Podcast Summary

History As It Happens

Episode: America250! Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"
Host: Martin Di Caro
Guest: Lindsay Chervinsky, Presidential Historian & Executive Director, George Washington Presidential Library
Date: January 20, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode kicks off a special series marking America's 250th birthday and explores the origins and impact of Thomas Paine's revolutionary pamphlet, Common Sense. Host Martin Di Caro and historian Lindsay Chervinsky dive into Paine's unlikely path to fame, the context of his writing, its radical arguments against monarchy, and the enduring lessons for today’s political landscape. Chervinsky clarifies the uncertainties and turning points of early 1776, analyzing just how Paine's pamphlet changed minds and set the colonies toward independence.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Who Was Thomas Paine? (03:47)

• Background & Origins:
  • Paine was born in England to a poor family. He experienced business failures, loss, and had little formal education.
  • “What I think is really interesting about Paine's background is that he was, of course, born in Britain… for all intensive purposes, should maybe at most be a footnote in American history… and Thomas Paine was certainly no exception.” – Lindsay Chervinsky [03:47]
• Early Experiences:
  • Varied jobs, including tax collector (ironically, considering later anti-tax writings).
  • Started writing in defense of press freedom.
  • Moved to America after a nudge from Benjamin Franklin.

2. Colonial Context at the Time of Publication (07:44)

• State of the Revolution:
  • Major battles (Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill) already occurred before Common Sense’s release.
  • Royal authority had eroded in the North (e.g., Boston), but persisted in the South.
  • Quote: “Certainly for New England and Massachusetts in Boston, the war was very much a lived experience and common sense was sort of an afterthought at this point. But for a lot of other colonies, especially in the south, royal authority was still pretty strong.” – Lindsay Chervinsky [07:44]
• Public Opinion and Division:
  • The population was split: about a third for independence, a third loyalist, and a third undecided or cautious.
  • Paine aimed to persuade the undecided middle.

3. The Message and Style of Common Sense (14:50, 17:08)

• Pamphlet Format and Accessibility:
  • At ~50 pages, it was a moderate-length read for the era, widely accessible due to high literacy, especially in New England.
  • Information spread via readings in taverns, making the text accessible beyond direct buyers.
• Audience:
  • Targeted ordinary people, not elite intellectuals.
  • “Paine framed his arguments around almost like feelings that they did not need education to understand. Sort of a common sense concept of what each human being was born with and the common sense things that they would have seen… hence the title, Common Sense.” – Lindsay Chervinsky [17:08]
• Style:
  • Evoked passion, appealing to emotional and logical grievances.
  • Aggressive and polemic tone drew from British pamphleteering traditions.

4. Key Arguments of Common Sense (21:05)

• Against Monarchy and Hereditary Rule:
  • Ridicules the notion that power can be justly inherited.
  • “One man may actually deserve these plaudits and powers… but you cannot tell me that every truly exceptional king only has truly exceptional children.” – Lindsay Chervinsky paraphrasing Paine [19:43]
• British Constitutional Critique:
  • Paine labeled it a farce, disputing the existence of real checks and balances.
  • Highlighted the unaccountability of the king.

5. The Impact and Reception (23:51, 26:48)

• Immediate Effects:
  • Rapid, widespread popularity (possibly 140,000–150,000 copies, huge for the population at the time).
  • Support among common people; resistance from loyalists and lukewarm response from some elites.
  • Washington distributed copies in the army, understanding its morale value.
• Elite Critiques:
  • Critics published their own pamphlets in response (e.g., James Chalmers’ Plain).
  • Sparked debates about the risks of both unrestrained monarchy and unrestrained legislatures.
• Long-term Influence:
  • Helped tip undecided Americans toward independence.
  • The radicalism of Paine’s later works tarnished his reputation but didn’t erase his earlier influence.

6. Lasting Significance and Universal Vision (28:57)

• Historical Vision:
  • Paine saw the American Revolution as a world-changing event—an idea-based revolution.
  • “Even the distance… at which the almighty hath placed England in America is a strong and natural proof that the authority of the one over the other was never the design of heaven.” – Thomas Paine (quoted by Di Caro) [28:57]
• Connection to Later Revolutions:
  • Chervinsky compares Common Sense’s effect to Uncle Tom’s Cabin ahead of the Civil War: a cultural spark that catalyzed widespread action and debate.
• The American Revolution as Radical:
  • Though rooted in conservative values, the experiment in self-government was unprecedented and inspired later global movements.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Paine’s unlikeliness as a historical force:
  “Big crises like the revolution… bring forward individuals who for all intensive purposes, should maybe at most be a footnote in American history… and Thomas Paine was certainly no exception.” – Lindsay Chervinsky [03:47]

• On the pamphlet’s emotional power:
  “He seems to be everywhere transported with rage, a rage that knows no limits and hurries him along like an impetuous torrent.” – Critique of Paine, as quoted by Martin Di Caro [19:36]

• On Common Sense’s impact on undecided colonists:
  “He speaks to that middle third and convinces a significant portion to join the independence cause…” – Lindsay Chervinsky [11:13]

• On the folly of hereditary kingship:
  “One of the strongest natural proofs of the folly of hereditary right in kings… is that nature disproves it. Otherwise she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule by giving mankind an ass for a lion.” – Thomas Paine (read by Di Caro) [00:00]

• On the Revolution’s global import:
  “He certainly understood the enormity of what Americans were trying to do.” – Lindsay Chervinsky [29:54]

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction to Paine, Common Sense, and America’s 250th anniversary
• 03:47 – Chervinsky on Paine’s background and journey to America
• 07:44 – The revolutionary situation at the time of publication
• 11:13 – Discussion of public opinion and Paine's intended audience
• 14:50 – Pamphlet culture and dissemination
• 17:08 – Paine’s writing style and populist appeal
• 19:43 – Use of popular resentment and critique of monarchy
• 21:05 – Purpose and arguments of Common Sense
• 23:51 – Reception and influence among different groups
• 26:48 – Assessing the pamphlet’s historical significance
• 28:57 – Paine’s sense of historical occasion and enduring legacy

Tone and Language

The episode is lively, deeply informative, and conversational. Di Caro and Chervinsky maintain a tone that is appreciative of Paine’s radicalism while attentive to academic nuance and accessible explanation, ensuring both specialists and the general public can appreciate the significance of Common Sense.

For those who have not listened to the episode, this summary captures the key historical themes, the dramatic stakes of early 1776, why Common Sense mattered so much—and why it still resonates on America’s 250th birthday.