Tom Paine
Writer and Revolutionary
By Jill Scholey
27th Jan 2012
Continued
During Paine’s final years in France, he drew up plans for the invasion of England, with the aim of liberating the English people from the shackles of the Georgian monarchy, as he saw it.
He was even to show initial support for Napoleon Bonaparte.
However, this was a political flirtation that was to cool quickly, Paine later renouncing Napoleon as a cool quickly, Paine later renouncing Napoleon as a tyrant and “the completest charlatan that ever existed.”
After the peace of Amiens in 1802 Paine decided to return to America.
A warm public letter to Paine from the new President, Thomas Jefferson, was received by many in America with scorn.
Having been away for fifteen years, Paine spent time assessing the political climate.
He wrote a series of open letters criticising the backbiting and conflict in American government, and the misuse of the press.
Paine was saddened that citizens had forgotten how the American Revolution had come about, and the principles upon which America had been founded.
His despair was exacerbated by ill health, poverty and old age
Nevertheless, he continued to give public lectures, and write articles.
He planned to publish an anthology of his works, but this never came to fruition.
To be concluded
