"These are the times that try men's souls."

This simple quotation from Founding Father Thomas Paine's The Crisis not only describes the beginnings of the American Revolution but also the life of Paine himself. Throughout most of his life, his writings inspired passion but also brought him great criticism. He communicated the ideas of the Revolution to common farmers as easily as to intellectuals, creating prose that stirred the hearts of the fledgling United States. He had a grand vision for society: he was staunchly anti-slavery, and he was one of the first to advocate a world peace organization and social security for the poor and elderly. But his radical views on religion would destroy his success, and, by the end of his life, only a handful of people attended his funeral.