The Life of Thomas Paine; Mover of the 'Declaration of Independence;' Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the First American Congress; Member of the National Convention of France; Author of 'Common Sense,' 'The Crisis,' 'Rights of Man,' 'Age of Reason,' &c., &c.: The Man, Whose Motto Was 'The World is My Country; to Do Good, My Religion.' Embracing Practical Considerations on Human Rights; Demonstrating That Man Tends Irrepressibly to Actual Freedom; and Showing a Liberty-Aim Connection in the Action of the World's Three Great Author-Heroes, - Rousseau, Paine, and Comte.

Boards a bit rubbed, 1/2 inch tear to base of two pages, pencil name on rear endpaper. 1877 Hard Cover. 110, [8] pp. Terra cotta cloth, gilt titles, blind-stamped borders, engraved frontispiece of Thomas Paine. An examination of Paine's life and political philosophy by Calvin Blanchard, who also edited a publication of Paine's complete works. As an unremarkable English commoner, former tax collector, and one-time privateer, Thomas Paine was the most unlikely person to carry the torch of American independence. Nevertheless, his succinct and wildly-popular argument in favor of the idea, Common Sense, proved to be the exact catalyst to bring such a provocative cause to fruition. If Paine's public deeds were limited to this alone, they would have solidified his place in history, but he had considerable influence on the political dynamics of France and Britain as well. His fiery opposition to hereditary monarchy, slavery, and state religious establishments was entirely novel for his time, but he waged a lifelong crusade against all three institutions, putting himself in great danger in the process. Paine adamantly defended the truth as he saw even when it led to adverse political repercussions, the loss of personal friends, and harm to his own livelihood. Even his adversaries conceded he was more uniquely skilled at reaching commoners than any agitator to come before him, and his approach involved regular people in political struggles that had previously been reserved to groups of elites. …