Thomas Paine was born in Thetford, United Kingdom on February 9, 1737. He was the son of Joseph Paine and Frances Paine. His father was a staymaker, that means his father made the large ropes that were on ships. Thomas Paine’s education began when he attended Thetford Grammar School. This was uncommon because at that time schooling wasn’t required and many children never got any formal schooling. When Paine was thirteen he left school and became an apprentice for his father. He acquired a love for sailing and became a privateer in his late teens. Soon after he returned to England and became a master staymaker and opened a shop in Sandwich, Kent. …show more content…
He moved to London and met Benjamin Franklin. Franklin suggested to Paine that he should move to America. He left England as soon as he could and arrived in Philadelphia near the end of 1774. Paine became the editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine. On January 10, 1776, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet called Common Sense that he signed anonymously. It was the first pamphlet ever to advocate for the American Revolution. In the next 10 years it sold a total of 500,000