The Rights of Man
Paine published this in two parts, in 1791 and 1792, as a direct answer to Edmund Burke’s attack on the French Revolution. Against Burke’s reverence for tradition and inherited authority, Paine argues that government exists only to secure the natural rights of the living, and that no generation can bind those who come after it. He defends a people’s right to overthrow a government that fails them, ridicules hereditary monarchy and aristocracy, and sketches practical reforms, including public relief for the poor, pensions, and schooling funded by progressive taxation. The book sold in the hundreds of thousands and got Paine tried in absentia for seditious libel in England. Free PDF and EPUB editions are available here.
About the Author
Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was an English-born political writer whose pamphlets helped ignite both the American and French revolutions. Author of Common Sense and Rights of Man, he championed republican government and plain reason, and died poor and largely scorned in New York.
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Listen to The Rights of Man Audiobook Free
Listen to The Rights of Man by Thomas Paine free online. The full audiobook (9 hr 36 min, 36 chapters, read by volunteer narrators) streams free on this page.
The Rights of Man (1894) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Editor's Introduction | 13:04 | |
| 2 | Dedication | 1:14 | |
| 3 | Paine's Preface To The English Edition | 5:24 | |
| 4 | Paine's Preface To The French Edition | 5:02 | |
| 5 | Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 1 of 13 | 16:43 | |
| 6 | Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 2 of 13 | 17:01 | |
| 7 | Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 3 of 13 | 19:08 | |
| 8 | Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 4 of 13 | 12:51 | |
| 9 | Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 5 of 13 | 12:07 | |
| 10 | Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 6 of 13 | 24:18 | |
| 11 | Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 7 of 13 | 9:43 | |
| 12 | Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 8 of 13 | 10:42 | |
| 13 | Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 9 of 13 | 16:09 | |
| 14 | Part The First, Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 10 of 13 | 9:00 | |
| 15 | Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 11 of 13 | 14:53 | |
| 16 | Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 12 of 13 | 13:00 | |
| 17 | Part The First, Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 13 of 13 | 5:44 | |
| 18 | Declaration Of The Rights Of Man And Of Citizens | 6:32 | |
| 19 | Observations On The Declaration Of Rights | 6:12 | |
| 20 | Miscellaneous Chapter, Part 1 of 3 | 18:08 | |
| 21 | Miscellaneous Chapter, Part 2 of 3 | 15:16 | |
| 22 | Miscellaneous Chapter, Part 3 of 3 | 24:43 | |
| 23 | Conclusion (of Part The First) | 17:09 | |
| 24 | Part Second, Introduction | 9:43 | |
| 25 | Part Second, Chapter 1, Of Society And Civilization | 13:57 | |
| 26 | Part Second, Chapter 2, Of The Origin Of The Present Old Governments | 6:30 | |
| 27 | Part Second, Chapter 3, Of The Old And New Systems Of Government | 35:42 | |
| 28 | Part Second, Chapter 4, On Constitutions, Part 1 of 2 | 24:48 | |
| 29 | Part Second, Chapter 4, Part 2 of 2 | 33:28 | |
| 30 | Part Second, Chapter 5, Ways And Means Of Improving The Condition Of Europe, Part 1 of 7 | 24:02 | |
| 31 | Part Second, Chapter 5, Ways And Means Of Improving The Condition Of Europe, Part 2 of 7 | 14:28 | |
| 32 | Part Second, Chapter 5, Ways And Means Of Improving The Condition Of Europe, Part 3 of 7 | 31:56 | |
| 33 | Part Second, Chapter 5, Ways And Means Of Improving The Condition Of Europe, Part 4 of 7 | 21:23 | |
| 34 | Part Second, Chapter 5, Ways And Means Of Improving The Condition Of Europe, Part 5 of 7 | 23:37 | |
| 35 | Part Second, Chapter 5, Ways And Means Of Improving The Condition Of Europe, Part 6 of 7 | 35:08 | |
| 36 | Part Second, Chapter 5, Ways And Means Of Improving The Condition Of Europe, Part 7 of 7 | 7:36 |
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