Thomas Paine: An Intelligent Man and an Influential AuthorThomas Paine was an extraordinary author who wrote "two of the most popular books in eighteenth-century America" ​​as well as other influential pieces (Levine 681). Paine was a very intelligent and extraordinary individual who was unable to reach his immense potential due to the repressive "hierarchical society" of England, which is why he went to America and left a huge impact (Levine 681). To understand an author as influential as Paine, it is important to study his youth, some of his interesting collaborators, and the impact that was created with his writings (Levine 681). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As an eight-year-old in England, Paine was exposed to a Christian sermon so cruel that it “forever rebelled” against certain religious beliefs (Levine 681-702). He would eventually become a deist who “matched his political and social positions” much more than the Church of England (Fruchtman 23). Then, at the age of thirteen, Paine “apprenticed to his father to learn the trade” of making corsets (Fruchtman 23). He became a master corset maker but was a “terrible businessman” (Fruchtman 23). Paine was talented and curious and taught himself many trades (Levine 681). As a young man, he worked many jobs with different skills such as "a tobacconist and a grocer, a school teacher and a tax collector" (Levine 681). After failed attempts to change his status in England, he went to America (Levine 681). Once in America, with Ben Franklin's letters of character in hand, he began his career as a Philadelphia journalist (Levine 681). Before beginning his career in journalism, Paine was an “anti-slavery spokesperson” (Levine 681). When he began working as a journalist in Philadelphia, Paine wrote one of his most memorable pieces, Common Sense (Levine 681). Since “Paine had made enemies,” he had these articles published anonymously (Onuf 239). This series of pamphlets was published to “urge immediate independence from Great Britain” (Levine 681). Although “some observers found his behavior reprehensible,” they shared his feelings because people's views of relations with England were at an all-time low (Onuf 239). The time was right, and the pervasive momentum allowed the huge sale of Common Sense to flourish “along the East Coast and in France, Germany, and England” (Levine 681). The widespread popularity of Common Sense along with the subsequent series, The Crisis, helped change perceptions of Paine and led to many political appointments (Levine 681). However, it wasn't long before his short-tempered nature, along with his abuse of power, proved that he was unfit for public office (Levine 681). In 1787, he would return to England where he would write “his second most successful work” entitled Rights of Man which covered a passionate “appeal against hereditary monarchy” something he opposed at an early age (Levine 681). the literary pieces were keenly felt in a time when the military really needed to be fortified. Paine may have exaggerated a bit when he described the Continental Army as “the greatest body of armed and disciplined men of any power under heaven,” but he inspired the troops (Drake 196). It was believed that the first crisis document entitled “These are the times that try the souls of men” was read to George Washington's troops and “did much to bolster the spirits” of the soldiers (Levine 681). Paine's writing style would also inspire very influential men such as Ben Franklin and 681).