Thomas Paine was the most prodigious political and social polemicist of the revolutionary era. His thinking is more original and seminal than he has been given credit for by historians. Its scope is immense which is one of many reasons he is much more than a “Political Propagandist” and “Pamphleteer”.
How Paine Transformed Locke Read Post »
Starting in 1872 and completed in 1873, the Comstock Act brought the weapon of religion against these groups. It was named for Anthony Comstock, a zealous Christian anti-“vice”fanatic who was put in charge of using the Act against the democratic forces emerging.
I joined the TPNHA because Paine still lives among us, on bookshelves, yes, but moreso here in The Beacon. There are still statues to be cast, a national monument to be built, national school curriculums to be written, and biographical movies to be made.
Discovering the Truth About Thomas Paine Read Post »
One of the dozens of copies of the statuette was part of the TPNHA Collection, but it went missing in the 1980s. All attempts to retrieve it were unsuccessful.
The Paine Statuette: The First Sculpture of Thomas Paine Read Post »
What the chapter relates offers is a tour of the places in the city associated with individuals known for their support either for Paine and/or his ideas. It commences with Henry Hunt, who in 1817 is said to have addressed between twelve and twenty thousand people at a gathering.
BOOK REVIEW: Literary Walks In Bath Read Post »
Described by T. E. Uttley of the Daily Telegraph as “that evil man Tom Paine”, Thomas Paine was for generations of radicals, secularists and republicans an example and an inspiration. My first port of call was the Great Harry public house in Woolwich.
Paine’s Influence On 19th And 20th Century Radicals, Secularists And Republicans Read Post »
Although it may seem an exaggeration I nevertheless feel that books devoted to the history of secularism are sadly as rare as hens teeth, so it was something of a surprise when I read a mention in an American publication about the forthcoming publication of the work under review.
BOOK REVIEW: Freethinkers, A History Of American Secularism Read Post »
This man had gratified no ambition at the expense of his fellow-men; he had desolated no country with the flame and sword of war; he had not wrung millions from the poor and unfortunate; he had betrayed no trust, and yet he was almost universally despised.
Thomas Paine (1892) Read Post »
"To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, is like administering medicine to the dead." — THOMAS PAINE. PEORIA, October 8, 1877. To the Editor of the N.Y. Observer: SIR: Last June in San Francisco, I offered a thousand dollars in gold — not as a wager, but as
The Vindication of Thomas Paine Read Post »
PEORIA, Nov. 2nd, 1877. To the Editor of the New York Observer: You ought to have honesty enough to admit that you did, in your paper of July 19th, offer to prove that the absurd story that Thomas Paine died in terror and agony on account of the religious opinions he had expressed, was true.
Ingersoll’s Second Reply to NY Observer Read Post »
Life and Deeds of Thomas Paine LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: Through all the centuries gone, the mind of man has been beleaguered by the mailed hosts of superstition. Slowly and painfully has advanced the army of deliverance. Hated by those they wished to rescue, despised by those they were dying to save, these grand soldiers, the
Life and Deeds of Thomas Paine by Ingersoll Read Post »
At the age of seventy-three, death touched his tired heart. He died in the land his genius defended — under the flag he gave to the skies. Slander cannot touch him now — hatred cannot reach him more.
Thomas Paine (1870) Read Post »
