Dreiser, like Paine, viewed oligarchy as a serious threat to ordinary Americans, who were sacrificed to rich overlords by a complicit government. Dreiser, like Paine, urged populist action: “We want a government for all the people! No enormous wealth in private hands!”
Thomas Paine is the founder of modern democracy. In word and deed, he crafted the democratic movement in three countries, and it spread on its own around the world. As a result, Paine was slandered, attacked and marginalized for 200 years.
Thomas Paine: Founder of Modern Democracy: Part 1 Read Post »
A Canadian who grew up outside Toronto, I first heard of Thomas Paine very briefly in high school when my Canadian history classes spent as little time as possible on the American Revolution. That was more about the Loyalist expulsion to Canada than the achievement of American independence.
Paine says that aristocracy and oligarchy should be rejected. Likewise, Paine says the worst kind of government is one where decisions are subject to the passions of a single individual. I advise those in the White House to study Paine’s writings
Today’s British accent emerged in the 19th century. As the century progressed, Americans largely retained traditional ways of speaking English while England radically deviated from those linguistic roots. Spoken British English and American English diverged.
Thomas Edison, among the most famous men of the early 20th century, played a vital role in restoring the public reputation of Thomas Paine. A great admirer of Paine since his youth, Edison attended the 1925 groundbreaking ceremony for the Thomas Paine Memorial Building in New Rochelle.
The Federalist Party, anointed by most historians as the founding party of the new United States, shaped the Constitution, adopted in 1787. Their conservative and nationalist ideas were voiced in 85 newspaper essays, collected in “The Federalist Papers,” to counter arguments against the plan from those who wanted more democracy.
![“Reason against unreason” a 1882 illustration by Joseph Keppler and Adolph Schwarzmann shows the “Light of Reason”, containing bust portraits of “Johannes Kepler, I. Kant, Thomas Paine, Jefferson, B. de Spinoza, Franklin, Voltaire, E.H. Haeckel, Tyndall, Huxley, [and] Darwin”, beaming against a large umbrella labeled “Bigotry, Supernaturalism, [and] Fanaticism” – Library of Congress](https://thomaspaine.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Reason-against-unreason.jpg)
In a February 15 talk at the Paine Memorial Building in New Rochelle, Dr. Carvalho said, “By criticizing the adulterous connection between church and state… Paine had devastating effects on the governments using religion to maintain hierarchies and oppression.”
Brazilian Scholar Discusses Age of Reason and Democracy Read Post »
Foley Square now wears the name of a corrupt politician while Paine Park has a lightpost marker with no statue of the great man. New York should recognize Paine’s achievements and give him the place of honor at Civic Center, even at the risk of insulting “Big Tom.”
The Paradox of NYC’s Thomas Paine Park in Foley Square Read Post »
When most founding members of the Thomas Paine National Historical Association no longer served on the TPNHA board, others joined the association and took active leadership roles. They reflected the founding philosophy and ideas that prevailed at the turn of the century.
Imagine Thomas Paine as a “raw and adventurous” youth, scurrying up a ship’s rigging in storm-tossed waters, overwhelmed by the booms of two dozen cannons fired in unison, the clouds of choking smoke, and the violent lurches of a shuddering ship.
The Thomas Paine Memorial Association (TPMA) won congresional and presidential approval for a Paine memorial in Washington, DC. Unsettled is the exact location of the memorial. TPMA reported on the site selection process as of October.
Paine Memorial Association Seeking Washington Site Approval Read Post »
