Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine was an English-born American Founding Father, and author of the pamphlet Common Sense (1776) framing the argument for America's independence from Great Britain. Quotes from his work:

• From the errors of other nations, let us learn wisdom
• There is something absurd in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island
• The cause of America is in great measure the cause of all mankind

In 1796 he published an open letter to George Washington, whom he denounced as an incompetent general and a hypocrite. Washington may have avoided Paine at this point, possibly believing his politics to be too radical.

Paine's footnote to his letter objects to the appointment of a single Executive in government: "It is necessary to the manly mind of a republic, that it loses the debasing idea of obeying an individual".

More writings of the Founding Fathers can be found here.