The Writings of Thomas Paine, Complete

Few writers did more to turn colonial grievance into revolution than Thomas Paine, and this gathering of his political writings shows why. In plain, forceful language meant for ordinary readers rather than scholars, Paine argues for American independence, denounces hereditary rule, and defends the natural rights he believed every government owed its people. The pieces range across the causes that defined his life, from the break with Britain to broader questions of liberty, justice, and the duties of citizens. His gift was making radical ideas feel like common sense, and his pamphlets were read aloud in taverns and army camps on both sides of the Atlantic. Together they trace the making of a revolutionary conscience. A free PDF and EPUB edition is available here.