History Hit Job On Thomas Paine
This is religious GENIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“I know not whether any man in the world has had more influence on its inhabitants or affairs for the last 30 years than Thomas Paine."--John Adams, 1805
Given our current state of the union, this past 4th of July seemed as good a time as any to pay patriotic homage to our country's greatest American revolutionary... Thomas Paine. Unlike George Washington, there is no holiday in his honor. Unlike Thomas Jefferson, there is no memorial in the Washington mall. And unlike many other of his dead revolutionary peers, you won't find his picture in your wallet no matter how big a spender you are. And despite history's hit job on his legacy, it just doesn't get too much more American than the man who created the phrase: "United States of America"<1>. Paine was simultaneously a revolutionary during his time and 230 years ahead of his time.
Good American Revolutionary!
When it came to the American Revolution, General Washington was the fighter and Thomas Paine was the writer. John Adams stated: "Without the pen of the author of 'Common Sense,' the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain". Paine's American Crisis Papers may have been equally as inspirational in winning the war as Common Sense" was able to galvanize popular support for it. His " Rights of Man" which supported the French Revolution and, more broadly, human rights, quickly became one of the most popular books ever published. It called on Englishmen to join France and the US in a government "of the people and for the people and by the people" <2> at a time when Abraham Lincoln was not even born. Had Paine not escaped near execution in a Luxemburg jail he was committed to in 1793, he may have very well gone on to become our country's most iconic founder. While mention of Paine's 'Common Sense', and perhaps even "The Crisis Papers", can usually be found in your average 8th grade textbook, his legacy often ends right there. Perhaps intentionally so.
Bad American Revolutionary!
Some freedom fighters just don't know when to quit! Paine was a staunch and outspoken abolitionist. In this essay African Slavery in America, Paine, not one to mince words, published one of the very first articles in the US advocating the emancipation of all slaves. Its publishing date of March 8, 1775 may be just as significant as the essay itself. Paine also believed that women should be afforded equal rights and participation in the political process. And unlike many other founders, by 1795 Paine had come to advocate universal suffrage <3>. Paine was a free thinker and philosopher whose writings supported every forthcoming freedom movement (Civil War, Women's Suffrage, Civil Rights, etc.) on American soil. While he was initially beloved for his role in the American Revolution, he was essentially told to go back to his corner the more he kept talking all crazy about freedom for ALL its citizens. And when he openly criticized Christianity (see AGE of REASON) which, in his time, formed the backbone for monarchy, slavery, and inequality, well THAT was the last straw. Ultimately, he was ostracized, his hero status withdrawn, and his accomplishments minimized in our history books in the early 1800s. By 1809 he died broke and only a handful attended his funeral....
I know not whether any man in the world has had more influence on its inhabitants or affairs for the last 30 years than Thomas Paine."--John Adams, 1805
Given our current state of the union, this past 4th of July seemed as good a time as any to pay patriotic homage to our country's greatest American revolutionary... Thomas Paine. Unlike George Washington, there is no holiday in his honor. Unlike Thomas Jefferson, there is no memorial in the Washington mall. And unlike many other of his dead revolutionary peers, you won't find his picture in your wallet no matter how big a spender you are. And despite history's hit job on his legacy, it just doesn't get too much more American than the man who created the phrase: "United States of America"<1>. Paine was simultaneously a revolutionary during his time and 230 years ahead of his time.
Good American Revolutionary!
When it came to the American Revolution, General Washington was the fighter and Thomas Paine was the writer. John Adams stated: "Without the pen of the author of 'Common Sense,' the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain". Paine's American Crisis Papers may have been equally as inspirational in winning the war as Common Sense" was able to galvanize popular support for it. His " Rights of Man" which supported the French Revolution and, more broadly, human rights, quickly became one of the most popular books ever published. It called on Englishmen to join France and the US in a government "of the people and for the people and by the people" <2> at a time when Abraham Lincoln was not even born. Had Paine not escaped near execution in a Luxemburg jail he was committed to in 1793, he may have very well gone on to become our country's most iconic founder. While mention of Paine's 'Common Sense', and perhaps even "The Crisis Papers", can usually be found in your average 8th grade textbook, his legacy often ends right there. Perhaps intentionally so.
Bad American Revolutionary!
Some freedom fighters just don't know when to quit! Paine was a staunch and outspoken abolitionist. In this essay African Slavery in America, Paine, not one to mince words, published one of the very first articles in the US advocating the emancipation of all slaves. Its publishing date of March 8, 1775 may be just as significant as the essay itself. Paine also believed that women should be afforded equal rights and participation in the political process. And unlike many other founders, by 1795 Paine had come to advocate universal suffrage <3>. Paine was a free thinker and philosopher whose writings supported every forthcoming freedom movement (Civil War, Women's Suffrage, Civil Rights, etc.) on American soil. While he was initially beloved for his role in the American Revolution, he was essentially told to go back to his corner the more he kept talking all crazy about freedom for ALL its citizens. And when he openly criticized Christianity (see AGE of REASON) which, in his time, formed the backbone for monarchy, slavery, and inequality, well THAT was the last straw. Ultimately, he was ostracized, his hero status withdrawn, and his accomplishments minimized in our history books in the early 1800s. By 1809 he died broke and only a handful attended his funeral”
Much much MORE: http://www.counterpunch.org/modiano07072007.html
Tom Paine? Come on, now!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Originally Posted by Psychoblues
