Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' and His Connection to an English Duke

Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense'

• 💡 Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet, 'Common Sense,' argued for American independence from Great Britain.
• 🎯 Paine's core arguments included the impossibility of Britain governing distant territories and a critique of the king's unchecked power.
• 🚀 The pamphlet is described as the all-time best-selling American title, having helped inspire the American Revolution.

Discovery of the Declaration of Independence

• 🔍 A research team discovered a parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence in a small archive in southern England.
• 🗺️ This discovery led to an investigation into how the document ended up in England, revealing connections to Thomas Paine.

Paine's Radical Essays and the Duke of Richmond

• ✍️ Thomas Paine spent six years in England as a tax collector, during which he wrote radical essays under the patronage of Charles Lennox, the third Duke of Richmond.
• 🤝 The Duke of Richmond was a supporter of the American cause and the first member of the House of Lords to recommend recognizing American independence.
• 🗳️ Richmond also introduced a bill in Parliament for universal manhood suffrage, envisioning a Britain where Parliament was the voice of the people and sovereign authority.

New Book Explores the Connection

• 📚 The book 'Radical Duke: How One Aristocrat and the American Revolution Transformed Britain' by Danielle Allen explores this previously unknown collaboration.
• ✨ The research highlights a significant, yet overlooked, connection between a key figure of the American Revolution and British aristocracy.