The Thomas Paine Historical Association holds many events throughout the year, both in-person and online, to highlight the life, legacy and philosophy of this great man. The TPHA is headquartered at the Thomas Paine Memorial Building, located at 983 North Avenue in New Rochelle, New York 10804. We welcome visitors to tour our museum every Saturday from 1 to 4pm. Entry is free with an optional donation supporting the work of the TPHA. For more information about any of our events please email info@thomaspaine.org.
Upcoming Events:
Sunday, April 26, 2026 at 2PM EST
WHAT: Thomas Paine’s Poetry
WHERE: Via Zoom and in-person at the Thomas Paine Memorial Building, 983 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY. Register today to join the event on Zoom!
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
ABOUT: Thomas Paine’s poetry was another form of his expression, revealing additional facets of his personality and often acting as the proving ground for his political ideas. This event will explore Paine’s poetic legacy and how it relates to Paine’s philosophy. Thomas Paine Historical Association Board member Dr. Scott Cleary, Professor of English at Iona University, will be the speaker. Scott is a senior editor of the new Collected Writings of Thomas Paine to be released soon by Princeton University Press. He was awarded the Iona College Irene Hammerbacher Award for Faculty Research in 2017 for his work on Paine, and with the University of Virginia Press published a book on Thomas Paine’s poetry entitled The Field of Imagination: Thomas Paine and Eighteenth-Century Poetry in 2019.
Join us in person for an engaging dive into the world of Thomas Paine! Experience a lively lecture, hear some of his powerful poetry, and enjoy captivating performances that bring his words to life. Whether you’re a history buff or just curious, this event is the perfect way to connect with Paine’s legacy in a fun and informal setting. Don’t miss out!
Friday, May 1 at 2 PM EST
WHAT: Thomas Paine and the Roots of Early Labor Unions: The Case of the Excise Officers
WHERE: Via Zoom and in-person at the Thomas Paine Memorial Building, 983 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY. Register today to join the event on Zoom!
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
ABOUT: The Thomas Paine Historical Association is proud to announce a May Day event with our Board Member Paul Myles. Myles will discuss his book, Thomas Paine and the Case of the Officers of Excise, and how Paine’s 1772 pamphlet emerged from a nationwide campaign by thousands of poorly paid excise officers seeking reform—what was arguably the first organized national labor movement within the British state and a precursor to modern trade unionism. The pamphlet exposed systemic corruption rooted not simply in individual vice, but in structural poverty and administrative failure, linking the welfare of public servants directly to the health of government itself.
By situating Paine’s early development within the realities of bureaucracy, patronage, corruption, and political debate, this study challenges longstanding biographical myths and presents a new understanding of how radical ideas emerge from practical experience. It reveals The Case of the Officers of Excise as a milestone in the history of labor organisation, public administration, and democratic thought.
Drawing on newly uncovered archival evidence (including lost petition signatures, Treasury records, and Excise minute books) Myles reconstructs Thomas Paine’s career as a government officer and reveals how his experiences inside Britain’s largest revenue-collecting institution shaped his political ideology. Set against the turbulent political landscape of Britain under George III, the event will also explore Paine’s formative years in the politically vibrant town of Lewes and the intellectual influence of the provincial press. These experiences explain Paine’s remarkable transformation from minor civil servant to revolutionary author within a few short years, reflecting his close relationship to Benjamin Franklin and departure for America.
Provocative, meticulously researched, and rich in historical detail, this book restores a forgotten chapter of both Thomas Paine’s life and Britain’s political history—one whose implications still resonate today. Join Paul to find out how his research unfolded and the surprising details that were revealed.
Paul Myles was a director of The Thomas Paine Society UK which merged with the TPHA last year. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine as a psychologist, which he currently teaches at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and is a visiting research fellow in Intellectual History at the University of St. Andrews. Paul recently designed and mounted a 23-poster exhibition in Lewes Railway Station about Thomas Paine and General Thomas Gage and their involvement in the American Revolution. marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. He also produced a second edition of Thomas Paine in Lewes 1768- 1774 with additional essays in 2020. Both titles are available online in print and as ebooks on Amazon and KoBo.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 6PM EST
WHAT: The Myth of the Founding, and the Class Struggle for Democracy
WHERE: At the Yonkers Public Library at 1 Larkin Center, Yonkers, NY 10701
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
ABOUT: Thomas Paine Historical Association President Gary Berton takes the podium for a fascinating discussion that offers new truths about America’s founding as a nation in an event titled, “The Myth of the Founding, and the Class Struggle for Democracy”. Learn about Paine’s impact on the formation of the American movement for democracy, his allies in this fight and his critique of the American Constitution of 1787. You will never look at America’s “founders” in the same way.
Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 4PM EST
WHAT: Common Sense Was Not Enough
WHERE: Via Zoom and in-person at the Thomas Paine Memorial Building, 983 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY. Register today to join the event on Zoom!
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
ABOUT: With a May 1776 Pennsylvania election going sideways, was independence doomed? Not with Paine and compatriots, during the weeks before the Declaration, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. William Hogeland (Declaration: The Nine Tumultuous Weeks When America Became Independent) and Richard Briles Moriarty (TPHA Board member and Paine scholar) escort you on the roller-coaster ride that made independence possible.
Sunday, June 7th, 2026
WHAT: Thomas Paine Day in New Rochelle
WHERE: Thomas Paine Memorial Building, 983 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY
ABOUT: The major event this year: Our celebration of Thomas Paine Day on the 250th anniversary of Common Sense and the American Revolution. A day to recognize and celebrate Paine’s contributions to the formation of American democracy. Details to come.
* For more information about any of our events please email info@thomaspaine.org.
CHECK BACK SOON FOR MORE EVENTS TO COME!
Past events:
January 9 and 10, 2026 – Lewes is where Thomas Paine first emerged as a powerful political voice. This two-day conference, titled “Common Sense at 250: Legacies of Democracy from Paine to Today”, brought together leading scholars to reflect on the 250th anniversary of Common Sense and its enduring democratic legacies. Members of the Thomas Paine Historical Association Board participated in the conference, with Professor Scott Cleary chairing a panel on Friday and Paul Myles speaking on a panel. The conference was organised by the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies at Iona University, Thomas Paine: Legacy, and the University of Sussex.
January 10, 2026 – The Thomas Paine Historical Association hosted a community reading of selected portions of Thomas Paine’s transformative work, Common Sense, at the event titled “Voices of Common Sense: Readings from Thomas Paine’s 1776 Clarion Call for an Independent and Democratic America”. The event featured live readings by various members of the New Rochelle community including the Mayor of New Rochelle Yadira Ramos-Herbert, New Rochelle City Council Member Sara Kaye, Westchester County Legislator Terry Clements, Westchester County Legislator Judah Holstein, New York State Senator Shelley B. Mayer, New York State Assembly Member Amy Paulin, New York State Assembly Member Steve Otis, various community leaders and local students. TPHA Board member Lisa Burton moderated the event, and readings were followed by questions and discussion with Gary Berton, TPHA President. View the full video of the event here.
January 17, 2026 – Award-winning author and historian Jack Kelly on his new book, Tom Paine’s War: The Words That Rallied a Nation and the Founder for Our Time. The exciting event delved into the life and impact of Thomas Paine during the Revolutionary War. Jack Kelly gave an in-person talk based on his book – an “exploration of our nation’s birth… a story of the power of words, and the power of belief, and how both speak as well to America’s current crisis.” Thomas Paine Historical Association President Gary Berton participated in the lengthy Q&A at the end of the lecture. Berton called the book “compelling, informative and superbly written… a celebration of our roots, especially when they are threatened today… Paine is the Founder that held democracy up for all to see”. View the full video of the event here.
January, 24, 2026 – Gary Berton, TPHA President and an editor of the new Collected Writings of Thomas Paine from Princeton University Press discussed the topic, “Two Conflicting Periods of the Founding” at Carslake Community Center, 207 Crosswicks St., Bordentown, New Jersey. The Bordentown Historic Society hosted the event.
January 29, 2026 – The yearly celebration of the official birthdate of Thomas Paine. Jack Kelly, author of the book Tom Paine’s War: The Words That Rallied a Nation and the Founder for Our Time was the keynote speaker. Congressman Jamie Raskin and Congresswoman Victoria Spartz delivered opening words. This event was organized by the Freethought Society and co-sponsored by the Thomas Paine Memorial Association (TPMA), Black Nonbelievers, Thomas Paine Historical Association, Freethought Society, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Thomas Paine Society, Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, American Atheists, Secular Coalition for America, American Humanist Association, and Center for Inquiry/Richard Dawkins Foundation for Science and Reason.
January 31, 2026 – Dr. Daniel Gomes de Carvalho, Professor of Modern History at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil returned with another fascinating aspect of Paine’s political philosophies as he discussed,”Finishing the Revolution: Thomas Paine, Universal Suffrage, and the Problem of Bicameralism (1776–1795)“. View the full video of the event here.
February 9, 2026 – Gary Berton, the president of The Thomas Paine Historical Association, joined TPHA Board Member Scott Cleary, co-editor of New Direction in Thomas Paine Studies and author of The Field of Imagination: Thomas Paine and Eighteenth-Century Poetry, discussed the revolutionary life, ideas, and legacy of Thomas Paine in celebration of the 250th anniversary of his famous pamphlet, Common Sense, in an event titled “Thomas Paine and the 250th Anniversary of Common Sense”. Julie Silverbrook, vice president of civic education of the National Constitution Center, moderated. This program was generously sponsored by Citizen Travelers, the nonpartisan civic engagement initiative of Travelers. View the full video of the event here.
February 10, 2026 – The Bronx County Historical Society and the Amalgamated Joint Community Activities Council (JCAC) presented a lecture, “Thomas Paine and the Founding of the United States” featuring Gary Berton, Thomas Paine Historical Association president. The event was made possible with the support of New York State Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz.
February 21, 2026 – Thomas Paine Historical Association Board Member Dr. Frances Chiu, Associate Teaching Professor at the New School and author of The Routledge Guidebook to Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man, offered an in-depth discussion of this all-important work in her discussion titled “Thomas Paine and Rights of Man” at the Thomas Paine Memorial Building. View the full video of the event here.
March 8, 2026 – Joy Masoff, doctoral candidate and Thomas Paine Historical Association Board Member, and Thomas Paine Historical Association president Gary Berton spoke about Paine’s connections with the leading feminists in England, America and France during the Age of Democratic Revolutions in “Thomas Paine and the Feminists”. View the full video of the event here.