So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast

Ep. 261: Thomas Paine's Rise and Fall
Date: January 15, 2026
Host: Nico Perrino (A), with guest Professor Richard Bell (B), historian and author of The American Revolution and the Fate of the World

Overview

In this landmark conversation, host Nico Perrino and Professor Richard Bell explore the extraordinary yet paradoxical life of Thomas Paine: failed corset-maker, revolutionary political writer, transatlantic radical, and later pariah. The episode marks the 250th anniversary of the publication of Common Sense and uses Paine’s story to shine a light on the immense power—and cost—of free speech, both for the individual and for society.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Thomas Paine: The Unlikely Prophet

• Early Life and Failures [03:00]
  • Paine was a lower-middle-class Englishman, professionally adrift, with failed attempts at corset-making, tax collecting, teaching, privateering, and multiple marriages.
  • He was politically restless and drawn to radical circles in Lewes, England, joining the "Headstrong Club," an incubator of dissent and debate.
  • Met Benjamin Franklin by chance in London and received a letter of introduction that facilitated his emigration to America [09:00].

"With no disrespect to the man...he was a nobody in England." – Bell [04:21]

2. Arrival in America: An Unknown Becomes a Revolutionary

• Philadelphia, 1774 [10:31]

  • Paine arrives ill, nearly dies, but soon becomes editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine.
  • Uses writing and editorship as a springboard for shaping public discourse.

• Building to Revolution [14:16–17:20]

  • Paine rapidly absorbs the political turbulence in late-colonial America, responding to a landscape rife with protest but lacking direction.
  • His anti-monarchical, anti-authority instincts find fertile ground as tensions escalate toward revolution.

3. Common Sense: Catalyst for Independence

• Impact and Arguments [17:35–24:50]
  • Published January 10, 1776; reframed the colonial conflict from redress of grievances to a call for outright independence.
  • Common Sense attacked monarchy itself, not just King George III: monarchy was presented as a ludicrous and violent institution, a "Game of Thrones" style "sullen pharaoh" system [22:06].
  • Written anonymously as “An Englishman” to appeal to colonists' identities and credibility.
  • Stylistically accessible, avoiding scholarly detachment; intended for ordinary people via plain language, minimal classical references, and no footnotes [25:20].

"[Paine] flushes out the idea of independence as a solution to their grievances into the open and makes that question the talk of the town." – Bell [03:26]

• Popularity and Influence [27:06–28:07]
  • Among the best-selling pamphlets in American history—estimates suggest 100,000 copies were sold, an extraordinary per capita readership.

"You get 5% of the population today to read anything and you’ve got Harry Potter on your hands." – Bell [27:38]

• Recognition from Contemporaries
  • John Adams, though frustrated by Paine’s overshadowing of his own arguments, admitted Paine’s unique influence in popularizing the cause [28:23].
  • Paine was both a synthesizer and popularizer, more than an original theorist [44:54].

4. The American Crisis: Penman of Revolution

• Writing for Survival [36:30–41:16]
  • Series began during deepest Patriot setbacks; provided morale-boosting rhetoric (“These are the times that try men’s souls”) read aloud by Washington to the troops.
  • Recognized by new American state: awarded land, funded by Congress, and asked to write (but declined) the official history [41:08].

5. After Independence: Abroad and Under Siege

• Return to Britain and The Rights of Man [42:55–48:15]

  • Leaves America for economic and ideological reasons; attempts to fund infrastructure and re-ignite radical reform in Britain.
  • Rights of Man (1791): a polemic for republican government, again repackaging long-standing dissenting British ideas for a mass audience.
  • The British government retaliates—laws limiting speech are enacted, Paine is systematically smeared, and eventually tried and sentenced to hang in absentia [44:54–49:19].

• On Free Speech Repression [47:54]

  • Britain’s historic tolerance for political dissent collapses in face of Paine's radical popularity; government attempts to crush dissent reveal the power—and threat—of speech.

6. Revolutionary France and Age of Reason

• Exile and New Radicalism [49:24–56:08]
  • Flees to France, becomes MP for Calais, and is initially embraced; later falls afoul for opposing the execution of Louis XVI, leading to imprisonment.
  • The Age of Reason (written under threat of death) denounces both atheism and organized religion (especially church hierarchies), making Paine toxic to church and government leaders alike.

"This is a man burning three bridges at once." – Bell [58:54]

• Close Brush with Death [61:12]
  • Nearly executed during French Reign of Terror, is accidentally spared due to a mark left inside his cell door.

7. Return to America: Pariah Status

• A Cold Homecoming [61:30–66:40]
  • Returns in 1802, health failing, expects gratitude but finds public revulsion—vilified as atheist, radical, and a dangerous dissenter.
  • Alienated from the dominant politics of the Federalist order and Second Great Awakening religiosity; his association is toxic, even for former allies like Jefferson.

"To be seen with Tom Paine is to set your political career on fire by the 1800s." – Bell [73:45]

8. Death and Legacy

• Final Years and Isolation [72:08–76:58]
  • Dies in obscurity and friendlessness in 1809; Quakers refuse to bury him, only six attend his funeral, and later his bones are even lost.

"His last few days were agony… a friendless man. … America doesn’t seem to want him anymore." – Bell [73:41]

• Enduring Influence
  • Despite pariahdom, remains an underground hero to working-class, populist Americans.
  • Adams (via Jefferson) and Ingersoll acknowledge his extraordinary impact (“Age of Reason should be called the Age of Paine” [78:49]).
  • Paine as progressive: attributed (tentatively) writings on women's rights and abolition, and a proto-welfare state (Agrarian Justice) show his forward-thinking.

9. Re-examining Paine’s Legacy

• Modern Scholarly Rediscovery [82:10–86:56]
  • Princeton to release a collection of up to 400 newly-attributed works by Paine, using AI and textual analysis.
  • Ongoing debate as to whether he influenced the Declaration of Independence’s drafting (“TP” noted on Roger Sherman’s copy—as yet unproven).

“Paine’s spirit undergirds the Declaration, even if his fingerprints aren’t on the document.” – Bell [86:53]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Paine’s Transformation:

  • “He is the free speech radical, driving the American people towards a reckoning with independence.” – Bell [02:56]

• On the Impact of Common Sense:

  • “A pamphlet that transformed American independence from a political argument into a mass movement.” – Perrino [Start]

• On Accessible Writing:

  • “He speaks with... the plain spoken language of the guy at the end into the bar in the tavern you like going to.” – Bell [25:20]

• On Revolutionary Idealism and Bluster:

  • “He can’t see the future. He’s making…he is blowing smoke up your ass and up my ass. And I think we love it.” – Bell [33:48]

• On Free Speech’s Power and Cost:

  • “His life is a case study in not just the power of free speech, but its costs.” – Perrino [Intro]

• On His Final Years:

  • “To be seen with Tom Paine is to set your political career on fire by the 1800s.” – Bell [73:45]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:00–10:31] Paine’s early life, meeting Franklin, and migration to America
• [14:16–17:20] Paine’s early years in Philly and absorbing American revolutionary fervor
• [17:35–28:07] Publication and impact of Common Sense
• [36:30–41:16] The American Crisis and morale-building during the war
• [41:29–44:54] Post-revolution, move to England, and Rights of Man
• [49:24–56:08] Exile to France, French Revolution, and Age of Reason
• [61:30–73:45] Return to America, illness, alienation, and death
• [78:49–86:56] Ongoing legacy; modern scholarly rediscovery and controversies

Additional Topics

• Free Speech and Repression: Paine’s story as a testament to how speech can disrupt—or endanger—power structures, and the consequences faced by those who wield it most forcefully.
• Paine’s Progressive Credentials: Skeptically explored—whether claims of proto-feminism and abolitionism attributed to him stand up to scrutiny.
• Modern Reassessment: Princeton’s forthcoming publication opens new avenues for understanding Paine’s writing and reach.
• Global Perspectives: Bell’s own research—expanding the Revolution’s impact beyond America to Europe, Africa, India, and the Caribbean [87:11].

Concluding Reflection

Paine’s journey, from outcast and agitator to catalyst for the world’s first mass democratic revolution, and back to outcast, underlines both the promise and peril inherent in contesting the status quo. As Bell sums up, “I think it is high time we took Tom Paine seriously and gave him a second look” [79:08]. His story, both triumph and tragedy, speaks profoundly to the enduring struggle for free speech.

For Listeners

Those interested in the global story of the Revolution, or in reading Paine’s works anew, are encouraged to check out Professor Bell’s book, The American Revolution and the Fate of the World.

(Note: Timestamps are based on transcript position and may not precisely match the final podcast audio.)