These are the times that try men's souls." This quotation from Thomas Paine's The Crisis describes the beginnings of the American Revolution, and also the life of Thomas himself. Throughout most of his life, he was a failure, living off the gratitude of others, but his writings helped inspire America. He had a grand vision for society: he was staunchly anti-slavery, and he was one of the first to advocate a world peace organization and social security for the poor and elderly. But his radical views on religion would destroy his success, and by the end of his life, only a handful of people attended his funeral. He wrote Common Sense which also helped inspire America.
Thomas Paine
These are the times that try men's souls." This quotation from Thomas Paine's The Crisis describes the beginnings of the American Revolution, and also the life of Thomas himself. Throughout most of his life, he was a failure, living off the gratitude of others, but his writings helped inspire America. He had a grand vision for society: he was staunchly anti-slavery, and he was one of the first to advocate a world peace organization and social security for the poor and elderly. But his radical views on religion would destroy his success, and by the end of his life, only a handful of people attended his funeral. He wrote Common Sense which also helped inspire America.
Source: http://www.theamericanrevolution.org/ipeople/tpaine.asp