December 28, 1793: Thomas Paine , an instrumental figure in the American Revolution as the author of Common
Sense, writings used by George
Washington to inspire the American troops, is arrested in France for
treason. Though the charges against him were never detailed, he had been tried
in absentia on December 26 and convicted. Paine moved to Paris to become
involved with the French Revolution,
but the chaotic political climate turned against him, and he was arrested and
jailed for crimes against the country.
When he first arrived in Paris, Paine was heartily welcomed
and granted honorary citizenship by leaders of the revolution who enjoyed his
anti-royalty book The Rights of Man. However, he soon ran afoul of his
new hosts. Paine was strictly opposed to the death penalty under all
circumstances and he vocally opposed the French revolutionaries who were
sending hundreds to the guillotine. He also began writing a provocative new
book, The Age of Reason, which promoted the controversial notion that
God did not influence the actions of people and that science and rationality
would prevail over religion and superstition.
Although Paine realized that sentiment was turning against him in the autumn of 1793, he remained in France because he believed he was helping the people.
After he was arrested, Paine was taken to Luxembourg Prison. The jail was formerly a palace and unlike any other detainment center in the world. He was treated to a large room with two windows and was locked inside only at night. His meals were catered from outside, and servants were permitted, though Paine did not take advantage of that particular luxury. While in prison, he continued to work on The Age of Reason.
Paine's imprisonment in France caused a general uproar in America and future President James Monroe used all of his diplomatic connections to get Paine released in November 1794. Ironically, it wasn't long before Paine came to be despised in the United States, as well. After The Age of Reason was published, he was called an anti-Christ, and his reputation was ruined. Thomas Paine died a poor man in 1809 in New York.
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