Biography And Career Of Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737, to bring liberty to a new nation. As a child, Thomas lived in Thetford, U. K. Thomas Paine was the son of Joseph Paine, a Quaker who worked as a corset maker, and his mother Frances. Thomas attended a local grammar school in, from age seven through age twelve. In 1750, His father took him out of school to allow Thomas to fully pursue corset making. Being a Quaker, Joseph would not allow Thomas to learn the language of Latin wich was mandatory in order to study medicine or law at the time. However, Thomas was inspired by Isaac Newton, a scientist who used his different ideas to create the laws of physics, and many other discoveries we use to this day. Thomas would grow to use, as Newton did, used his unique thoughts and views in life as his mentor Newton did.

Paine, an adventurous boy wanted to explore and learn about the vast world around him. At age 19, Paine left home to London in order to enroll on a privateer ship named Terrible under Captain William Death. Luckily, Thomas’s father prevented him from boarding the ship because The Terrible was confronted by a French privateer ship in what turned into a battle. Aboard the Terrible 150 men including the captain, faced defeat and death. Only seven crew members survived, and returned with severe injuries. Though his father successfully saved his son’s life, this event did not crush Thomas’s thought of journey and adventure. A few years later, Thomas enrolled on another privateer ship. Through the the vessel's journeys and battles, the crew captured seven French merchant ships. Thomas collected thirty pounds, which is now about $25,000, after the voyage. Upon his return, Thomas began work as a corset maker along the east coast of England in 1759, the same year he married Mary Lambert, sadly one year later in childbirth, Mary and her expected newborn died during childbirth.

Through Paine’s suffering, he was able to remain productive. Thomas found work as an excise officer in 1762. In order to begin work, Paine had to first pass mandatory tests of reading, writing, and arithmetic. To officially take chargePaine must first pledge an oath to his king, King George III. Paine was fired from his position as an officer of excise after being accused of inspecting goods he never saw. Desperate for work, Pain became a school teacher. He did not enjoy his teaching position as much as his previous occupation. This prompted Paine to beg the Excise Board to forgive his “mistake”. The board accepted Paine’s apology and rehired him. As a hobby, Pain entered a political debating club in 1768, where his ideas were appreciated or criticized by other members. Shortly after his return, a friend of Paine who also worked as an officer of excise encouraged Paine to write to parliament discussing a way to increase excise officers salaries. These writings were titled The Case of the Officers of Excise. In 1772-1773 over 4,000 copies of these writings were read. Though Paine worked long hours to write these papers, nothing was accomplished, and no officers received a raise.