Simone Lawson
Thomas Paine was an English-born American Founding Father, French Revolutionary, inventor, and political philosopher. He authored influential pamphlets such as Common Sense and The American Crisis, which inspired colonial patriots to declare independence from Great Britain. Paine's ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of human rights, and he played a significant role in the American Revolution. Paine also contributed to the French Revolution and was involved in drafting the Girondin constitutional project for the French Republic. While he favored the idea of a US Constitution, he argued against its conservative and elitist nature. Paine advocated for a representative legislative body based on increased suffrage, believing that the strength of the Constitution lay in its ability to be rewritten by the people. However, he did not sign the Declaration of Independence or serve in the Continental Congress, leading to debates about his role as a Framer of the Constitution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Thomas Paine's role in framing the US Constitution | Paine was not a framer of the US Constitution. However, he was a Founding Father and played a significant role in inspiring the movement for independence from Great Britain. |
| Paine's views on constitutions | Paine believed that a constitution is created by the people, not the government. He argued for increased suffrage and the ability to rewrite the constitution at the will of the people. |
| Paine's involvement in other constitutions | Paine was involved in drafting the French Republic's constitution and Uruguay's Instructions of 1813, considered one of its most important constitutional documents. |
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What You'll Learn
Thomas Paine's influence on the US Constitution
Thomas Paine was an English-born American Founding Father, French Revolutionary, inventor, and political philosopher. Paine's writings, including Common Sense and The American Crisis, were influential during the American Revolution and inspired colonial patriots to declare independence from Great Britain in 1776.
Paine's ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of human rights, and he is considered a founder of the modern concept of constitutions, where the people, not the government, create a constitution from which the government is formed. Paine himself favoured the idea of a constitution to establish a government, dating this idea back to 1783. However, he strongly opposed the conservative and elitist nature of the US Constitution. He criticised the idea of a single executive and a two-body legislature, one being smaller and more powerful than the other. Instead, he advocated for a representative legislative body based on increased suffrage, not based on property. Paine also believed in the ability to rewrite the constitution according to the will of the people.
Paine's influence extended beyond the US. In France, he was selected as one of nine deputies to draft a constitution for the French Republic. He participated in the Constitutional Committee in drafting the Girondin constitutional project. Paine's ideas also influenced the Instructions of 1813, which Uruguayans consider one of their country's most important constitutional documents.
Despite his influence on constitutional thought, Paine was not a signer of the US Declaration of Independence or a framer of the US Constitution. He never served in the Continental Congress or held political office. Paine's talents were seen as better suited to inspiring revolution than drafting constitutions. Paine's influence on the specific content of the US Constitution is therefore limited, but his broader impact on constitutional thought and his role in inspiring the American Revolution are significant.
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Paine's role in the French Constitution
Thomas Paine was an enthusiastic supporter of the French Revolution and was granted honorary French citizenship. Paine's honorary citizenship was in recognition of the publishing of his "Rights of Man, Part II" and the sensation it created within France. Paine served in the National Convention, representing the district of Pas-de-Calais. He was also selected as one of nine deputies to be part of the convention's Constitutional Committee, which was charged with drafting a suitable constitution for the French Republic. He participated in drafting the Girondin constitutional project. Paine voted for the French Republic but argued against the execution of Louis XVI, saying the monarch should be exiled. Paine's writings and speeches explored his contribution to debates on whether it was possible to reform the French monarchy, promote popular sovereignty, encourage the free discussion of political ideas by all citizens, suggest new constitutional frameworks, advocate universal manhood suffrage, and advocate the right of subsistence for the poor.
Paine's writings reveal his vision of a unicameral legislature, a single-house body representing citizens directly, which would keep the government closer to the people it served. He believed governments should be simple and transparent, with power derived from the people. Paine wrote, "A government of our own is our natural right," emphasizing that authority should come from the governed. In "The Rights of Man", Paine expanded on these ideas, advocating for a democratic system where all men are equal. He saw government as "but a necessary evil", needed only to protect citizens' security. Paine also criticized the British constitution as overly complicated and argued against hereditary power, calling it absurd.
Paine's ideas influenced Pennsylvania's constitution of 1776, which adopted a unicameral legislature and minimized executive roles. Paine's radicalism inspired broader discourse on democratic representation and the role of government. Paine's writings on the French monarchy were both critical and supportive. He rejected belligerent policies in Belgium, questioned the wisdom of redistributive schemes in Paris, and attacked Jacobin extremism as a danger to the republic. Paine's centrality to the French Revolution has been debated, with some historians presenting him as disengaged from the events due to his poor grasp of French. However, a translated manuscript suggests Paine was actively commenting on policies pursued by the revolutionary government.
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Paine's views on the nature of constitutions
Thomas Paine was an English-born American Founding Father, French Revolutionary, inventor, and political philosopher. He authored "Common Sense" (1776) and "The American Crisis" (1776–1783), two of the most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution. Paine's ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of human rights.
Paine criticised the British constitution as overly complicated, arguing that the king and aristocracy were unnecessary. He believed that governments should be simple and transparent, with power derived from the people. In "The Rights of Man", Paine advocated for a democratic system where all men are equal. He saw government as "but a necessary evil", needed only to protect citizens' security. Paine emphasised that a government's simplicity would make it less likely to become corrupt or oppressive.
Paine's legacy underscores the enduring power of democratic ideals. His vision of a simple, accountable government rooted in the people's will continues to inspire discussions on governance structures. Paine's ideas influenced both the American and French revolutions, and he is considered a founder of the modern concept of constitutions, where the people, not the government, create a constitution from which the government is formed.
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Paine's writings and their impact on the American Revolution
Thomas Paine was an English-born American Founding Father, French Revolutionary, inventor, and political philosopher. Paine's writings had a significant impact on the American Revolution, and he is considered one of the most influential writers of that period. Paine's most notable works during the American Revolution include "Common Sense" and "The American Crisis," both published in 1776.
"Common Sense" was a 47-page pamphlet that advocated for independence from Great Britain and the establishment of a democratic government with a written constitution. Paine argued that the British system was based on the tyranny of aristocracy and monarchy, and his ideas resonated with the colonial era patriots, catalysing the call for independence. Paine's pamphlet was widely read by American Patriots, with estimates suggesting that up to 50,000 copies were distributed in the colonies in the years leading up to the Revolution. The pamphlet's clear and simple language made it accessible to the common masses, and it played a crucial role in spreading enthusiasm for independence.
"The American Crisis" was a series of pro-independence pamphlets written by Paine during the American Revolution. The series included some of Paine's most memorable phrases, such as "these are the times that try men's souls" and "the summer soldier and sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the thanks of man and woman." These pamphlets provided comfort and resolution to dispirited Continental soldiers, who were outnumbered, unpaid, and suffering from harsh conditions. General George Washington ordered officers to read "The American Crisis" to the Continental Army before the famous crossing of the Delaware on their way to victory at Trenton in late 1776.
Paine's writings also influenced the political ideologies of prominent figures such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Paine's ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of human rights, and he envisioned a nation founded on principles that empowered ordinary citizens. Paine's writings contributed to the shaping of democratic reforms not only in the United States but also in France and England.
Paine's impact extended beyond the American Revolution, as evidenced by the fact that he received a 320-acre farm and a cottage in New Rochelle, New York, in 1784 by an act of the New York State Legislature for his services during the Revolution. Additionally, Paine's writings influenced other countries' constitutional documents, such as the Instructions of 1813 in Uruguay, which drew directly from his work. Paine's ideas on constitutionalism, where the people create a constitution from which the government is formed, continue to resonate in modern concepts of constitutions.
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Paine's legacy as a Founding Father
Thomas Paine's legacy as a Founding Father is a contentious issue. Paine was English by birth but became an American citizen in 1776, two years after emigrating to the British American colonies. Paine was a political philosopher and author of Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776–1783), two of the most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution. Paine's ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of human rights, and his works inspired the colonial-era patriots to declare independence from Great Britain in 1776.
Paine's talents were different from those of the other Founding Fathers. Paine himself said that a constitution is not the act of a government, but of a people constituting a government. Paine believed that the real strength of the Constitution lay in the ability to rewrite it at the will of the people. Paine was also a French Revolutionary and participated in drafting the Girondin constitutional project for the French Republic.
Paine's writings continue to inspire and influence people today. In 1811, Venezuelan translator Manuel Garcia de Sena published a book in Philadelphia that consisted mostly of Spanish translations of several of Paine's most important works. In 1987, Richard Thomas played Paine in the one-man play Citizen Tom Paine. Paine's influence also extended to other countries, such as Uruguay, where Paine's writings directly influenced Artigas's Instructions of 1813, considered one of the country's most important constitutional documents.
Paine's legacy is also reflected in the many memorials dedicated to him. The first and longest-standing memorial to Paine is the 12-foot marble column in New Rochelle, New York, organised and funded by publisher, educator, and reformer Gilbert Vale and raised in 1839 by the American sculptor and architect John Frazee. Paine's cottage and a 320-acre farm were presented to him in 1784 by an act of the New York State Legislature for his services in the American Revolution.
Despite Paine's contributions, some argue that he was not a Founding Father because he was not an American, did not sign the Declaration of Independence, and did not frame the Constitution. However, others, like Eric Foner, consider Paine to be a Founding Father, recognising that without Common Sense, America would not have declared independence in July 1776. Paine's influence extended beyond his writings, as he also inspired other Founding Fathers like Thomas Jefferson, who became a friend and supporter of his work. Paine's legacy as a Founding Father is thus complex and subject to varying interpretations.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Thomas Paine was not a framer of the US Constitution. Paine was a founder of the modern concept of constitutions, where the people, not the government, create a constitution from which the government is formed. Paine did, however, participate in drafting the Girondin constitutional project for the French Republic.
Paine favoured the idea of the US Constitution to establish the government, but he strongly opposed its conservative and elitist nature. He criticised the idea of a single executive and a two-body legislature, one being smaller and more powerful than the other. Instead, he advocated for a representative legislative body based on increased suffrage not based on property.
Thomas Paine authored "Common Sense" (1776) and "The American Crisis" (1776-1783), two influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution. His writings inspired colonial-era patriots to declare independence from Great Britain in 1776. Paine also believed in the Enlightenment-era ideals of human rights and helped shape the principles of the new nation.
