The Rights of Man

About the book

The Rights of Man Thomas Paine This volume collects together the most important writings of founding father Thomas Paine. First published on January 10, 1776, "Common Sense" was one the most influential and best-selling works from the colonial period. One of the central political arguments amongst the colonists of the pre-revolutionary period was whether or not they should seek freedom from British rule. In "Common Sense," Paine provided a straightforward argument to the American people as to why they should seek independence. Second in this volume is "The Crisis," a collection of pamphlets published during the American Revolutionary war which were meant to inspire the soldiers and reinforce the reasons for the fight. Third is the "Rights of Man" a refutation of Edmund Burke's "Reflections on the Revolution in France" in which Paine argues that popular political revolution is necessary when a government does not protect the natural rights of its people. Fourth in this book is Paine's "The Age of Reason," a controversial work arguing for the philosophical position of Deism, which challenged institutionalized religion and the legitimacy of the Bible. Lastly there is the socialist treatise "Agrarian Justice," in which Paine argues that land owners owe a rent to society in order to fund universal old-age and disability pensions as well as to provide a fixed sum to all citizens upon reaching maturity. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.