Common Sense #1

Written by Thomas Paine

Narrated by Timothy Patrick Miller

There are three foundational documents that gave rise to The Republic of the United States of America. Tom Paine’s Common Sense is one.  The other two are The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.  Listen to the ideas that stirred women and men to become a new Republic on the road to freedom for all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: American Listeners Theatre
• Release date: Jan 1, 1980
• ISBN: 9781509473700

Thomas Paine

English-born Thomas Paine left behind hearth and home for adventures on the high seas at nineteen. Upon returning to shore, he became a tax officer, and it was this job that inspired him to write The Case of the Officers of Excise in 1772. Paine then immigrated to Philadelphia, and in 1776 he published Common Sense, a defense of American independence from England. After returning to Europe, Paine wrote his famous Rights of Man as a response to criticism of the French Revolution. He was subsequently labeled as an outlaw, leading him to flee to France where he joined the National Convention. However, in 1793 Paine was imprisoned, and during this time he wrote the first part of The Age of Reason, an anti-church text which would go on to be his most famous work. After his release, Paine returned to America where he passed away in 1809.