Thomas Paine Historical Association

From 1842, one of the earliest recorded celebrations of Thomas Paine’s birthday in Wales. 40 Chartists (predecessors of socialists) made toasts and sung songs to “the oppressed of all nations” and to Paine “the noble of nature, the child of the lower orders.” thomaspaine.org/historic-new...

A plaque in Fort Lee, New Jersey for Thomas Paine. When his original militia disbanded, Paine joined the army of celebrated US General Nathanael Greene at Fort Constitution, today known as Fort Lee. Green hired Paine as an aide-de-camp and appointed him Brigadier.

A Philly marker at Robert Aitken’s printshop. The inscription reads in part, Aitken ‘published the Journals of Congress, its official proceedings, and The Pennsylvania Magazine which introduced the writings of Thomas Paine to America’. Paine wrote for the Pennsylvania Magazine from 1775 to 1776.

"The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected. To take away this right is to reduce a man to slavery, for slavery consists in being subject to the will of another." - Thomas Paine, 1795

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From a Thomas Paine letter to James Monroe dated September 14, 1794 thomaspaine.org/letters/to-j...

During World War I, the American government sold War Savings Stamps to raise funds, using the words of Thomas Paine to rally the public with the famous opening paragraph of Paine's first American Crisis. Washington Times 1/25/1918.

“Mr Burke’s pair of spectacles for short sighted politicians” a 1791 James Sayers etching depicting the political chaos following the release of Thomas Paine's Rights of Man Part 1. Paine supporters strike a tree that has signs including 'Holy Bible' and 'Hereditary'. thomaspaine.org/gallery/poli...

A 1780 order signed by Thomas Paine during the during the American Revolution while he was the Clerk of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature formed under the Paine-influenced and radically democratic 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution.

“The Preacher vs. The Patriot” an 1888 illustration by the Truth Seeker magazine's Watson Heston. A preacher is surrounded by clouds of ‘Tyranny’ and ‘Oppression’ as Paine stands opposite surrounded by clouds of ‘Liberty’ and ‘Equality’ while armies fight in the background.

New hour-long video discussion: The absolute latest in Thomas Paine scholarship and the fascinating discoveries unveiled. Editors of 2026's six-volume Collected Writings (Princeton University Press) discuss ~200 newly attributed works and 180 newly found letters. www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5oG...

Thomas Paine's influence on early socialism: In 1837, the East London Democratic Association calls working classes to unite behind Paine's principles of "Universal Suffrage, Vote by Ballot, Annual Parliaments, No Property Qualification, and Equal Representation." thomaspaine.org/historic-new...

Thomas Paine's image in an oil on canvas mural by Allyn Cox titled “The Library of Congress in the Capitol, 1800-1897”. The mural is in the first floor of the U.S. Capitol’s House wing known as Great Experiment Hall (Central East-West Corridor).

A map showing the residences of Thomas Paine before and at the time of his death, on June 8th, 1809, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. The map was made in 1864 by John Randel. See more at the TPHA's "A Life in Images" gallery: thomaspaine.org/gallery/thom...

THOMAS PAINE THE RIGHTS OF MAN (1791) “Every age and generation must be free to act for itself in all cases” “It is the living, and not the dead, that are to be accommodated” Chills reading this, every time

The Thomas Paine Historical Association's YouTube channel has a new handle. You can find us at the link below — we invite you to visit, explore our content, and subscribe to stay updated on future videos. www.youtube.com/@thomaspaine... #ThomasPaine #History #AmericanHistory #YouTube

The Thomas Paine commemorative stone at Ancient House Museum in Thetford, England with inscription incised on a rectangular block of limestone. See more at thomaspaine.org/gallery/monu...

On June 25, 1801, Thomas Paine published his unsuccessful experiments on the use of gunpowder to drive an internal combustion engine for boat paddles. Steam engine pioneers John Fitch, Robert Fulton and James Rumsey all publically recognized the influence of Paine's experiments on their work.

An 1819 cartoon titled “The Age of Reason or the World Turned Topsyturvy Exemplefied in Tom Paines Works!” by Isaac Cruikshank. A banner says: ‘No Christianity!!!—No Religion!!!—No King!!!—No Lords! No Commons!—No Laws! Nothing but Tom Paine & Universal Suffrage!!!’

Don't forget to register for the Paine event of the season, "Rediscovering Thomas Paine: What New Documents Reveal" at the Thomas Paine Historical Association: thomaspaine.org/about/events/

When Thomas Paine, James Monroe and Irish revolutionary Archibald Hamilton Rowan spent the day together - an anecdote from the Portland Advertiser 11/30/1830. Rowan was a founding member of the Dublin Society of United Irishmen and a champion of democracy.

The White Hart Hotel in Lewes, England has been called the 'cradle of American Independence'. Here, Thomas Paine formed a democratic debating society ‘The Headstrong Club’. Paine left England for America in 1774. See more at our TPHA image galleries: thomaspaine.org/gallery/thom...

The Beacon (Sept 2026) is here! Featured: "Paine's First Crisis: Truth or Consequences" — marking 250 years since The American Crisis first hit print. Also: The Birthplace of the Rights of Man, a Paine memorial in Washington, DC and Paine in Video Games thomaspaine.org/newsletters/ #revolution

“What Wants Me?” a 1792 political cartoon by an unknown artist lampoons Thomas Paine who is surrounded by weaponry and expressions like revolution, atheism and "equality madness". See more Paine cartoons at: thomaspaine.org/gallery/poli...

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NCMAC is asking for public feedback on the proposed Thomas Paine Memorial on the National Mall in DC. WASH & our allies have been vocal in supporting the creation of this monument & encourage all to join in showing support. The public comment period ends on 9/10. parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm....

The latest additions to the #EighteenthCenturyPoetryArchive include poems by Thomas Paine, Joel Barlow, Philip Morin Freneau, John Trumbull, Lucy Terry, and Phillis Wheatley: www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org #C18th #poetry #Revolution250 #DigitalHumanities #ECPA #18thCentury #poems

Our co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor testified before Congress today on behalf of the Thomas Paine Memorial Association to erect a statue of Paine on the National Mall. On the 250th anniversary of "Common Sense" and the US, let's honor one of our most freethinking founders. 🇺🇸 💫

The London Corresponding Society’s 1794 letter to the members of the French Revolution’s Committee of Public Safety appealing to the committee and its unofficial leader Maximilien Robespierre to release Thomas Paine from prison – Courtsey of the American Philosophical Society

1811 newspaper ad offering the chance to "purchase the right of using" a machine for planing wood invented by Paine. The owner of the machine mentioned is Paine's good friend Marguerite Brazier Bonneville. Bonneville and her two children lived with Paine in America from 1802 until his death.

The Thomas Paine statue in Parc Montsouris in Paris, France. It was dedicated in 1948 and created by Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore. It depicts Paine standing before the French National Convention arguing against the death penalty for King Louis XVI. thomaspaine.org/gallery/monu...

"THOMAS PAINE, IRELAND AND THE IRISH GHOST" an article by Fergus Whelan writing in History Ireland (8/26) - Tracing Paine’s reception in Ireland from the publication of Common Sense to the extraordinary Irish circulation of Rights of Man. historyireland.com/thomas-paine-ireland-and-the-irish-ghost

95 Rue de Richelieu, Paris was he residence of Ambassador to France James Monroe where Thomas Paine lived for 2 years recovering from health problems after release from prison. Here, he wrote Age of Reason Part 2, Agrarian Justice and Dissertation on the First Principles of Government.

The first ever newspaper advertisement for Thomas Paine's Common Sense, published in the January 9, 1776 edition of the Pennsylvania Evening Post.

I did not know that one of our founding fathers Thomas Paine in The Rights of Man proposed a 100% marginal tax over a certain level because he saw how wealth corrupts government #philosophy #FoundingFathers #tax #history #USA #progresive #government Interesting youtube.com/shorts/k0RZw...

Steven K. Green joins the New Books Network podcast to discuss his new book, "American Infidelity," which tells the story of a nation's ideological tug-of-war—Christianity on one side, and the secular legacy of thinkers like Thomas Paine on the other. Listen now: oxford.ly/4zuP9TJ

1833 Bombay missionary DEVASTATED that Hindu scholars got their hands on Thomas Paine's Age of Reason, published it in local papers, and started dunking on missionaries with it. He begs the American Bible Society to send reinforcements. thomaspaine.org/historic-newspapers/tom-paines-works-in-india/

“The universal church of the future” a 1883 illustration by Joseph Keppler and Adolph Schwarzmann envisioning a future where religion and science were one. Portraits hang of Copernicus, Darwin, Spinoza and Thomas Paine. See more at the TPHA Paine cartoon collection: thomaspaine.org/gallery/poli...

NCMAC held a public hearing last week & announced a public comment period for citizens & prospective visitors to submit comments supporting the proposed Thomas Paine Memorial on the National Mall in DC. Make your voices heard in support of the memorial before the comment period ends on Sept 10.

Once you break the simulation there’s no going back. Escape Plato's cave with Paine. #revolution #philosophy

Listen to the Ideas Podcast with Gregory Claeys and New Books Network host, Caleb Zakarin who discuss Thomas Paine: Collected Writings. press.princeton.edu/ideas/ideas-... #podcast #history #ThomasPaine

1968 York Coin Club (PA) bronze token featuring Thomas Paine. Fun fact: Paine served as Secretary to the Continental Congress's Committee for Foreign Affairs from April 1777 until January 1779. #ThomasPaine #AmericanRevolution

NEW EVENT - Rediscovering Thomas Paine: What New Documents Reveal Nearly 200 newly attributed works & 180 new letters are reshaping what we know. Hear from the editors behind this landmark discovery. 📅 Sept. 19, 1 PM ET | FREE 📍 New Rochelle + Zoom thomaspaine.org/about/events/