Rights of Man, Part I Summary and Analysis

The Rights of Man was a treatise written by Paine and presented to George Washington. The treatise was a rebuttal to Edmund Burke's 1791 attack on the French Revolution, a war which Paine supported.

Paine points out that while England is openly supportive of the French Revolution, it is clear that the government is not supportive yet chooses to keep its opinions close to the chest. The author feels that once the people of England discover its government's untruths, it will be disheartened but will continue its quest for liberty worldwide.

However, if England does mend its past grievances with France, it must find another foe in order to support the high level of taxes it deems necessary. To be at complete peace would make England's subjects question the ongoing need for such taxation. However, England has chosen...