Thomas Paine and the Promise of America

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OneMansView, July 16, 2009 (view all comments by OneMansView)
Equal liberty for all (3.6*s)

It is the position of the author that Paine was essentially the first well-known radical democrat in America, exported those views to both England and France in the 1790s, and has inspired those seeking to counter the forces of oppression ever since. Though Paine was a latecomer to the revolutionary cause in the colonies, having arrived only in Nov, 1774, there is little dispute that his pamphlet “Common Sense,” 1776, was a break with a pattern of caution that many followed in regards to separation with England. His excoriation of the English government including the King, which reached vast numbers of colonists, was a huge factor in increasing revolutionary fever to a level sufficient for a formal Declaration of Independence only six months later.

This book is not a biography, per se, of Paine. The first third of the book follows the political part of his life. The author’s first purpose is to demonstrate the significant influence that Paine’s writings had on the revolutionary effort in America and in Europe. His sixteen “American Crisis” papers during the War helped to recharge American resolve during very trying times for the American military. “Rights of Man,” 1792, was highly critical of the vast disparities existing in British aristocratic society, which resulted in his conviction of sedition in absentia. “Age of Reason,” written in France in 1795, denounced institutionalized churches “as human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.” “Agrarian Justice,” 1796, explained poverty as being a consequence of exploitation and the power of private property. It is a body of work that to that time in history may not have been matched in sheer audaciousness.

Paine was controversial in the colonies from the beginning. The author suggests that had his identity been known when “Common Sense” was published, that is, not being a member of the respected elite, that his writings may well have had a lesser hearing and impact. His advocacy of equality and democracy earned him the enmity of many elites, including John Adams. But his “Age of Reason,” coming well after the U.S. achieved independence was far more harmful to his reputation and standing. Many who admired his republicanism were abhorred by his apparent turn towards religious infidelity. He died a scorned man.

The remainder of the book is concerned with the efforts of various groups over the next two centuries to overcome various forms of suppression or discrimination, many being led by individuals with varying degrees of knowledge of the work of Paine. Among those groups are “workingmen’s advocates, abolitionists, freethinkers, suffragists, anarchists, populists, socialists, progressives, labor and community organizers, peace activists, and liberals.” Among those the author attempts to connect to Paine are Lincoln, Walter Lloyd Garrison, Mark Twain, Eugene Debs, and FDR. In cycling through the struggles of these groups, the extent of Paine’s influence is rather vaguely drawn. The author shows that in different eras Paine’s reputation was either rising or falling: some writing laudatory biographies, some denigrating him; some trying to establish memorials and statues, others rejecting the same.

The author notes that in times of national crises, there is often a nostalgic turn to the founding. Even conservatives, who as a rule are less than fond of democracy and freethinking, are willing to invoke a carefully sanitized Paine, especially the Paine that is a strong advocate for liberty and new beginnings. Ronald Reagan at his nomination in 1980 famously recalled Paine’s words: “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” More typical of conservatives, however, is Theodore Roosevelt’s labeling of Paine as a “filthy little atheist.” The author makes the assumption that Paine is a “Founding Father,” the equal of Jefferson, Adams, or Washington. Perhaps it could be argued that though he certainly was a luminary of the period, his lack of holding legislative or executive positions undermines his inclusion.

In addition, perhaps the author overstates Paine’s radicalism, at least as understood in modern times. Paine was opposed to all-powerful governments and to excessive wealth, especially aristocratic wealth, and its potential to oppress. But he was fully in favor of commerce, which, when played out, can certainly result in great economic disparity. The author’s broad use of “radicalism” is seen in his contention that most all Americans have been radicals since Paine’s time – a statement that begs to be explained. Americans are mindful of liberties and rights, certainly the right to vote as a part of formal democracy, but radical democratic measures, such as worker control of factories or the state, have seldom been advanced.

The book is a light, informative overview of Paine’s life as a writer of controversial tracts. It is also an overview of many of the main movements in American society attempting to overcome discrimination or an entrenched part of the status quo begging for reform, often drastic. There is a degree of shallow repetitiveness about the book, as the various groups are cycled through in brief fashion with only a tenuous attachment to Paine, or others for that matter, being established. Rather than showing a direct connection between Paine and those movements, what is more evident is that Paine-like individuals have frequently risen to the occasion in our history, though with mixed results. Just slips in as a four-star book.

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780809089703

Author:

Kaye, Harvey J

Publisher:

Hill and Wang

Author:

Kaye, Harvey J.

Subject:

History

Subject:

Historical - U.S.

Subject:

Political History

Subject:

Revolutionary

Subject:

Political culture

Subject:

United States - 18th Century

Copyright:

2005

Publication Date:

20060725

Binding:

Electronic book text in proprietary or open standard format

Language:

English

Illustrations:

Notes/Index

Pages:

336

Dimensions:

9.30x6.30x1.11 in. 1.29 lbs.