Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine

 It is important to remember that the American colonies began by fighting for rights, not separation from England.  When those efforts were exhausted, they fought for freedom; however, that transition was not easy.  Perhaps no one had greater influence in that transition than Thomas Paine.

He had recognized that it took more than the shouts of anger and hate to bring patriots together to create an independent nation.  Paine had helped inspire soldiers with his pamphlet, "The American Crisis."  In fact, in 1776, Washington had ordered his troops to read Paine's pamphlet before crossing the Delaware River to defeat the British army's best troops.  Washington understood the influence of Paine's writing.  He was not alone.  Among the leading patriots familiar with Paine were Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and others.

 Paine understood that it was one thing to inspire troops but quite another thing to convince patriots to separate from England.  He carefully planned.  He chose language that common people would understand, in order to convince them that negotiating with an unwilling King had failed, that shouts of anger and hate would not succeed.  His responsibility was to make patriots see that the time had come to leave England and the King behind and become an independent nation, a democracy, with a written constitution that allowed trade with other nations, and to be able to live within their own laws.  

The significance of Paine's book," Common Sense", a pamphlet really, influenced the common people to whom he was writing, but also influential educated men.  It is believed that his carefully chosen words achieved more than any other single person in the determination to become independent.

If that is so, why do we not celebrate Thomas Paine Day, in the same way we celebrate other American heroes.  Why is he largely forgotten?  Some of the explanation rests upon himself.  When he disagreed with someone, he was outspoken about it, including a disagreement with his friend George Washington.

Another explanation concerns his faith.  He was a deist, believing in God as a creator, but disagreeing with how organized religions saw God.  There were other deists of prominence at that time.  However, Paine was outspoken about faiths that believed in miracles, supernatural healings, and other things he found irrational.  Clearly, he was an outspoken man, and as deism declined and other religions increased, Paine lost his earlier reputation.  

He died June 8, 1809, age 72, and was buried on his farm.  Four years later he was removed from the original grave, perhaps with a good intention to bury him in a different place.  However, whatever the reason, his bones were lost, and his final resting place is unknown.  

While there seems to be no monument in our Capitol, there are some memorials elsewhere. One is in downtown Manhattan, near City Hall, others in various places, including one in Paris.  Although not entirely forgotten, he has not received the recognition of other Founding Fathers.