The historical pamphlet, "Common Sense" (1775-1776), couldn't have come at a better time for American's. They were in desperate need of something to help them in their opinions on what to do about their relations with England. After there had already been turmoil with the Boston Tea Party, the Battles of Concord and Lexington and of course the burning of Norfolk, Virginia and Falmouth, Maine, the political climate was changing and many Pennsylvanians and other colonists were torn between their loyalty to Great Britain and their duty to their country. Also, while the term independence was brought up not many people were willing to fully declare independence from England. "Common Sense" was just what they needed to here to make up their minds and I do not think that this could have been written by a more perfect person at a more perfect time. He was an Englishmen who felt the wrath of the British government more than most people in America. Thomas Paine was born in 1737 in a small agricultural town of Thetford England. His father, Joseph, was a corset maker and his mother Frances was the daughter of an attorney. Both were members of the Quaker community. Upon looking back at Paine's childhood Thetford England provided him with just one of the many experiences that he undertook to be able to write "Common Sense" as he did. Thetford was town, much like all of England, with its share of social dissension, division and inequity. There ruins of churches, monasteries and priories surrounding the town. Also, it was your typical example of the way the English form of Constitutional government was. At the time, only 31 people were allowed to vote out of nearly 2000. Being that his family were members of the Quaker community, they were not only forbidden from voting but they were also not allowed to hold political office or attend the universities. This is probably where Paine's distrust from government began. As a corset maker in Thetford, his father was just able to provide for his family including sending Thomas to school. Thomas' only spent six years in grammar school, however it was in this school which sparked his interest in setting out on his own journey many years later. After his schooling ended, Thomas encountered many professions throughout his time in England before he made the journey to America. He first worked as apprentice in his father's shop. In 1756 at sixteen years of age he ventured off to become a privateer (perhaps at the inspiration of a former teacher) but his first attempt was successfully thwarted by his father but by December of that same year he ventured out again and this time was he was successful for two years aboard the ship named King of Prussia. It was these two years aboard ship that were able to give him the insight he needed when it came time to write those letters to boost the morale of the soldiers of the Revolution. After his stint on the King of Prussia, Paine pursued a career as a journeyman stay-maker. During that same year he would also marry his first wife. Unfortunately, both his career as a stay-maker and his wife would fall to misfortune. Leaving his only means of making a living Paine set out on a new career. His late-wife's father had been a "exciseman"  and he was able to persuade Paine to follow in his footsteps. After passing the entrance exam Paine was admitted to the excise service. It was his duty to collect the excise taxes, which was levied on goods like alcohol, tobacco and salt. Of course being an officer for the excise service, his job was not only despised of but also was a dangerous one. For all the conditions that the excise officer had to go through their job didn't pay that well either. When you consider the fact that they had to pay for not only a place to call home but also stable and lodging fees when they were traveling there was barely any money left over.6 Paine would serve as an excise officer twice. The first time he would serve he was discharged but not being a quitter he applied again and was accepted. His second term was in the town of Lewes, and proved to be more rewarding than the first. As an excise officer he was able to get a first hand's view of what it was like for the poor people of England. During his second time as an excise officer he also married again. As an excise man his wages were not proportional to that of the rising prices of goods because he was on fixed salary whereas people in a shop could change their prices to help with the new costs. Thus, much like a lot of the people of England he couldn't afford some of things that his family needed. I believe that his time as an excise officer gave him the insight that he needed to write "Common Sense" the way he did. H