Thomas Paine
             Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737 in England. He started to work after a short and basic education. He was an unsuccessful man until he met Benjamin Franklin in 1774, who advised him to immigrate to America. He sailed for Philadelphia that same year, 1774, and started as a publicist. He first published his African Slavery in America, in the spring of 1775, criticizing slavery in America being unjust.
             While in Philadelphia, Paine felt the spirit of rebellion that was going on in the colonies, both, after the Boston Tea Party and when the fighting started in April of 1775 with the battles of Lexington and Concord. He felt that the colonies had all the right to revolt against a government that imposed taxes on them. An important thing that Thomas Paine did for the American cause was on January 10, 1776. On that day, Paine wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense. This pamphlet argued for complete independence. It was intended to convince Americans that sooner or later independence from England must come. It was common sense to be free from England. Paine's pamphlet had great influence on the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776.
             Paine volunteered in the Continental Army during the War of Independence and started with the writing of his highly influential sixteen American Crisis Papers, which he published between 1776 and 1783. This was another great importance of Thomas Paine to the American cause. He was later made secretary to the Committee of Foreign Affairs in Congress.
             In 1787, Thomas Paine returned to England, where he wrote The Rights of Man, in support of the French Revolution. He returned to America again in 1802 after an invitation by Thomas Jefferson. He learned that he was a great infidel, or simply forgotten for what he had done for America. Thomas Paine died in New York City on June 8, 1809.
             In conclusion, Thomas Paine was very important to the American cause....