GTHE FORGOTTEN FOUNDING FATHER
By John Bailey

"These are the times that try men's souls. The
summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in
this crisis, shrink from the service of their
country; but he that stands it now, deserves the
love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny,
like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have
this consolation with us, that the harder the
conflict, the more glorious the triumph."
Thomas Paine
The American Crisis

Thomas Paine was born in Thetford, England in 1737 to a Quaker father and an Anglican mother. Because his parents were very poor, his formal education ended at age twelve and at thirteen he became an apprentice in his father's corset making business. At age nineteen he became a merchant seaman but in 1859 returned to shore and opened a corset shop. He soon married, but his business failed and his wife died giving birth to their first child which was stillborn.

Paine held various government jobs, worked as a stay maker, a servant, a minister in the Church of England, finally returning to a government job. He took a leave of absence and became a schoolteacher in London

In 1768, he was appointed to a government post in East Sussex and took a room above a tobacco shop. His landlord invited him to join the Society of Twelve, a group which met periodically to discuss local political issues. Paine also became active in church work and in 1771, married his landlord's daughter.

In 1772, Paine published his first political article advocating better pay and working conditions for excise men. He was also an inventor. He received a patent for a single span iron bridge, developed a smokeless candle and worked with John Fitch on the early development of the steam engine.

In September 1774, Paine met Benjamin Franklin in London, and at Franklin's urging, went to Philadelphia, arriving on November 30, 1774. Just before embarking he became legally separated from his wife.

In January 1776, Paine's most famous article, "Common Sense," was published anonymously and within three months 120,000 copies had been printed and distributed throughout the thirteen colonies. With sales totaling 500,000, "Common Sense" became the best-selling work in 18th century America. The article advocated complete independence from Britain and convinced such men as John Adams and George Washington to join the Revolution.

Paine was able to convey his thoughts clearly and concisely and therein lay his ability to influence so many people. It was Paine who proposed the name United States of America and his pamphlets convinced many to stay the course in the long war with Britain.

Paine believed the Revolution had been hijacked by an elite. He also violently opposed slavery, so after the war he returned to Europe. In January 1791, he finished "Rights of Man" planning for it to be released on Washington's Birthday. Due to pressure from government agents, Paine had to change publishers and the book was released three weeks later than planned. Because the book was highly critical of monarchies and European society, Paine was tried in absentia in England for seditious libel

Because of his support for the French Revolution Paine was granted honorary French citizenship and was elected to the National convention, despite his inability to speak French. While he voted for the French Republic, he argued that Louis XVI should be exiled to the United States because of royal support for the American Revolution. He also opposed capital punishment and revenge killings. Eventually, Paine fell out with those in power and a law was passed forbidding foreigners to sit in the legislature. Paine was arrested and narrowly escaped execution. Claiming American citizenship he asked for help from the American ambassador and from George Washington but got none. He was finally released in November 1794 due to the help of James Madison.

In 1802, Paine returned to the United States on invitation from Thomas Jefferson. Upon return Paine found himself hated by the religious because of his opinions set forth in "The Age of Reason" and attacked by the Federalists because of ideas about government stated in "Common Sense"

Paine died in New York City on June 8, 1809. Six mourners attended his funeral. A few years following his death, Paine's remains were exhumed by the radical agrarian William Cobbett who intended that Paine be reburied with honors in England. Paine remained unburied twenty years later when Cobbett died with the bones still in his possession. The whereabouts of the bones are a mystery.

History's currents or current history? You decide.

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