Tom Paine and Revolutionary America

Foner, Eric. Tom Paine and Revolutionary America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976. Pp. xx, 326 While Foner's book, Tom Paine and Revolutionary America, came out in 1976, it remains as relevant and widely used today as it was when it was first published. Clearly, Foner's depiction of Paine strikes a chord with several other historians since many undergraduate text books and other scholarly texts have the book listed in there works citied. Acclaimed books such as Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States (1980) as well as A Leap in the Dark (2003) by John Ferling have both turned to Foner's book in reference to Thomas Paine and radical ideologies during the American Revolution. Furthermore, in Eric Foner's newer college level text, Give Me Liberty!, (2006) his use of and importance placed on Paine has remained unchanged as a key and leading figure in the development of radical American ideologies. The book is an excellent source for any student of Thomas Paine or radical participation during the Revolution, while it remains slightly out of reach of the average Sunday reader. Foner's forth book clearly demonstrates his talent as a historian and sheds new light into the American Revolution.

While the book provided considerable insite into other Radical revolutionary leaders it provided little, other than the writings of Paine, on Paine himeself. I was hoping for some insite into his reasons and thought process which developed into the concepts he outlined in his writings. In this I was disapointed. However I would recommend this book for the missing history it provided, history missing from school curricuium. An omission I feel is damaging to educating in this country

If Leon Trotsky was considered by many, like George Bernard Shaw, to be the "prince of pamphleteers" for his efforts on behalf of the Russian Revolution and socialism then Tom Paine can rightly be regarded as the "prince of pamphleteers" for his efforts on behalf of the American and French Revolutions (and its offshoot- the pro-revolutionary English radical movement of the 1790's) and plebian democracy. Mr. Foner centers his biography of Tom Paine on the meaning of his key works Common Sense, The Rights of Man and the Age of Reason and the influence they had on the plebian masses in the Age of Revolution. These are Paine's classic arguments for plebian democracy the expansion of the capitalist market and popular deism. . This, in itself, makes the book worthwhile reading. Make no mistake, Paine is no socialist but as an agent of the plebian democratic movement- when and where it counted- we can claim him for our own. Mr. Foner also gives a rather detailed picture of Pennsylvania prior to and during Tom Paine's entrance on the political scene there to help set framework for the impact of his propaganda, especially Common Sense, on the developing American national liberation struggle against England. Tom Paine, like many important revolutionaries in their time, had an impact on more than one revolutionary movement and therefore justly earned for himself an honored place in plebian democratic history much to the chagrin of some later historians of these movements. In an age when sales of printed matter were small his tracts sold in the hundreds of thousands and those purchases were not merely for the coffee table at a time when money was dear. That alone helps defines the impact of his work. Tom Paine, like other revolutionary leaders, has suffered through the ups and downs of reputation depending on the times. His Age of Reason, a consummate tract in defense of popular deism, led to a steep decline in his reputation for most of the 19th century, an age in America of religious piety. Even the revolutionary abolitionist John Brown was driven by a relgious fervor. He has fared better lately, in an age that is much more secular and which is not shocked by deist conclusions. Paine also comes in handy as an ally when democratic rights are, like now, under full-scale attack in the name of the `war on terrorism'. Let me say this-if a closet-Tory like Founding Father John Adams can look pretty damn good in comparison to today's bourgeois politicians then Tom Paine can rightly take his place as a Founder in our pantheon of revolutionary heroes.

Paine was a latecomer to pre-revolutionary America, arriving in November, 1774. But he had already been somewhat involved in struggles against oppressive conditions in Great Britain, where he had become acquainted with Benjamin Franklin. Having paid his way to America (not arriving as an indentured servant), Paine quickly became a key figure in revolutionary Philadelphia through his writings for a newspaper, his position being secured by a letter from Franklin, and through the publication of "Common Sense," perhaps the most influential and widely read pamphlet of the times. The author makes clear that Paine did not accept the commonly held view that the balanced government of Great Britain involving monarchy, nobility, and commoners was the ideal form. In "Common Sense," he denounced the entire idea of hereditary monarchy and advocated for republican government with near universal voting rights, of course, only among free, white men. In his scheme, the main element of government should be a unicameral legislature, eschewing the notion of conflicting class interests. He made clear that there were no valid reasons to not seek independence. Philadelphia had been dominated by the merchant elite in the time before Paine's arrival, but the impending conflict with Great Britain began to unleash new social forces. A considerable portion of the book is devoted to exploring the conflicting interests of merchants, farmers, artisans, and laborers in Philadelphia and the colonies. The formation of a local militia was especially upsetting to the status quo, as the militiamen, originating from the lower orders of society, demanded recognition for their sacrifice. The issuance of paper money by colonial governments to finance the war resulted in rampant inflation. Inflated, free-market pricing versus traditional "just" prices became a controversial issue, which was intertwined with claims of producers withholding or monopolizing products. Attempts to control prices met with little success. Debtors were less concerned with that inflation (except for higher prices) than were merchants and master craftsmen who advocated for private banking based on tight credit. The author notes that Paine, while a republican, was an advocate for free commerce. He backed the Philadelphia merchant, Robert Morris, in establishing a bank in Philadelphia in the early 1780s. That controversy foretold the many banking controversies that have occurred throughout American history. The author follows Paine as he returned to Great Britain and revolutionary France in 1787. The "Rights of Man" and a sequel became as influential in Great Britain among artisans in the early 1790s as had his earlier pamphlet in America. He had to escape to France to avoid prosecution for denouncing the crown and advocating taxing the nobility and ending their state pensions. Paine was celebrated by one faction in revolutionary France and was elected to the new National Convention, even though he spoke little

I had bought this book because I wanted to learn more about Tom Paine. Paine is one of those historical characters who keeps popping up on the edges of discussion, and about whom I knew very little. I became a lot more aware of him through my media studies, given that he was one of the first radical figures to use media effectively as a weapon.In any case, this isn't a biography of Paine, and assumes that the reader already knows (or isn't interested in) many biographical details. The book is more about Paine's reception by the society of the time, with a focus on issues such as the role of artisans, balanced government, republicanism, and free markets. It tracks how Paine was received as political pamphleteer not only in the revolutionary US, but also in the UK and revolutionary France. I think that the book would have meant a lot more to me if I'd already had more background, but the chapter notes did a good job of pointing me to the best books for further reading.