The term 'Paine or Mann' refers to two influential figures in American history, Thomas Paine and Thomas Mann. Thomas Paine was an English-American political activist, philosopher, and revolutionary who wrote the influential pamphlet Common Sense, which helped to inspire the American Revolution. Thomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and Nobel Prize laureate. Both men were important figures in the development of the United States and their works continue to be studied and discussed today.