My Pen and My Soul Have Ever Gone Together

A biography of Thomas Paine, this book establishes who he was, what he believed, why he believed, and how his beliefs and personal history are reflected in his political activism.

The first true intellectual biography of Thomas Paine, this book establishes the origins of his beliefs and their influence on his activism. For the past century, scholars have been studying Paine in piecemeal fashion; studies of limited scope focused on the minutiae of Paine's life and career, but no clear portrait had existed to know how the pieces fitted together. This "is" the complete picture. Who he was, what he believed, why he believed, and how his beliefs and personal history are reflected in his political activism - not just in the American Revolution, but also the French Revolution.

Table of Contents: Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. The Pennsylvania Magazine 2. The Devil's Advocate: Thomas Paine and The Making of Common Sense 3. Why Thomas Paine? 4. The Origins and Significance of Thomas Paine's Religious Beliefs
5. "One God and No More": The Strange Mission of Thomas Paine
Conclusion
Appendix: Common Sense: An Historiographical Overview
Notes
Bibliography
Index