Would Thomas Paine be called a fascist and get canceled today?

(He’d definitely be standing up to tyranny)

Americans just love to sing the praises of their revolutionary heroes and “Founding Fathers.” But the land of denial would rather ignore the truly revolutionary roots and spirit behind its birth.

In other words, if pamphleteer Tom Paine were around today, well… he might not be around today (if you know what I mean).

We are often told actions speak louder than words but the life of Thomas Paine (1737-1809) tells a different story. Born in England, Paine eventually found a home as the resident radical in the Colonies. His mutinous pamphlet, Common Sense, was written anonymously, published in January 1776, and promptly read by every single member of Congress.

Time out: Every member of Congress read Common Sense. (Insert your own punch line here.)

Paine’s Common Sense went on to sell roughly 500,000 copies and helped inspire a fledgling nation to revolt for its independence.

Hold on, we need another time out: A seditious pamphlet sold a half-million copies in 1776. To perform a similar feat today, an author would have to sell about 66 million books.

Common Sense stirred the subversive spirits of colonial America by putting into words what those seeking freedom from British rule had been feeling for a long, long time, e.g.

“I have never met with a man, either in England or America, who hath not confessed his opinion, that a separation between the countries, would take place one time or other. And there is no instance in which we have shown less judgment, than in endeavoring to describe, what we call, the ripeness or fitness of the Continent for independence.”

Common Sense popularized the concept that even a good government is, at best, a necessary evil. Paine effectively demonized King George III and argued against a small island nation like England ruling a continent on the other side of the ocean. Perhaps most importantly, Common Sense painted a post-independence picture of peace and prosperity. 

More so than the battles at Lexington and Concord — which preceded the release of Paine’s influential pamphlet — it was Common Sense that served as the spark to light the revolutionary flame (which is currently more honored in the breach). 

“These are the times that try men's souls,” Paine famously wrote. “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”

No Paine, no gain.