Thomas Paine

A British-born writer newly arrived in the colonies, Thomas Paine entered the revolutionary moment as an outsider with little patience for inherited authority. In the months before independence, he published essays and articles that questioned monarchy, challenged social hierarchy, and pushed readers to rethink who should hold power. These pieces circulated widely in newspapers and magazines, reaching beyond political leaders and helping prepare a broad public for the idea of breaking with Britain.

In January 1776, Paine published Common Sense, a pamphlet that rejected monarchy outright and argued that independence was both necessary and inevitable. He stripped political debate of deference and tradition, grounding his case in natural rights and everyday experience. Written in plain, forceful language, the pamphlet carried the argument far beyond Congress and colonial elites, turning independence into a question ordinary people could engage with and debate.

As the war dragged on and military setbacks tested resolve, Paine turned to sustaining morale. His “American Crisis” essays, written during the hardest moments of the conflict, open with the line, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Read aloud to troops at George Washington’s direction, the essays steadied soldiers and civilians alike during the war’s most difficult moments.