June 8 is Thomas Paine Day on the American calendar, and we at Unreasonable are ready to celebrate!
So who here can tell us why ostensible founding father Thomas Paine is an important figure in American history? Hands.
Crickets.
And why ostensible? Paine was a thinker, writer, inventor and publisher. His pamphlets were best-sellers. Though his ideas, from how an American democracy might be structured to religion’s place in society, are imprinted throughout the Constitution and Bill of Rights, he was not present at its signing. Compared to many of his cohort, he’s all but absent from the history books.
He had Washington’s ear and Franklin’s admiration. He inspired John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, and his pamphlets Common Sense and An American Crisis helped mobilize 13 colonies toward their independence. His words and his thinking were indeed revolutionary for their time — sometimes lauded, sometimes feared (especially by the aristocracy and religious organizations) — but they never failed to activate.
He was, arguably, the most forward-thinking of the founders. He spoke from the perspective not of a wealthy slaveowner, but of the common man. His ideas are not only relevant today, but more urgent than ever, especially given the state of our union devolved by alternate facts, conspiracy theories, provocatively nonsensical sound bites, and short attention spans.
Few figures of the American Revolution cast as long a shadow on the formation of this nation as Thomas Paine, and yet, where is the door-stopper biography, the big-screen Spielberg treatment, the Apple TV+ series?
We wondered: what might a Tom Paine musical sound like? One that would bring Paine’s ideas to life for a younger audience. So we asked ChatGPT to write us an opening number in the style of “Hamilton.” It may not be Lin-Manuel Miranda worthy, but we’ll let it raise the curtain on this episode of Unreasonable, with our special guest Margaret Downey, founder of the Thomas Paine Memorial Association.
TOM PAINE: THE MUSICAL
(Verse 1) Yo, listen up, Gen Z, I got a story to tell, 'Bout a dude named Tom Paine, who dared to rebel. In "Age of Reason," he dropped truth bombs galore, Challenging religion, he shook us to the core.
(Chorus) Paine said, "Question it all, don't just follow the herd, Use your mind, seek truth, let reason be your word. Don't take scriptures literally, let's dive deep, Find the moral lessons, they're the ones we'll keep."
(Verse 2) Paine didn't buy into the religious institution, No priests or hierarchies, he sparked a revolution. He shouted, "Think for yourself, you don't need a guide, Connect with the divine, let your own spirit ride."
(Verse 3) Miracles and supernatural events, he denounced, Said they're unproven, defy nature, not to be pronounced. Science and observation, that's his creed, Understanding the world, that's the knowledge we need.
(Verse 4) Organized religion, he took it to task, Used to control, manipulate, and put us in a mask. Paine said, "Challenge authority, don't be a sheep, Think freely, break the chains, your own path you'll reap."
(Verse 5) Paine's deism was a different kind of view, A higher power, creator, but no intervention, it's true. Personal spirituality, he did advocate, No rituals, just your heart, that's the path he'd state.
(Chorus) Paine said, "Question it all, don't just follow the herd, Use your mind, seek truth, let reason be your word. Don't take scriptures literally, let's dive deep, Find the moral lessons, they're the ones we'll keep."
The Follow-up
Thomas Paine Memorial Association
https://thomaspainememorial.org
Creating the Thomas Paine Sculpture
http://www.zenosfrudakis.com/sculpture/thomas-paine
“Common Sense”
https://americainclass.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Common-Sense-_-Full-Text.pdf
”The Age of Reason”
https://thefederalistpapers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/The-Age-of-Reason-by-Thomas-Paine.pdf
About that "Wired” Magazine Article
https://www.progress.org/articles/wired-magazine-lionized-tom-paine
What is deism?
https://www.deism.com
“Why I Am Not A Christian” by Bertrand Russell
https://shorturl.at/jqV06