| − | '''Thomas Paine''' (Thetford, England, 1737 - New York City, 1809) was primarily a [[political]] writer born in Thetford, [[England]], who came to [[America]] in 1774. His 1776 pamphlet ''"[[Common Sense]]"'' was a major cause of the American decision to [[Declaration of Independence|declare independence]] on July 2nd. It explained [[republicanism]] and the evils of having a king in very clear language. Selling an estimated 500,000 copies in colonial America where the total population was only 2.5 million,<ref>http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2013/01/thomas-paine-the-original-publishing-viral-superstar/</ref> and also read aloud in taverns and churches, ''Common Sense'' reached most of the attentive public in all 13 colonies. Thomas Paine was also a lifelong, staunch defender of freedom of religion. | + | '''Thomas Paine''' (Thetford, England, 1737 - New York City, 1809) was primarily a [[political]] writer born in Thetford, [[England]], who came to [[America]] in 1774. His 1776 pamphlet ''[[Common Sense]]'' was a major cause of the American decision to [[Declaration of Independence|declare independence]] on July 2nd. It explained [[republicanism]] and the evils of having a king in very clear language. In terms of percentage sales, ''Common Sense'' is second to only the [[Bible]]: ''Common Sense'' had sales of 500,000 in colonial America where the total population was only 2.5 million,<ref>http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2013/01/thomas-paine-the-original-publishing-viral-superstar/</ref> and was also read aloud in taverns and churches. Thomas Paine was a lifelong, staunch defender of freedom of religion. |
| | [[Phyllis Schlafly]], the leader of the grassroots movement that defeated the [[Equal Rights Amendment]] and made the [[Republican Party]] [[pro-life]], greatly admired Thomas Paine for his effectiveness in educating and mobilizing the people through his political writing. | | [[Phyllis Schlafly]], the leader of the grassroots movement that defeated the [[Equal Rights Amendment]] and made the [[Republican Party]] [[pro-life]], greatly admired Thomas Paine for his effectiveness in educating and mobilizing the people through his political writing. |