Thomas Paine

On June 8, 1809, Thomas Paine, English American writer of the Age of Reason and Common Sense, died at the age of 72. From the article:

"Final Years

Paine returned to the United States in 1802 or 1803, only to find that his revolutionary work, influence and reputation had mostly been forgotten, leaving only his status as a world-class rabble-rouser intact. It would take a century later before Paine's reputation would be reinstated as a vital figure to the American Revolution.

Death

Paine died alone on June 8, 1809. Only six mourners were present at his funeral — half of them formerly enslaved. To drive home the point of his tarnished image as a mere political rabble-rouser, the New York Citizen printed the following line in Paine's obituary: "He had lived long, did some good and much harm." For more than a century following his death, this was the historical verdict handed down upon the legacy of Paine. Finally, in January 1937, the Times of London turned the tide, referring to him as the "English Voltaire" — a view that has prevailed ever since, with Paine now regarded as a seminal figure of the American Revolution."