Rights of Man (Essential Thinkers Series) by Thomas Paine, Hugh Griffith (Introduction)

From the Publisher

Thomas Paine was an idealist, a radical and a master rhetorician of political theory, who also played a prominent part in the most dramatic events of his age. He was an inspiring propagandist in the cause of American independence, and after supporting the Revolution in France was elected as a deputy to the National Convention. Two years later, during the Terror, he himself narrowly escaped the guillotine.

No one ever did more than Paine to foster the spirit of equality on which all modern democracy is based. Championing the rights of the downtrodden and the dispossessed, he directed the full force of his scorn against those who claimed that birth and social position justified their right to rule. Rights of Man, an instant bestseller in 1791, remains one of the most powerful political tracts of all time.

Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was born in Norfolk, England and worked at a variety of occupations before emigrating to America in 1774, where he made his name supporting the Revolution. In 1787 he returned to England where, in 1791, he was prosecuted for writing Rights of Man. He fled to France, where he was elected to the National Convention before being imprisoned under Robespierre. He died, largely forgotten, in America.

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