Affairs, but following a few missteps he was expelled from the committee two years later.
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Thomas Paine was then hired clerk of General Assembly of Pennsylvania and worked to secure additional supplies for the soldiers, who were disgruntled because of low pay and scarce wartime supplies. His efforts are believed to have help with the Revolution's success.
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Thomas Paine eventually returned to England, and became involved once again in politics. He narrowly escaped execution in 1794.
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Thomas Paine continued to write, until his death in 1809. For more than 100 years his image was tarnished, until 1937 when the truth was written in the Times of London, giving him credit for all his work and impact on the American Revolution.
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