Thomas Paine
A Presentation on the Life and Legacy of the 18th
Century’s Most Remarkable
Champion of Liberty
Edward J. Dodson, M.L.A.Director, School of Cooperative Individualism
www.cooperativeindividualism.org
Who was Thomas Paine?
• Born, “Thomas Pain” in Thetford, England, in 1737
• Father was a member of the Society of Friends and a staymaker by profession
• Mother was a member of the Church of England
Arrival in North America
• 1774 -- Leaves England, arriving in New York, then to Philadelphia in the fall
• 1774 – Calls on Richard Bache, Ben Franklin’s son-in-law
• 1775 – Obtains position as editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine
Rebellion to Revolution
• 1775 – In May, Franklin returns from England, the Second Continental Congress meets and the colonials send the “Olive Branch Petition” to George III
Rebellion to Revolution
The Second Continental Congress
Paine Takes Sides
• 1775 – In conflict with his publisher, Paine leaves the Pennsylvania Magazine
• 1775 – He concludes the Colonials must separate from the British empire. In October, at the suggestion of Benjamin Rush, he begins to write a pamphlet in defense of the break with Britain
Benjamin Rush
Common Sense
• As the pamphlet is read throughout the colonies, one of the leading rebels -- John Adams -- responds with a more conservative treatise, Thoughts on Government. Adams calls for a balance of power in government.
Common Sense
• English radicals make sure their countrymen get to read Paine’s courageous pamphlet
Independence Declared, but Not Secured
• 1776 – Paine joins General Nathanael Greene as his aide-de-camp. He takes on the role of war correspondent
1776 – December – The first “crisis” paper is written and spread thru the colonies
Victory or Death!• 1777 – Crisis No. 2 is
addressed to Lord Howe, responding to proposals to settle the war
• 1777 – April. He is appointed secretary to the Committee for Foreign Affairs
• 1777 – Crisis No. 3 reviews American progress in the struggle for independence
• 1777 – Battle of Brandywine occurs; the British occupy Philadelphia
Commitment and Intrigue
• 1778 – Crisis No. 7 is addressed to the people of England
• 1778 – Writes a series of essays promoting a new constitution for Pennsylvania
• 1778 – Puts himself in the middle of the “Silas Deane affair”
Silas Deane
Victory and the Legacy of War• 1779 – British military
strategy shifts the conflict to the southern colonies, where the loyalist population is largest
• 1779 – Crisis paper No.8 appears in February
• 1780 – Subscribes to the new Bank of Pennsylvania
• 1780 – Charleston falls to the British, and Paine responds in Crisis No.9
Preparing for Nationhood
• 1780 – The British continue to occupy New York City, and Benedict Arnold betrays the Colonials
• 1780 – Paine offers direction on how the frontier lands ought to be treated in the pamphlet, Public Good
Benedict Arnold
Diplomacy
• 1781 – Paine accompanies John Laurens to France in an effort to secure French naval support and additional financial assistance
John Laurens
The British Face Going Home
• 1781 – Cornwallis surrenders to George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia
The American Revolution is History
• 1781 – The Abbe Guillaume Raynal completes his book, The Revolution in America. Paine responds before the year’s end with a critical review.
Public Servant
• 1782 – Is rewarded for his services with a position as a “paid propagandist” in the new Federal government, reporting to Robert Morris
• 1782 – Comments on the unique nature and obligations of citizenship in the new nation and on what lies ahead
Britain Makes “Peace” With Its Former Colonies
• 1783 – November. The Treaty of Paris officially ends the war. Paine writes A Supernumerary Crisis, calling for a strengthening of the union between the states
Parting Words
• 1785 – In response to an escalating fight over the granting of a charter to the Bank of North America, he prepares a new pamphlet, Dissertation on Government; the Affairs of the Bank; and Paper Money
Robert Morris
Severing Ties with Washington …
• 1796 – Paine writes an open letter to George Washington, blaming the U.S. President for his long imprisonment in France
• 1797 – Napoleon Bonaparte calls on Paine, who provides Bonaparte with a plan on how to successfully invade England
… and Many Other Americans
• 1800 – Paine writes to Jefferson that he is working on a third part to The Age of Reason
• 1802 – A tentative peace is negotiated between Britain and France, providing an opportunity for Paine to sail for the United States
A Forgotten Founding Father
• 1804 – Sells part of his New Rochelle property for $4,000
• 1805 – January. Comes to stay with William Carver in New York City for several months
• 1805 – Fall. Most of his funds gone, he petitions Jefferson for a grant of land
• 1806 – Spring. He is forced to sell his property in Bordentown, New Jersey and returns to New York City to board with William Carver
A Forgotten Founding Father
• 1806 – November. Returned to New Rochelle, Paine is not permitted to vote in a local election on the ground he is not a U.S. citizen
• 1806 – He reports that his health is failing
• 1808 – Paine is forced to sell his farm, receiving $10,000.
• 1809 – He dies the morning of June 8th