Igniting Liberty: The Revolutionary Life of Thomas Paine

"We have it in our power to begin the world over again."

In 1774, Thomas Paine arrived in Philadelphia as a failed tradesman with nothing but a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin. Within two years, he was the most famous writer in the world, having authored the words that sparked the American Revolution and sustained its army through its darkest hours.

Igniting Liberty is a searing portrait of the Enlightenment’s most radical voice—a man who lived for human dignity, challenged the divine right of kings, and proved that a single pen could shake the foundations of empires.

• The Voice of Revolution: Explore the logic behind Common Sense, the pamphlet that turned a colonial commercial dispute into a global struggle for independence.
• The American Crisis: Go behind the scenes of the desperate retreats of 1776 and the words that saved Washington’s army on the banks of the Delaware.
• A Global Firebrand: Follow Paine’s dangerous journey into the heart of the French Revolution, his defense of the Rights of Man, and his miraculous escape from the Luxembourg Prison.
• The Modern Visionary: Discover Paine as a pioneer of social policy, proposing universal education, progressive taxation, and old-age pensions more than a century before they became reality.

From the "muddy lanes" of Norfolk to the halls of power in Paris and Philadelphia, Igniting Liberty follows a visionary who never stopped believing that reason, honestly applied, could make the world better than it is.

Jamie Glick is a leading historian and author specializing in the figures and philosophies of the Age of Enlightenment.

Note to Readers: This book is provided in DRM-free formats, reflecting Thomas Paine's own commitment to the free and open exchange of ideas.