Compare the backgrounds of Jefferson and Paine; did Paine have an advantage or disadvantage by not being born in the colonies? Explain.

Thomas
Jefferson was born into a privileged family, studied law, and lived a more than comfortable
life. It has been documented that he owned over 600 slaves over the course of his lifetime as a
planter and fathered six children with his slave Sally Hemings. In 1774, he wrote in his
"Summary View of the Rights of British America" that the Virginia Colony was not
seeking to separate from Britain, though he did emphasize that George III was "no more than
the chief officer of the people." However, in 1776, he altered his position in drafting the
Declaration of Independence.

English-born Thomas Paine did not enjoy the
same kind of wealth and comfort as Jefferson. He tried and failed at several professions before
heeding the advice of Benjamin Franklin and emigrating to the American colonies in 1774. Unlike
Jefferson, Paine's belief in independence for the American colonies was immediate. His
publications of "Common Sense" and "The American Crisis" made strong
arguments for American...