Thomas Paine, Forgotten Founder

Description

Join Dr. Joan Gittens, emerita professor of history at Southwest Minnesota State University, for a delve into the life and story of Thomas Paine.

On January 10, 1776 Thomas Paine published  Common Sense, his passionate argument for the American Colonies’ declaration of independence from Britain and the creation of a republic. It was an immediate best seller, widely recognized for its logic and eloquent persuasion.  It was read publicly from pulpits, taverns and village greens. It is universally credited with persuading Americans to move to independence.

Yet for all his fame and influence in the early days of the Revolution, Paine was reviled by many in the course of his life and beyond, and he is virtually unknown to most modern Americans. Why is such an important figure so forgotten by an ungrateful country? Come and hear his story!