Thomas Paine: The Corset-Maker Who Ignited Two Revolutions

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the turbulent life of Thomas Paine, the English-born philosopher often called "The Father of the American Revolution". Born in Thetford, England, Paine struggled as a corset-maker and excise officer before emigrating to America in 1774 with a letter of recommendation from Benjamin Franklin. We discuss how his pamphlet Common Sense became a massive bestseller that crystallized the demand for independence from Great Britain, and how his American Crisis series bolstered the morale of the Continental Army with the famous line, "These are the times that try men's souls".

We also cover Paine’s dramatic return to Europe, where he championed the French Revolution in Rights of Man, was elected to the French National Convention despite speaking no French, and narrowly escaped execution in Paris due to a misplaced chalk mark on his prison door. You’ll learn about his controversial religious views expressed in The Age of Reason, which advocated Deism and criticized organized Christianity, leading to his social ostracization upon his return to the United States. Finally, we examine his progressive proposals for state-funded social programs and a guaranteed minimum income, his bitter public feud with George Washington, and the bizarre fate of his remains, which were dug up after his death and subsequently lost.