Before the Committee
The absence of surviving proto-drafts of the Declaration ofIndependence should not foreclose inquiry into its earliest stages of formation.
Thomas Jefferson
Our collection of articles, records and reviews about Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine.
Thomas Paine and the Declaration of Independence
Van Buren Denslow said of Paine: “If a set of opinions could be entitled to a place among political philosophers by reasons of millions having come to believe in and praise them, then Paine would stand, more than any other, as the founder of the American school of political philosophy.”
Thomas Paine and the Declaration of Independence Read Post »
Thomas Paine’s View of Constitutions
Paine purposed to realize for every individual, as much as possible, the God-given natural rights and liberty of mankind. Such a goal for any nation, Paine believed, is best and most easily accomplished through the agency of a constitution that by its sequence of adoption and substantive content.
A Tale of Two Toms: Jefferson and Paine’s Radically Different Visions of America
Jefferson turned a blind eye to slavery, rooted in fake subjective science, while Paine saw humanity as one whole: “The world is my country, my religion is to do good.” In this sense, Kindness in Paine’s writings is the end product of the Enlightenment, waiting for realization.
A Tale of Two Toms: Jefferson and Paine’s Radically Different Visions of America Read Post »
Christopher Hitchens And Thomas Paine
Hitchens was a man of many unresolved contradictions. How anyone could find Mrs Thatcher sexy is beyond me. And there are far better examples of the distillers’ art than Walker’s Black Label. But if his writing about Paine encourages people to read Paine’s works he will have earned his redemption.
Some Of The Letters Paine Wrote To Jefferson During 1788–1789 Concerning The Iron Bridge
In point of elegance and beauty it far exceeded my expectations and is certainly beyond anything I ever saw. My model and myself had may visitors while I was at the works.
Some Of The Letters Paine Wrote To Jefferson During 1788–1789 Concerning The Iron Bridge Read Post »
A Portrait Of Thomas Paine
THE tale of the recent discovery of the portrait of the celebrated propagandist, Thomas Paine, painted by the “Patriot-Artist,” Colonel Trumbull, for Thomas Jefferson—a picture which dropped out of sight over a century ago—is worth telling in some detail.
The Illuminati: Secret Societies In 18th Century Radical Politics
It should not be forgotten that 1776, the year the Illuminati was founded, was a year of revolution in America. While the charges of belonging to the Illuminati made against them by their opponents were unfounded, it cannot be denied that many of the American revolutionaries were active Freemasons.
The Illuminati: Secret Societies In 18th Century Radical Politics Read Post »
To Thomas Jefferson July 8, 1808
Image above and transcript below from the original letter at the Library of Congress New York Partition Street No 63 July 8th, 1808. Dear Sir On the 21st Jany I presented a Memorial to Congress and after waiting a considerable time and hearing nothing of it, I wrote to George Clinton Junior who presented the
To Thomas Jefferson January 30, 1806
First page above. All pages and transcript below from the original letter at the Library of Congress NEW ROCHELLE, Dear Sir I have not seen nor heard anything respecting the subject I wrote to you upon and also to the vice-president after his arrival at Washington. His letter, however, is on a different subject, and
To Thomas Jefferson September 30, 1805
Image above and transcript below from the original letter at the Library of Congress New Rochelle (N.Y) Sep 30 ’05 Dear Sir I write you this letter entirely on my own account, and I begin it without ceremony. In the year 84 or 5 a motion was made in the legislature of Virginia for making
To Thomas Jefferson April 20, 1805 – No. 2
Images above and transcript below from the original letter at the Library of Congress New Rochelle (N.Y.) April 20 1805 Dear Sir I wrote you on 1st Janry from N Rochelle mentioning my intention of spending part of the Winter at Washington; but the severity of the Winter and the bad condition of the roads