Thomas Paine (1737-1809)

Common Sense (1776) which was an early call for the independence of the American colonies from Britain. His other well known work is The Rights of Man (1791) which was a reply to Burke’s critique of the French Revolution. Although he was a best selling author in the 1770s by the the time of his death he was largely forgotton in America.

[For further reading see The American Revolution and the Debate about the French Revolution]