The American Crisis
This was the complete series of pamphlets. There were 16 in all, which was divided into Common Sense, the Rights of Man, and the Age of Reason. From 1776 to 1777, 13 pamphlets were produced. They were all signed anonymously. Between 1777 and 1783, three additional pamphlets were produced. They were all
Common Sense
Common Sense was one of Paine's most famous writings. Published in 1776, it was written toward the common people, and spoke against England having control over America. Paine's writing was a huge success- Common Sense was about 50 times more popular than an average and successful piece of writing! It was so popular because of his input of important ideas, revolving around social and political ideas. Since it was so successful among the common man. Common Sense managed to catch the eye of some important leaders in our country's time and impressed them, yet they were a little worried that he was abusing his freedom of speech. Using notes he had taken, Paine introduced his notes for writing Common Sense to Benjamin Rush, Samuel Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. They all reviewed it and commented on it.
The Rights of Man
Published in 1791, Rights of Man was written in response to Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France. Basically, Paine states that he's against Monarchy, and uses the United States as an example of a successful Democratic Republic. Burke was a conservative that believed heavily in the republican government which stated the rulers should be kings and queens and you only sat on the throne if you were part of the royal family. Paine argues against this, saying that we should have the exact opposite- a government should be ruled by the people, and renewed every generation or so, and that the government's main duty is to protect the people and their rights. There were about 50,000 copies of Rights of Man.
Age of Reason
Paine wrote the Age of Reason when he was in prison. It was against church. However, barely escaping the punishment of execution, he was freed by the US Minister to France. The Age of Reason was a very controversial writing piece, since it went against organized religion. The people of that time were incredibly religious, so going against organized religion could be upsetting to people. When he returned to America in 1802, he was mocked and shunned. But Paine died in 1809, and although he took a huge stand for justice, he died in uncertainty.