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Revolutionary period over the course of the past several years dr. Bell is professor of history at the university of maryland. He holds a b. A. From the university of cambridge and a ph. D. From harvard. He has won more than a dozen Teaching Awards including the 2017 [inaudible] of maryland board of regents faculty award for excellence in teaching which is the highest honor for teaching faculty in the maryland state system. In addition, he has held Major Research fellowships at yale, cambridge and the library of congress and is the recipient of a 2018 National Endowment of the humanities public scholar awards and the 2021 Andrew Carnegie fellowship. He is author of the book stolen. And this book was a finalist for the 2020 George Washington prize and the 2020 Harriet Tubman prize. Dr. Bell is a trustee of the Maryland Center for history and culture and a fellow of the Royal Historical society. It is a delight to have him back with us for another program, and so without further delay, please welcome dr. Richard bell. Welcome, rich. Thank you, mary. I hope you can hear me and see me okay. Im going to go ahead and share my screen now. I might just take a couple of seconds to get ready. Lets get can cracking. When Thomas Jefferson met thomas paine in paris in 1787, he begged him to sit [inaudible] jefferson collected portraits of celebrated men, and in 1787 there were few men as celebrated as thomas paine. He wrote common sense, the 46page pamphlet that catalyzed the Independence Movement and overthrew the british monarchies and the colonies. Paine agreed to be painted, and jefferson hung the portrait in quite a place, on the walls of monticello, his house in virginia. That was 1787. Now fast forward 40 years to 1828. Thomas jefferson is dead. His family are selling off his possessions. When the auctioneerens dig out Thomas Paines portrait, they find the canvas torn and battered. There are mouse holes through his eyes, stab marks in his chest. As if some children in jeffersons family had been allowed to vandalize it. The fate of Thomas Paines painting is, i think [inaudible] for his own extraordinary life. The man toasted around the world in the 1790s 1770s and 1780s as the hero of the American Revolution ended his days as a discredited pariah, unceremoniously cast aside. The thing about the painting at monticello are, its our first clue that thomas paine never sat comfortably in the pantheon of americas founding fathers. A working class immigrant and sometime [inaudible] paine sticks out from the rest like a sore thumb. Famously plain spoken, both devilish and smart, paine was also far more radical and ideological than jefferson or any other leaders of the American Revolution. And as a radical, he had a lot to say. Basically selftaught, paine went toe to toe with a generation of american, british and french intellectuals and statesmen. Very public and nastily controversial positions on republicanism, on democracy, on social justice, on religious freedom and on human rights. Paines unwavering beliefs and unwavering commitment to speaking bluntly about those beliefs directly made him far more enemies in his life than friends. It was the fate of his paint as the fate of his painting implies, paines fall from public favor in the 1790 and 1800s was dramatic and dizzying. Paines widely publicized critiques of the british monarchy, of the french aristocracy, of George Washington, of jesus and of the bible brought down the last of the upon him. Concerted Smear Campaigns on both sides of the atlantic succeeded in turning the hero of the American Revolution into the most despised public figure in the 18th century world. Those attacks on him were devastating. Paines demise and his death in 1809 is, to my mind, one of the most tragic of any public figure in that period. Along the way he would be spied on, spat at, shot at, tried and convicted in england, imprisoned and nearly executed in france and then defamed and denounced in the United States. This is an astonishing story. Paines life pulsated with risk and drama and surprise at every turn, so lets get stuck in. Tom paine was english. He was born in norfolk in Eastern England in 1737. His father was a corset maker, and he and young tom rarely saw eye to eye. Like all men with difficult dads, tom left home when he was 19. South london. He was tall and slim, soft spoken and a bit embarrassed about his country boy accent. Hed been raised as a quaker like his dad, and that groups interest in commerce, their concern for political and social justice and their turn the other cheek morality surely rubbed off on him. But in london he drifted away from quakerrism. , dabbling in anglicanism and in two other types of protestant christianity, though he found no permanent religious home or community. Money was tight. And after a while, paine did what a lot of other poor folk in londonen ended up doing, he signed on to become a sailor. He was about to embark on his first voyage on a ship called the terrible when his dad arrived on the docks to talk him out of what would have been a lifeshortening career choice. Being a sailor was dangerous work. P if aine left london soon afterwards, moving to the town of lewis on englands south coast, and there he got involved in a debating group who called themselves the headstrong club. He even scribble turned a few political, satirical and antimonarchical pieces for the local paper there, sometimes signing those pieces with a pen name, with a pseudonym. Try and guest what it was . It was common sense. Paine tries his hand as shopkeeper, corset make like his dad, being a tax writer, and he did also finally go to sea as a sailor. But in all of these different occupations, tom paine was an unrelenting failure. His personal life was not much better. He lost his first wife in childbirth, and he divorced his send wife. By 1774, paine was 37 years old, and yet he had little to show for himself. He was bankrupt and suffering from typhoid. When he met Benjamin Franklin one day back when paine still lived alone, franklin had encouraged this struggling young man to go start a new life in america. So in 1774 tom paine did just that, clutching a very brief, cursory letter of introduction from franklin who barely knew him. He booked passage to philadelphia. Turning his back on the country, england, that had brought him nothing but despair and disappointment. Paines Health Deteriorates so much on that long voyage across the ocean, but he staggered off the ship half dead, and he didnt know a soul. When his health finally returned, fully six weeks later, tom paine set about reinventing himself. He added an e to the end of his last name, a signal to himself as much as anyone else that he wanted to start fresh. He began contributing a few columns to a local newspaper, and within a few months he was able to use that brief experience as well as that cursory letter of introduction from ben franklin, phillys favorite son, to get himself a job in philadelphia editing a new gentlemens magazine there for 50 pounds a year. And it was, i think [inaudible] and contributor to this magazine, this pennsylvania magazine that tom paine would hone the skills that he would later use to write common sense. Think about it. Editing a gentlemens magazine, a literary or magazine, immersed tom paine, a newcomer, in the world of clone colonial politics. Editing this magazine also gave tom paine his first dedicated set of readers, a public, a reading public whose opinion he soon learned how to manipulate. One of paines favorite tactics as editor and lead contributor to this pennsylvania magazine was to print articles in it but refused to leave [inaudible] like how to deal with an infestation but turned out to be about politics. So, for instance, in a piece he published in a pennsylvania magazine called an easy method to prevent the increase of bugs, he revealed that his advice to house owners on how to exterminate their unwelcome visitors and, of course, really an analogy that compared the british army marching through [inaudible] at the time to bugs. In fact, the pennsylvania magazine was filled with antibritish barbs and quips like that one. Some of them more carefully disguised than others. And this makes sense. Remember who paine is. He he had turned on england long ago. The marriages hed made had caused him early ruin and regret. Galvanized by what had happened at lexington and concord in april of 1775, tom paine would write common sense to ordinary americans that they should declare their independence from britain. As he was writing that pamphlet in the fall of 1775, tensions with britain were escalating quickly. Popular notions had been aroused not only by the 1773 tea act and the 1774 [inaudible] act that followed it, but more recently by the battles at lexington and concord and then at bunker hill. There was a lot of anger and confusion in the air as he was writing. Although to be clear, no one was talking openly yet about independence. Not until tom pains pamphlet burst on the scene. He was going to be one of the first people to make a very public argument that all grievances should be focused on achieving independence, not reconciliation, not better terms and conditions, but independence. Lets spend some time now examining how tom paine builds the case for independence. In the pages of that pamphlet, common sense. Bear in mind that paines great gift was for language, and he designed each paragraph of his panel threat to be read aloud to other people pamphlet. Rhetorical trips were the best tricks that the best preachers of the day might have recognized even as paine offers up a secular, enlightened view that human beings have the power to better themselves and to change the world. And remember, the change that paine wants his leaders to make is to break with britain. Now and forever. And in he makes common sense, he makes independence seem suddenly imminent, necessary and urgent. Whats so clever about how paine writes in this famous pamphlet is that the arguments he makes are not selfevident truths. He actually says its actually not common sense at all. He just tells you it is. In fact, hes able to make you rethink what you thought you knew. And he uses the plainspoken language of an outraged cabin goer. Take one of paines first arguments in common sense. I think its simply outrageous. In a world in which kings and princes rule almost every square foot of western europe, tom paine declares all kings and princes, all of them, to be illegitimate and despotic and demands that all of them be swept away. Paine denies the heritage of their noble bloodlines and them all as powerhungry ruffians who sit on thrones simply because an ancestor of theirs killed the previous dynasty of kings. He calls [inaudible] one of the most famous english kings of the previous century a bastard from france. Which is pretty rude. Now, as good americans, youre a few steps ahead of me, right . Well, tom paines not exactly lying, is he . Monarchies, of course, do descend generation by generation from original acts of violence, insubordination and, yes, the histories of england, france and other European Countries are littered with invasions and conquest quest conquests. And [inaudible] by an upstart young man who thinks he can do better. But so what if paine is technically correct about all this . Remember, remember, in the 1770s when hes writing, kings and princes are all the rest of the world really knows. No one can yet imagine a realistic alternative to governing large countries and their growing empires. Kings at least provide stability. Kings and princes become the next king. This is a system that we know, and its worked for up hundreds of years. For hundreds of years. And to suggest that colonists should break from the kingdom and set out on their own requires a great deal of confidence. I think in spanish the word is cajones, right . Requires a great deal of confidence. In fact, paines cajones are so big [laughter] that he doesnt limit himself to simple treason of attacking king george. No. Paine attacks all kings as illegitimate. He doesnt even bother to mention king george iii by name, referring to him in passing as the royal boot. Bold stuff from tom paine. Or take another major argument from common sense. With fighting already underway at lexington and con concord and bunker hill, paine tells the readers that they should not make peace with england. Reconciliation now, he says, is a dangerous doctrine. Really . In 1776 did any sane person really think that a tiny clone colonial colonial militia could ever beat and banish the most powerful navy and Significant Army . It is madness. To think that. So why not make peace . Safe in the knowledge that, look, all the colonists grievances against england as time passed. Why not make peace . The colonists debts would eventually get paid. The hated king would shortly die, and his own popular cabinet would eventually be forced from power. Why not make peace . Patch things up . Wait it out . Because paine wont let you see the problem like that. Paine, in common sense, puts the burden of proof elsewhere. Not upon the colonists to prove why they should be independent. He placed the burden of proof upon the british to prove why americans should stay shackled to them for even a second longer. Bold stuff from tom paine. So in these ways, common sense is a sort of declaration of independence by which i mean its a new kind of argument that denies all precedents by smashing the rulebook about how you make arguments out of [inaudible] every previous thing brought or said in favor of continuing on of dependent colonies. In the pages of common sense, tom paine doesnt fight any classical authors, he doesnt quote people who disagree with him, he doesnt make any constitutional theories about what is possible or what is not possible. Paine wont stand for any of that. We have it in our power, he writes, to begin the world again. So i think you will start to see and i hope you can start to see much of payne p paines persuasive power lies in the way he says it. For instance, paine works hard to convince readers that the colonists are caught up in an epic struggle. Not a small, silly domestic dispute about taxes and tea that will soon blow over. No. Paine tells readers of common sense that the cause of america is in great measure the cause of all mankind. With independence paine argues america will become a bright beacon for a republican government whose light will spread across the world. For gods sake, he says, let us come to a final separation. Because the birthday of a new world is at hand. And, folks, who doesnt like birthdays . Independence, paine argues [inaudible] to paine there is something geographicically and perfectly unnatural about americasnst onr government, to be always running 3 or 4,000 miles [inaudible] and waiting four or five months for an answer which requires five or six months to [inaudible] looked upon as folly and childishness, paine writes. And who could argue with logic like that . Its impossible. Like any good selfhelp book, and common sense is a selfhelp book, paine concludes common sense by telling colonists how to take the next step. American america should establish its own continental, republican form of government, a government that should be elective, representative and accountable. To do all this, paine suggests that colonists write a proper declaration of independence, a manifesto that will summarize, as he put it, the miseries weve endured and the peaceful methods which were ineffectively used to seek redress. Paine even proposed what he called a continue continental conference to discuss and decide the form of government for this new country. A country he christened the United States of america. And he was not shy about sharing his own preference for this countrys new republican government should embrace a broad franchise, two elect assemblies and a rotating presidency to be chosen from among members of this congress he suggested. Paine drafted the pamphlet, common sense, in the fall of 1775. And it first appeared in philadelphia book shops on january 10th, 1776, priced at two shillings. The price was too high. Found plenty of readers right away. That first printing sold out within two weeks. Printers rushed to print more and turn a quick profit while demand was high. In all, we know that 25 editions of common sense were published in 13 American Cities and towns. Helping it to become the best selling pamphlet of the year. And its effect on people that read it was widely described as dramatic. By march of 1776, a report was making the rounds in britain that back in america common sense was [inaudible] and as many as had become converted who perhaps an hour before were against the least idea of independence. So what theyre saying is theyre hearing reports from america that people who want nothing to do with the cause of independence are reading this pamphlet and suddenly and immediately and decisively turning in favor of independence, that its that powerful. Its like a drug. Paines friend, benjamin rush, later recalled that the pamphlets effect was sudden, extensive upon the american mind. It was read publicly, spouted in schools, and in one instance [inaudible] instead of a sermon by a clergyman in connecticut. Noticeably phrases lifted from common sense began to turn up in all sorts of petitions written by ordinary americans who now called for independence. And throughout the colonies, letters to newspapers would quote common sense. Editors reprinted excerpts from common sense. And hundreds of newspaper readers wrote in to praise the pamphlets style and contents. Who is the author of common sense, asked a reader in rhode island. I can hardly refrain from adoring him. He deserves a statue of gold. Tom paine, by the withdraw, published anonymously by the way, published anonymously at first. While common sense certainly spawned several by loyalists, those rebuttals were no match for this pamphlets lyrical power. Skeptics were eventually won over. John adams had at first described common sense as a poor, ignorant, malicious, shortsighted mass of a piece of crap. But even john adams eventually had to acknowledge the pamphlets extraordinary power. After the war was won months later, add tams adams wrote that [inaudible] indeed, this little 46page pamphlet would soon push the members of the Second Continental Congress to adopt independence as the fundamental objective of their escalating war with britain. Their july 1776 declaration of independence owed an Obvious Department to common sense. Thomas paine had no hand in drafting the declaration, because by then paine was no longer in pennsylvania. He had joined the Continental Army on its march towards new york to try to capture that city from the british. But the british would soon put the Continental Army on their back foot, forcing them to retreat back across new jersey towards their headquarters in philadelphia. Paine was with them as they advanced forward, he was with them as they had gone back working as an aide throughout that dispiriting summer and fall campaign. It was as the Continental Army fell back to trenton that tom paine authored the first and most famous of the six essays known as the american crisis. From a soldier, and a patriot in this crisis to the service to their country, he understands and how. And the tyranny by. , that is not easily conquered. General washington to be stonewalled from the american crisis by thomas paine to the exhausted troops when they need to retreat across the river into pennsylvania but by this time thomas paine had left the armys ranks and having served long enough to discover that he was unsuited to a soldiers life. And then the crisis that they faced was distant and the chief propagandist of the american movement. And thomas paine was broke, having very little money from common sense from the american crisis. And after this time, none of which paid a fortune gave him much satisfaction. In the really bright spots in life, came in 1784, when new york, 300acre farm in the new york area, and this was a farm, in new york had been confiscated as an it turned out. In the year later general washington and the congress and new yorks gift with an additional 3000 in providing this, with an enormous degree of financial security. And without financial independence, thomas paine found freedom and i thought it strange for thomas paine to get a single buying hundred bridge bills across the river. The project that he hoped would kick off monitors and station infrastructure and projects and he was defending it but sadly he turned out emptyhanded each time. In his bridge portrait was a failure, and it was 1791, and by then it thomas paine was wanting to renew his radicalism, and is writing career. And from the political consciousness of the british people, common sense what it had recently done to the american colonists. In the fourth part of this new look, the likes of manna, appeared on the british bookstores in april of 1771 and the hero of the American Revolution, and had the intelligence to steer in britain, the same who revolution me saw this in america and in france who in his previous attacks, and fugal and the rights of man, dared the british readers to embrace this and to ending that relationship, the constitution. The universal franchise to all adult men, that is radical stuff. And like common sense before it, the rights of man, had outrage and to spark this pose and the sort of working people is aimed at, and it was high politics. In these books that he cited, they were vital. And they had a long tradition of republican defense in england and he goes back centuries. And Thomas Paines ideas in favor of the republic instead of monarchy was in some ways lou crist and it was Thomas Paines attempts to disseminate those ideas to the masses in plain spoken language that they could actually understand, and they just knew that the rights of man, controversial and the rights of man sold like gangbusters, 60000 copies in the first three months in england and even the british Prime Minister wanted to read it and he confessed, to a friend that wasnt quite right below my to do it i am the Prime Minister and if im encouraging Thomas Paines opinion, i should have a lovely revolution on my hands. In the fierce of the revolution, escalated pretty because more and more english readers began embracing the civil rights that thomas paine and it could lead to a beheading of the revolutionary and arise there. And determined to doubt and the English Channel and selling the english working classes into a guillotine and executing rich people. And also to this administration, now a city in the Homeland Security laws, to imprison anyone who talks openly of challenging the king or parliament. And no king, which out in the coffeehouse, he would be promptly sent to prison for months for that speech act. And he was passes years in the wind after thomas paine and the rights of man and with all they had. He funded a Smear Campaign in the press saying that thomas paine is, smelly, and a wife beater. And it happened instead, a finish, for having sexual with cats. Any public cartoons noting thomas paine is a threeheaded firebreathing monster. And hundreds and millions of suspiciously identical denounced as thomas paine in the newspapers is a liar and is a traitor and as a terrorist. Mad tom, the british papers called him. He took the train where everyone across english country and there were crowds of paid folks who paraded him and in town squares. But if you like the revolution so much a right turn the times of london, flourished. September, 1792, now 37 yearold thomas paine would do just that, to escape the new armor of the majesties government. And thomas paine later in december, back the parliaments took this three months later puts thomas paine on trial. From charges of lying and absolutely found him guilty and they sentenced him to exile after the fact. And thomas paine spent the next decade in france, and never return to the land of his birth. And thomas paine arrived in france, armed with no one but for weapons of introduction, wellknown. And as a result thomas paine quickly gained to the highest circles. He took on the position in the revolutionary national assembly. In the position he had been arrested in honor of his leadership of the rights of man. But thats not what he expected, thomas paine spoke Little French and he had trouble keeping up with the french revolution more rapidly accelerated. Then thomas paine made the mistake of speaking up in favor of sparing people from the guillotine and offering and said that it would be enough to manage the king to exile in the United States. But that did not go over well in france especially given Thomas Paines earlier critiques of monarchy and the Harrison Power and the boldness now, the french. And into what we call the reign of terror. Thomas paine despaired. And then he picked up his pen. He crossed through the first pass a region and fail the great work from which this man and stormed into debate and completed the management got into a printer only six hours before the french came to a store and dragon into a prison cell to his dissenting views, offer radical enough pretty the age of reasoning, that is in some ways astonishing if virtuos denunciation of patriotism. He thought is the right of the few, the most violent in the most extreme, the most uncontrollable excesses, on this unfolding french revolution. And in since was religion and french revolution was not, thomas paine wrote openly about how his faith in god, extinguish human compassion selflessness, reality, ethics, and grace. And turns society into nothing but a gathering of beasts. In his conception of the palace was mainstream view in the 1790s and really controversial things, and atheism there over the past few years, there is the spread of it. In christianity, thomas paine told the readers was the lifeblood of the republican democracy. In the Old Testament was useful because it installed public and private ethics. Thomas paine also financed the new testament, and jesus christ asked if virtuous and amiable man, and the conditions of his life. The trouble was that thomas paine, in the age of reasoning, is controversial because of Everything Else that he had said about christianity in particular, and about religion in general. And thomas paine is not fan, jesus christ, heroes, was not denied. In the bible is not the word of god. It was a book written by priests. Thomas paine said the bible was full of indestructible rationalism, like the story of the talking snake whose cat on the mantle and would destroy humanity. In the churches, and taught this sort of nonsense thomas paine said, were dangerous deceit hers. And institutions that out to terrify enslaved amanda and immobilize power profited pretty and he said they accuses the other and from my own part, i disbelieve all of them. Thomas paine in spite of all this, he was trying to deny the existence of god, and on the contrary. He wrote i believe in one god, and beyond the flesh and even the quality of man and the duty in consistently doing justice. In making our fellow creatures happy. I do not believe it and professed by the roman church, by the greek church, by the turkish church, protestant church, and by nature, my own mind is my own church. In this book is almost a definition of a variety of belief that was very common and highly educated circles, between britain and america in the 1790s and it is a type of thing that we now call the designer Something Like that. And they were self proclaimed deists and they argued that the the good sense to keep quiet about that in public and in fact in private to their highest movement for the philosophical tremendous but that was his style braided and thomas paine of course use the pages of the age of reason to shout, his deism from the rooftops. In plain spoken language to take that gospel to the masses. He had ultimate success, and britain, the age of reason thats all records, breaking record set by the men. Canales denounced thomas paine with thunder and later reason attracting a least 50 bottles, and charges against thomas paine is wrong or a deist, or maybe a store ludicrous. And theyre saying that thomas paine, but also against britain and america in the midst of a major evangelical viable at the time. All of the while, thomas paine himself languished by a 10foot sale on the ground floor of the prison. A formal royal palace in paris where we published by the french revolutionists. And thomas paine past the times going out a secret, and first part of the age of reason and he wrote quickly. And one by one, his inmates had executions. And part two was still unfinished, and the American Ambassador to paris came, finally secured Thomas Paines release. After ten long terrifying months behind bars and thomas paine had grown a week in prison. Ravished by many. And thomas paine finished the age of reason part two, and the u. S. Ambassadors, and part two, in 1795. And had many of the same big ideas, and nelson describes it as an effect on and it was about thomas paine and his legacy. A part two of the age of reasoning, nelson said that is a snide smearing and obsessive plans with no they first age of reasons, or any indication of the spiritual, he found a natural philosophy. And if there is a reason for Thomas Paines reputation to be solid beyond the englishman and the americans morning christianity, the catastrophic will and age of reason part two the devastation of Thomas Paines and still talking, first him in the estimations of the citizens of the United States, the adopted homeland and the investors residence in paris, thomas paine fought off a long open letter to his friend, president George Washington. In the letter thomas paine blamed George Washington personally, and rescued him from prison. And then thomas paine kept going it, accusing washington it of mismanagement with the country to corruption. And thomas paine said that washington it savagerys cancer the revolutionary war and that washington himself a selfish, indifferent, hypocritical and possessed of a cold that was devoted and in this poison pen letter which thomas paine sent to washington on his birthday, said that the pages of the american press. Men were rightly a fenced in Thomas Paines reputation it was irreversibly damaged. I would take seven more years, before the federal government invited thomas paine, to return to the United States. In the meantime, excessive of the french revolution, so loud. Of course he wrote all sorts of things during his long recuperation of the American Ambassadors reference. And one of the things he wrote deserves our attention now, before we follow thomas paine home braided in the book that i talked about is. [inaudible]. Of justice, he wrote it in 1795, 1796. In a really wellknown, the rights of man, or stands to reason with the idea is that a glaring justice been incredibly influential in both ideas the first fullscale practical proposals to develop in the 20th century when it comes to be called the welfare state. Written english sermon praising the issues between the rich and the four, and gods wisdom. The great injustice by thomas paine, with these two lived the findings of this vast gap between rich and poor by taxing the highest earners. And investing heavily in the social safety net. And thomas paine emerges with the tax system at the Government Spending against britain and by extension america or anywhere else. And basic entitlements together they might shield the nations poorest and most vulnerable from the ravages of capitalism. So those people, 4 pounds a year to help, before they would send their children to School Pretty and a one time payment was 50 pounds to everybody. In a much smaller one time payment and said the small payments for the child across the world and taxes on people earning below a minimum annual income pretty and this post a government run, back to work team and the defined for those out of work, and provide room and board if needed. And also pensions of 6 pounds a year before the age of 60, and they would rise 210 pounds a year to those who made it to the age of 60, thomas paine and post a onetime death benefit to the surviving death and taxes to cover the cost of funerals. And pulling from his experiences back in england as a tax collector, even costlier without and demonstrated to the readers of great injustice that was actually inexpensive. It is paid for by the parliament with a graduated income tax. And then he placed an estate tax on the largest sanctions, and the British Military budget. And it would be worth it, thomas paine explained, and it would take a few pieces of new tax policies and Great Britain streets and brightest for the hungry children. Investing in the education of the young people who made huge dividends would involve them prd anduninstructed the payments ia because in an article of the government only god requires ignorance to support it. And many other tore the pages, call it injustice. That is an extraordinary social Justice System in the 18th century person to imagine. Its not marxism, quite the contrary, its a critique of the free market the main no plans for an educational system, no plans to know how much money or compensate anybody could acquire. And thomas paine, this was the worst compensating for those of the very least. So, Thomas Paines idea went nowhere at the time. His name was already mud and legislative circles in london, and he just insulted the president of the United States. Later who read injustice and it was hardly the bestseller net had been dismissed Thomas Paines desire to a world beyond. And worth this form of even his blueprint, the 20th century architects, stated brittany, and leaves for america to discover for themselves. Thomas paine 700 sailed for america and 1802, after president john adams, critics lost his reelection mandate, to Thomas Jefferson. That ds and democrat like pain. But still coming to america, it turned out to be a picture homecoming. And thomas paine disembarked in baltimore, and that refused to accommodate him and keeping him away from american radicalism and become a dirty word in america and the frenchrevolutiot to blame. In the french revolution had begun, back in 1589, Many American us and welcomed it at first, but after louis pierre began gillis healing it and conservative and will became known as the land of terror, Many American patriots enter the colony to the event unfolding. So then thomas paine, the french nationalism i turn up, in 1802 card and american conservatives took to trying to smear him as a drunk and to discredit his political views and openly accusing him of being an agitator who is only come back to bring down at the federal government of the United States and kickstart in america land of terror. And most of his conservative and enemies thomas paine famously relation of religious beliefs, to try to destroy the political reputation. Newspapers supportive of washington, john adams and other members of their federalist party, called him a liar and drunken and call him a drunken atheist and they call him a sinner. And getting back on his feet on the enemy fire, almost killed thomas paine. He made plans to set up an agricultural export business from america to europe. And it was paralyzing his kandiss, losing his mobility, and forcing him to seek care in new york instead. And he would take a walk around manhattan. And he still had some friends, and many admirers vertically washington people, but life in america particular for him was fought with tension and risk. And so whenever he was well enough, he would retreat and show how the city. The subject now is Party Politics and thomas paine took quickly to task and attacking john adams, and hamilton and the Centralist Party and in one newspaper column after another and defending jefferson and the democrat republicans as champions for the legacy. But to his great discussed, this proved to be utterly strength list while jefferson himself had thomas paine high regard throughout his life, jeffersons cause in the Republican Party regarded thomas paine as an embarrassment. And they kept their distance from him. They did the rest to disassociate the party from a man they now regarded as referentially out of step. And slightly more conservative and far more pilots where he had been away in thomas paine had been away in europe and it thomas paine last political tirade, appeared in print on the 25th of august, 1808. And by then, there was not much of thomas paine to be scared of. He could not keep food down anymore he suffered in confidence, and agonizing pain. And he woke up in his room, and he found himself alone and he had become frightened and he began to scream. He was dying. And quite help about the prospect about being buried among quakers in the crusade and the christians, and is meeting houses, that he has brought up. Had been refused. So in Thomas Paines miserable decline, 8 00 a. M. On june the eighth of 1809, is executives took them instead of and buried his body a piece of land given by the state of new york, it was later in creating the United States. [inaudible]. But so much as happened since that independence. His farm is almost deserted. In the political leader attended his funeral, only six people turned up. French, immigrant, house people and another, benjamin and was described at the end of Thomas Paines grave. And you told her son, see you there at the other end. And be grateful to america. An week later, it was she, went to the grave stone to the earth on the spot, the redstone inscription was as simple as it was short, thomas paine. And also common sense. Thank you so much, that story is really amazing what a wonderful talk and anyway, we put in on the screen chair and i want to get the documents here, there we go. There are lots of Great Questions going in. When we were talking about common sense and at the bottom of this it says, it was by richard bell, so who is this richard bell. [laughter] well i am richard bell. And there was another question, is there any connection to much let me tell you. This is actually robert bell, no relation it to me as far as i know and he is a printer the bookseller r bell and he was one of a small booksellers and printers at the time. And franklins wouldve been another one and it is robert bell, and his competitors would buy a copy and then they would print their own to compete against him so robert bell is holding on by will tell you that i teach and i have this assignment that i do with the students, it uses one of the amazing databases we use now we definitely do not when i was in school we just digitized hope on beverly american newspapers. And you can search them by keywords. And then any mention of for instance, the word common sense, would get grabbed by the software and he would use that phrase in the context. And im assignment where i tell my students that writers over the years, everybody in american had common sense, it was almost universally read and the number readers of common sense speculated 300,000 or Something Like that but no one actually can prove that, they just asserted that when it was read this widely and to see who actually read it in single it out. Everyone predict or can only find proof of some people did read it and some people didnt also have to joke about this. And how many bookstores wasnt available in and at what its price point was an how can you tell if its a lot of money or not a lot of money. I had them think about the availability in the libraries and whether people were reading it aloud or people who cannot read for themselves and they have to read this newspaper base to find literal bread crumbs to this question. And i do this in every class, and the printer of common sense and then with the fascination of r. Bell. Okay, here is another, he, so the genesis of the pains into dire for the american independence and oppositions of the english monarchy, is the desire for a fresh start in the new world, is a more than that given that they have any more to gain personally. And this of course is more than that, in the beginning, thats the personal stuff, the personal stories. In a way that we interpret the world. So, thomas paine goes through a series of difficult moments and glenda, forcing him and pushing him really to leave. And hes not happy with his life in england, so the politics, he constantly is named a break from britain. We cannot discount that from the psychology, image a great deal but certainly there is more to it than that and he relates money to publishing it common sense, not merely as much as you think. And the prophets of it, and also because he published it relatively cheaply and after the first edition, he cut the price in half and thirdly, is a very public show, when its discovered that is not actually and outed him because he was undermining the power of common sense and it was not written by john adams or George Washington and he erases that in a a big show saying that ive made no money over the past six months and guess what ive done with the money, the Continental Army to pay the soldiers and is notably an amazing pr before pr, its also patriotic at gesture and confirmation that he personally is not profiting nearly as much as my think. And he is writing this in a time when feelings are escalating rapidly, not just coming from america in 1740, and saying independence, he has come to america in 1734 and 1775 when all of these newspapers are full of concorde and hillhead british aggression it after another, and frustration in the air and he thinks he has a path forward, a solution to offer for all americans should do without frustration it wishes to challenge in one direction. And thats his contribution and is a political wind, not just doing it for his own gain. That is great, thank you. What were gives views on slavery in america and did he ever write anything on slavery or the rights of women. To amazing questions, we do have some of his writings on the position of women although the road some anonymously, we think that he is the author, the contention about whether there actually describing him to these some enormous pieces but the pieces, they also do have a photojournalist mark which is to say he is pretty good by the standards of 19th century man. There was a more radical feminist who would see him as conservative, in 1790, 1792, indication of the rights and genuinely and this radical and thomas paine is not that pretty for the record when it comes to women and us to slavery, you would expect what into, to see some of the same stuff, we expect him to be denouncing the slavery as monstrous and immoral, unconstitutional, and is unamerican etc. Etc. And yet i personally, im not aware of any time where he writes about slavery, or calls it out. Its just like in plain thought to. And maybe he wrote about it but i also find out that is writing in philadelphia in 1770s, and philadelphia population of enslavement is after the evolution of years. There had been slavery in philadelphia and pennsylvania sits the 1780s, but its never been on the scale of South Carolina or virginia and so he just have a different texture to agricultural slavery the plantations and so there are plenty of you know, kindhearted people who call out other injustices in philadelphia who did not see slavery in philadelphia as their number one civil rights issue. But the simple fact is they were living in a place where slavery was not in a space in the same way that would be another place and another time. Right, he was in philadelphia on one of the questions was why is philadelphia such an intellectual center in the late 18th century with thomas paine quickly, ben franklin, any thoughts on that. While it is hard to attribute that into that and i certainly agree with the premise of the question that it is those things so just quickly, back in the 16 hundreds, boston is the largest town or city in america. Which is saying is not very large at all and through the most of the 17 hundreds, philadelphia would be the largest town or city in america and the late 18 hundreds and after, new york. So the 18th century, philadelphias centric so the simple fact is it is the largest place and a magnet for money and for people, and these ideas in dissent in conversations and of course is great heritage hundred in a place of the religious toleration work people of different faiths can live sidebyside. An intellectual diversity as well, new ideas and people with different backgrounds and traditions living next to each other pretty you are absolutely right that this colonial natural scientists and philosophers, live in pennsylvania in the 18 hundreds in new york is not yet the city will become later on in franklin makes a big deal in franklin with a generator and a magnet brother small smart intelligent people. Thank you. Here are some connected questions here, do you really think that thomas paine was a visionary thinker are more of an effective communicator of these ideas had relating to this, did thomas paine have help including common sense and ideas and help and refinement prior to publication. The idea that there are geniuses that sit in cave in the get no external stimulation is probably false and medical i think all of us have the best ideas come from interacting with others. So thats probably true for thomas paine as well and i mentioned that he was part of a very radical club beckoning linda, the head stones of life and he has been with common sense, a newspaper essays a row back in england. And even in the shape of the pennsylvania magazine, not just on how to persuade people but also to find out with the care about and how to write to the english and they want to read every month so he sees himself as an apprentice in his fund for cultural and intellectual for the development he knows that hes not writing in a vacuum. I do think a significant portion of what is so magnificent about trying to argue his civil rights in the same way that other people behave like Thomas Jefferson, with extraordinary gift as writers and ben franklin as well, extraordinary gift as a writer and thomas paine, largely selftaught, he has not been sitting in a fancy library like jefferson had for quite a while. And he was not also a google hunter, theres a library, more like franklin it then jefferson in that regard which i admire a great deal, workingman made that sort of change. And does he have his own ideas, we think yes so i think that talking about his work which is injustice and comparing schemes to social policy which probably have inspiration for other writers but again he is reading this together, very clearly and making it and saying guys, the ideal energy. And is connected with this justice and what he wrote in that and we have a few questions about, the description of the First Campaign against thomas paine, in his words we recognize the modern times. Do you see parallels with post 911 america and with that thomas paine reputation and influence today. His life certainly. And i will tread carefully this one. Entirely, i think the people see that there are connections definitely. I think that is right and all i will say is in there, across all nations in all times and in all centuries, new ideas face great scrutiny and some people embrace them a and perhaps because they seem like the right it is in the personally my benefit. In other people pushback against new ideas because perhaps it may affected them adversely and it seems that maybe Thomas Paines ideas can rightly be understood in a challenge to orthodoxy to conventional wisdom. And he is by that standard, a radical so of course radicals really had a tough time in every case and in every century read and, thomas paine is nothing unusual here in the only thing unusual with him is that he he never really silencer shut down the and my finals when i have the works, is common sense which is astonishing work and his allies, very happy knowing that this had a transformative effect on World History and he also writes, the age of reason, and the rights of man in their own ways equally transform and we can keep going, he is an energizing money of radicalism. This will be our final question of the evening, why is it that they allow the thomas paine to have this influence when he was in prison to write the age of reason part two. Specific question, i am sure that was common practice, no tvs radios back then. This was a former palace as well so there is at least an attempt to suggest by radical revolutionaries, to will them but we are not monsters, and we have the greatest thomas paine here. And it would be probably problematic it withhold from him, i would imagine its common for a person with such as danny thomaspaine to get pen and pape. And if they didnt, what the consequences of that would be. Black includes our program for tonight, we have run out of time, but thank you gannett for such a wonderful fantastic program info with that good afternoon. Im john dirlam from the wellesley historical society. Its my great pleasure to welcome you here this afternoon. If you t t

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