Paine’s deep relationship with the Bonnevilles lasted for more than 15 years. This essay studies Paine’s time with the Bonnevilles in Paris during the six years he lived with them, from 1797 to 1802, as Napoleon Bonaparte began his ascent to power and U.S.-France relationships floundered.
The Bonnevilles: Thomas Paine’s “Family” Part One: Read Post »
Elihu Palmer (1764 1806) was a little-known freethinker who, even after losing his vision, remained active in the intellectual debates of his time. Palmer emerged as one of the leading exponents of deism in the First American Republic. Drawing upon thinkers such as Locke, Hume, Rousseau, and Jefferson.
Elihu Palmer: A Forgotten Voice of Deism Read Post »
Since Paine believed that all organized religion was a tool to monopolize power and profit and to oppress the people, his belief in the separation of church and state was vehement. Witnessing first hand England's use of the church to wield the king's power, he learned early on to keep religion out of government and
What is Paine‘s position on the separation of church and state? Read Post »
![“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://i0.wp.com/thomaspaine.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Reason-against-unreason.jpg?fit=667%2C1024&ssl=1)
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 »
In Paine’s view, organized religions marketed unreliable hearsay piled on hearsay as “revelations” that are, by definition, based on faith rather than evidence. Carefully observing nature, he rejected nearly everything propounded by organized religions as antithetical to rational analysis, retaining from Biblical accounts only what was discernable through observation.
The Mysteries of Paine’s Beliefs in Providence Read Post »
Frances Wright has been called the “female Thomas Paine.” In important ways, she was. Fanny Wright was the first American feminist, a radical abolitionist, labor champion, powerful public orator, and one of the first philosophers making a public case for freethought.
Frances (Fanny) Wright: ‘The Female Thomas Paine’ Read Post »
Gilbert Vale was an early supporter of Thomas Paine, first in England, then in America in the early 19th century. He was a freethought publisher and writer, and through his work he reached the freethought and progressive segments of the American people.
Gilbert Vale, Thomas Paine’s Good Friend Read Post »
TPNHA note: William van der Weyde was President of the Thomas Paine National Historical Association from 1920 to 1929 when he died. Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt had made a famous slander against Paine, and van der Weyde was interested in getting a retraction. Aside from the historical interest, and the marvelous manner in which
The van der Weyde — T. Roosevelt Letters Read Post »
Paine, Scripture, and Authority is an important work, particularly as it is the first book for many years to focus on The Age of Reason. Yet for all its value it pays too much attention to what the authors see as Paine’s personal motivation
Although today many eminent Christians, the recently retired bishop of Durham being a good example, express opinions regarding the bible similar, if not going beyond, those of Paine, few, if any, express their very real debt to him for instituting a debate which was ultimately to give them the freedom to express their opinions.
The Paine Conversion Myth Again Read Post »
