Beacon

Explore articles from The Beacon, the Thomas Paine Historical Association’s bi-monthly journal. Each issue features multiple original articles written by a diverse group of leading Thomas Paine scholars, historians, and experts. Together, these contributions examine Paine’s life, writings, and enduring influence while connecting his ideas on liberty, democracy, and human rights to the political and social issues of today.

Scan of cover of Common Sense, the pamphlet.

How Thomas Paine Made the Case for an Independent and Democratic America

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Beacon, Beacon January 2026

Common Sense, published in January 1776, is well known for its strong advocacy of independence from Britain. Less known, but of vital importance, is Paine’s insistence that it is essential to create republics in which the people as a whole—not any one person— are sovereign. Ridiculing the unwritten English “Constitution” that all American factions then

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An illustration titled “The Great Champion Of Liberty – Thomas Paine” by Watson Heston from the front page of the September 8, 1894 Truth Seeker magazine showing Paine holding a paper reading “Political and Religious Liberty” having slain a character labled “kingcraft” and driving away another labled “priestcraft”.

Thomas Paine: Founder of Modern Democracy: Part 2 

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Beacon, Beacon September 2025

Thomas Paine’s first principles built the structure of democracy. The mechanisms central to Paine’s political theories are rooted in his ideology of first principles. The basic foundation of these principles is equality, and as a direct result, justice. If equality is practiced, then people share equal justice. 

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Airmen of the 388th Bomb Group climb aboard their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30793) nicknamed "Tom Paine" before a mission.

Glimpses of Paine’s Reputation in History

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Beacon, Beacon September 2025

The majority of historians have gone along with ignoring or misrepresenting Paine in history, from 18th century UK Tories to 21st century American biographer J.C.D. Clark. The reality was that the Federalists took over, wrote a constitution enabling plutocracy, and repressed the truth of Paine. Only two Paine biographers (Linton and Vale) were even half

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Why Thomas Paine is so Fascinating to Me 

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Beacon, Beacon May 2025

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. 

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