Thomas Paine: American Radical
and Forerunner of the 21st Century
James Tepfer
[Reprinted from the
Bulletin of Thomas Paine Friends,
vol. 9, no. 4, Winter 2008-2009]
Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was the most forward-looking thinker of
the American Revolution and the foremost advocate of the democratic
spirit of individual liberty, religious equality and social justice.
He embodied the most admirable qualities of Franklin, Washington and
Jefferson with few of their foibles. He was daringly visionary,
truly brilliant, supremely articulate in speech and in writing,
indomitable in his service to the Cause of Independence and free of
the major vices of his time: slavery, monetary greed and political
ambition. His universal humanitarianism was all-embracing and his
radical proposals proved to be fundamental correctives to the
social, political and economic ills of his era. He was (and is) the
gold standard of the true revolutionary: principled, clear thinking,
courageous, magnanimous to his enemies and refreshingly inclusive in
both thought and conduct.
The significant contributions of Paine to American humanists,
religious thinkers, scientists and artists. His Independence, the
French Revolution and to future generations were potent and
far-reaching. Paine's Common Sense was the catalyst that
catapulted the colonies into the quest for political independence.
His American Crisis papers inspired Washington's troops when
their morale was sorely tested and his Rights of Man gave
confidence lo the common man in his own innate dignity, his natural
entitlements and his civic responsibilities. Furthermore, Paine's
fertile mind - ever the servant of his compassionate heart - led him
to write one of the first American essays against slavery, to set
forth one of the first arguments for public welfare and a guaranteed
annual income and to call prophetically for a "Congress of
Nations" to settle international disputes. As a member of the
French National Assembly, he helped to draft the "Constitution
of the Republic of France" and undoubtedly influenced the
drafting of "The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the
Citizen".
Paine was rightly praised by fellow 'prime movers' of the American
Revolution for his unrelenting commitment and comprehensive
contributions to the American Cause. Franklin said in 1777: "You,
Thomas Paine, are more responsible than any other living person on
this continent for the creation of what are called the United States
of America." These sentiments were echoed in similar terms by
Washington and later by Jefferson. Even John Adams, who never
resonated to Paine or his ideas, said of him: "I know of no man
in the world who has had more influence on its inhabitants in the
last thirty years than Thomas Paine." In France, Napoleon
toasted Paine by saying: "Every city in the world should erect
a gold statue to you." His contributions were also duly noted
by later Americans from presidents to poets, scholars lo scientists.
Andrew Jackson extolled him as a man who "erected a monument in
the hearts of all lovers of liberty." Walt Whitman referred
feelingly to Paine as "among the best and truest of men."
Lincoln, a great admirer of Paine, stated to close friends: "I
never tire of reading Paine." In 1925, Thomas Edison, Vice
President of the Thomas Paine National Historical Association,
wrote: "We never had a sounder intelligence in this Republic.
He [Paine] was the equal of Washington in making American liberty
possible."
In the past seventy years, Paine has been increasingly accepted as
a major creative force in the American Revolution and as a lucid
political thinker. He has been quoted in the political realm by
presidents as diverse as Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. He
has been celebrated by feminists, resurgence in both academic and
political circles is timely since America is once again at a
historical cross-road, a stirring and confusing period which "tries
men's souls". Turning to Paine's telling prose and fearless
example, many of today's generation find Paine's enthusiasm and
optimism uplifting and his inclusive vision compatible with the
emerging global culture of national interdependence and human
solidarity. There is undoubtedly an increasing willingness among
many to include Paine in the pantheon of those heroes who fought for
a 'universal republic' for all mankind. This is fitting recognition
for one who called himself a 'Theophilartthropist', a lover of God
and man.
Beyond all his marvelous achievements, however, there is a deeper
truth about Paine. He was not simply a benevolent revolutionary, an
incisive political thinker, a gifted pamphleteer, a serious student
of science, a committed deist or a brilliant visionary. He was
certainly all this. But, more than that, he was a forerunner of the
world citizen of the future. He was a paradigm of the 'man of
tomorrow' because he wove together in his very outlook and actions
the golden threads of impersonal spirituality, universal
responsibility and intellectual originality. Paine was always more
than an American and more than an 18th Century enlightenment figure.
He was, like Lincoln, meant "for the Ages." The resurgent
interest in Paine is because the thinking of the world has finally
moved in his direction. Modem consciousness is becoming more global
and increasingly concerned with the needs and rights of all members
of the human family. The ubiquity of human suffering has forced us
out of our sectarian and ideological shells and made us appreciate
the importance of human interdependence and international
cooperation. Perhaps we see less through a 'glass darkly1 than at
any other time in the last two thousand years. We now realize that
Civilas Humana or the 'City of Man' is the true focus of the
pioneers of the future. This is precisely why we can turn to Paine
for instruction and inspiration. He was always forward looking and
able to make eternal principles contemporary. It is no wonder mat
the most oft quoted phrase of Paine's is: "My country is the
world and my religion is to do good." He was a 'prophet of the
future' as well as a luminous figure of the American and French
Revolutions. To honor him is to salute the best in ourselves and all
men and women who dedicate their lives and their fortunes to the
civilizations of tomorrow.
|
|
