biography
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1737–1809)
|
| biography:
| Revolutionary philosopher and writer, born in Thetford, Norfolk, E England, UK. A corset-maker from the age of 13, he became a sailor, a schoolmaster, and an exciseman. In 1774 he sailed for Philadelphia, where his pamphlet Common Sense (1776) argued for complete independence. He served with the US army, and was made secretary to the Committee of Foreign Affairs. In 1787 he returned to England, where he wrote The Rights of Man (1791–2) in support of the French Revolution. Arraigned for treason, he fled to Paris, where he was elected a Deputy to the National Convention, but imprisoned for his proposal to offer the king asylum in the USA. At this time he wrote The Age of Reason, in favour of deism. Released in 1796, he returned to the USA in 1802. |
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