Thomas Paine: "the most influential crank in American political history"

Damon W. Root | August 27, 2009

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, William Triplett has a fascinating review of the new exhibit "One Life: Thomas Paine, the Radical Founding Father," which recently opened at the National Portrait Gallery. As curator Margaret Christman told Triplett, "Although his words are quoted left and right, right and left, I suspect most people know very little about Tom Paine." So who was he? Here's Triplett:

Depending on whom you ask, he was ­either an uncompromising free-thinker who made possible the popular embrace of the ­Declaration of Independence, or "a filthy little atheist," as Teddy Roosevelt once ­described him. A seditious subject of the English crown or an honorary French citizen chucked in the Bastille. Or just a fiercely American idealist with too much interest in brandy and democracy and not enough in fashion or personal hygiene.

All are more or less accurate—some more, others less—though Paine did firmly believe in God. Not that it made him any less polarizing.

There's also this wonderful fact:

As the exhibit shows, newspaper cartoonists struck back with vicious anti-Paine caricatures. "I don't think I've ever seen a pro-Paine cartoon," Ms. Christman says. In fact, because many images ­depict Paine as "slovenly and unwashed," Ms. Christman says, she made a point of ­including one portrait showing him smartly groomed and dressed.

Read the rest here. In our July 2007 issue, Katherine Mangu-Ward reviewed Paine's contested legacy.

*Typo fixed.

Comments

|8.27.09 @ 2:18PM|#

I suspect most people know very little about Tom Pain.

Some don't even know how to spell his name.

|8.27.09 @ 2:20PM|#

"a filthy little atheist,"

It's better than being a warmongering asshole.

Warty|8.27.09 @ 2:24PM|#

It's news to me if he believed in God. I only remember him using God as a metaphor.

KMW|8.27.09 @ 2:30PM|#

Both spellings are correct, actually. Paine tweaked the spelling during his life. But he didn't much like the nickname "Tom."

|8.27.09 @ 2:41PM|#

I suspect most people know very little about Tom Paine.

Jeff P|8.27.09 @ 2:42PM|#

Alright, every online lyric archive lists the first line of the second verse of Adrian Belew/David Bowie's Pretty Pink Rose as:

"She tore down Paris on the tail of Thom Paine But the left wing's broken the right's insane"

I've always heard "insane" as "in the Seine."

Anyone?

|8.27.09 @ 2:43PM|#

He's more commonly known as Captain Revolution.

|8.27.09 @ 2:46PM|#

Triplett:an honorary French citizen chucked in the Bastille

Perhaps a minor point, but for historical accuracy, Paine wasn't imprisoned in the Bastille. He was arrested in France in December of 1793, more than four years after the Bastille had been raided in July 1789 and demolished in the subsequent months.

Hobo Chang Ba|8.27.09 @ 2:49PM|#

Tom Paine is my favorite founding father because he wasn't a hypocrite. He believed in equal treatment for all, and did not mean for all white people only.

I consider him closest to my own ideology: progressive (like Adam Smith, in the sense of supporting economic mobility for the working class and using public education to break cycles of poverty), while still being pro-free market, pro-democracy and for limited government. Modern libertarians fail because they don't articulate how big government disproportionately harms the poor and minorities very well, and the Randian-influenced strands don't even seem to care much. Tom Paine is the perfect example of how classical liberalism was different from modern libertarianism: classical liberals advocated for free markets not simply because they opposed everything government did, but because they were simply the best way for the lower classes to improve their lots in life.

|8.27.09 @ 2:49PM|#

And here I thought T-Pain was best known for being an avid boat enthusiast.

24AheadDotCom|8.27.09 @ 3:06PM|#

TomPaine makes me laugh and cry at the same time.

|8.27.09 @ 3:07PM|#

Its sad that the Apocalyptic fundamentalist huckster Glenn Beck has made millions channeling a book written by a man who would despise him.

DX|8.27.09 @ 3:09PM|#

..."a filthy little atheist," as Teddy Roosevelt once ­described him.

I know what I want engraved on my headstone now.

not the real jb|8.27.09 @ 3:19PM|#

Or just a fiercely American idealist with too much interest in brandy and democracy and not enough in fashion or personal hygiene.

Sounds like most of us.

|8.27.09 @ 3:30PM|#

Hi has a nice bronze statue in his home town.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue_of_Thomas_Paine,_Thetford,_Norfolk.jpg

nothinghead|8.27.09 @ 3:31PM|#

Jeff P: the liner notes to the Young Lions CD match what you quoted and don't mention the Seine.

Ma Chalmers|8.27.09 @ 4:43PM|#

Warty | August 27, 2009, 2:24pm | #

It's news to me if he believed in God.

The Age Of Reason will set you straight.

T Pain|8.27.09 @ 4:52PM|#

I'm in love with a stripper.

¢|8.27.09 @ 5:51PM|#

I've always heard "insane" as "in the Seine."

Because he sings that.

Propane Cartoon|8.27.09 @ 5:52PM|#

I tell you what.

Paul|8.27.09 @ 6:35PM|#

Or just a fiercely American idealist with too much interest in brandy and democracy and not enough in fashion or personal hygiene.

Sounds like an afternoon in my living room.

qwerty|8.27.09 @ 7:13PM|#

Thomas Paine would have been a great blogger. His page would definitely be on my "favorites" list.

Ebeneezer Scrooge|8.27.09 @ 7:26PM|#

It's news to me if he believed in God. I only remember him using God as a metaphor.

He was a dedicated deist. Which Christians are quite fond of (incorrectly) calling atheists.

The Libertarian Guy|8.27.09 @ 7:53PM|#

Howard Dean won the Tom Paine Award.

The Tom Fucking Paine Award.

"Howard Dean" and "Common Sense" do NOT mix.

|8.28.09 @ 12:53AM|#

Depending on whom you ask...

Wow, from the description you might think they were talking about Murray Rothbard.

|8.28.09 @ 3:51AM|#

This article induced me to go back and brush up on my knowledge of Paine and his writings.

Subsequently, I have unilaterally made the determination that BHO must hereafter be referred to as "Massnello" on this site.

|8.28.09 @ 3:51AM|#

Crap, try "Massanello".

Ellie|8.28.09 @ 10:26AM|#

In fact, because many images ­depict Paine as "slovenly and unwashed," Ms. Christman says, she made a point of ­including one portrait showing him smartly groomed and dressed.

In contrast to the other portraits which showed him smartly groomed and naked?

... Now I wonder if there's a market for Founding Fathers porn.

Poor Richard's All-Man-Action
The Dicklaration of Independence
Cummin' Sense

|8.30.09 @ 2:27PM|#

"I suspect most people know very little about Tom Paine."

For instance, few know he was Harry Shearer's Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather. I didn't, until I saw the portrait.

|10.23.09 @ 12:12PM|#

he sucks

|10.23.09 @ 12:13PM|#

your mom