Rights of Man

What it is

This is a LibriVox audio recording of Rights of Man, the book Thomas Paine published in two parts in 1791 and 1792. The recording was read in English by volunteers Michele Fry and Edward Kirkby. LibriVox is a volunteer project, and its recordings are dedicated to the public domain. The text is Paine's own work, but the voices are modern readers, not Paine.

Why it matters

Part First answers Edmund Burke's defence of monarchy and his attacks on the French Revolution. Paine traces what he calls the birth and fallacy of monarchy, and the source of man's inalienable rights. Part Second examines the roots and benefits of constitutional government. The book was written in plain language, with what the recording's description calls Paine's dry wit and hard-hitting logic. Listening to a modern reading lets students hear the argument, but the argument itself belongs to Paine and to his debate with Burke.

Look closer

• Who is speaking in this recording, and how might a modern reader's voice change the way you hear Paine's argument?
• What does Paine say Burke got wrong about the French Revolution, and what evidence does he offer?
• Which ideas, such as rights or constitutions, would have been new or disputed for readers in 1791?