Consequences of Paine's Radicalism

On November 30, 1774, a 37-year-old Englishmanâ??an ex-privateer, exâ??corset stay maker, exâ??tax collector (fired twice for dereliction of duty), and ex-husband (also twice over)â??arrived in Philadelphia with a letter of recommendation from Benjamin Franklin in his pocket. The old philosopherâ??s praise was understandably restrained. This â??ingenious worthy young man,â? Franklin wrote, would make a useful â??clerk, or assistant tutor in a school, or assistant surveyor.â? Four months later, however, the shots that rang out at Lexington and Concord galvanized the newcomerâ??s hitherto aimless life into focus and purpose. â??When the country into which I had just set foot was set on fire about my ears, it was time to stir,â? he recalled. â??It was time for every man to stir.â? And so, adding a final â??eâ? to soften the surname he was born with, he began to write under the byline â??Thomas Paine.â?