Texts by Thomas Paine

• Common Sense

• The Crisis

Resources about Thomas Paine

1. Price, Harry T.  Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 43: AmericanNewspaper Journalists, 1690-1872.  A Bruccoli Clark Layman Book. Edited by Perry J. Ashley, University of South Carolina. The Gale Group, 1985. pp. 338-    347. Accessed June 8, 2007.  

This resource is a most informative sketch about the life and times of Thomas Paine.  It talks about his life and the contributions he made to the American Revolution.   This article is helpful in understanding the American enlightenment because it provides background and information on one of the movement’s most important players. 

2. US Independence Hall Association. Jul 95 Thomas Paine “These are the times that try men’s souls”. 9 June 2007  http://www.ushistory.org/paine/index.htm

The designer of this website, Thomas E. Kindig, states his main point as examining “the roots of constitutional government in the United States and around the world” (Kindig). He works with a group of people to help bring information to the website. The author of this period I will examine is Thomas Paine. It is important to read about Paine because he helped build the foundation of the American Revolution. Through his publication of Common Sense, he stressed the importance of building “a strong defense of American Independence from England”. His writing is critical in our study of American Literature in the Enlightenment period because his belief of a strong independent nation was needed. This resource was helpful in my study of literature which is entwined with background information about the important liberators of the 18th century. Thomas Paine’s role as a renown writer helped form our government. I give credit to this website for sharing the information of history. Kindig website is associated with the Independence Hall Association, an independent group who spearheaded the Independence National Historical Park.

3. Claeys, Gregory. Thomas Paine: Social and Political Thought. Boston: Routledge, 1989. Mesa Community College ebrary. 15 June 2007 <http://site.ebrary.com.ezp.mc.maricopa.edu/lib/mesa/Top?channelName=mesa&cpage=1&docID=10017726&f00=text&frm=smp.

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The main purpose of this website is to discuss the life and times of Thomas Paine.  Thomas Paine is an important person to know about because his works are still known and studied today.  During his life, his writings were read by more men and women than any other political author in history.  Thomas Paine sowed the seeds of revolution in Britain in the early 1790s, and his writing’s showed how people of the time felt.  This is why his writing’s are critical to an understanding of the literary period.  This resource is helpful in reading and interpreting the author because it is full on information about him.  The website is credible because the author if clearly indicated.