Thomas Paine 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 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.

April 26, 2026 – This event, “Thomas Paine’s Poetry”, explored Paine’s poetic legacy and how it relates to Paine’s philosophy. TPHA Board Member Dr. Scott Cleary, Professor of English at Iona University, was the speaker that also featured Paine’s words put to song by artists from the Tutti Bravi Ensemble in 18th century costume. View the full video of the event here.

May 1, 2026 – A May Day event with our Board Member Paul Myles discussing 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. 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. View the full video of the event here.

May 6, 2026 – Thomas Paine Historical Association President Gary Berton took the podium at the Yonkers Public Library 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”. Gary spoke 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.

May 9, 2026 – 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 in an event titled “Common Sense Was Not Enough”. View the full video of the event here.

May 14, 2026 – In this lecture at the Thomas Paine Memorial Building, Joseph Rezek reflected on the historical significance and contemporary resurgence of Thomas Paine’s great pamphlet, “Common Sense.” Drawing connections between the media environment of the American Revolution and that of our own time, he explained why Common Sense made such a difference in history and why it might be making a difference again today. Joseph Rezek is Associate Professor of English and Director of American Studies at Boston University. He has written widely on the literature and print culture of early America and recently published an essay on the 250th anniversary of Common Sense in The New York Times. View the full video of the event here.