Explore articles from The Beacon, the Thomas Paine Historical Association’s bi-monthly journal. Each issue features multiple original articles written by a diverse group of leading Thomas Paine scholars, historians, and experts. Together, these contributions examine Paine’s life, writings, and enduring influence while connecting his ideas on liberty, democracy, and human rights to the political and social issues of today.
The Federalist Party, anointed by most historians as the founding party of the new United States, shaped the Constitution, adopted in 1787. Their conservative and nationalist ideas were voiced in 85 newspaper essays, collected in “The Federalist Papers,” to counter arguments against the plan from those who wanted more democracy.
![“Reason against unreason” a 1882 illustration by Joseph Keppler and Adolph Schwarzmann shows the “Light of Reason”, containing bust portraits of “Johannes Kepler, I. Kant, Thomas Paine, Jefferson, B. de Spinoza, Franklin, Voltaire, E.H. Haeckel, Tyndall, Huxley, [and] Darwin”, beaming against a large umbrella labeled “Bigotry, Supernaturalism, [and] Fanaticism” – Library of Congress](https://staging.thomaspaine.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Reason-against-unreason.jpg)
In a February 15 talk at the Paine Memorial Building in New Rochelle, Dr. Carvalho said, “By criticizing the adulterous connection between church and state… Paine had devastating effects on the governments using religion to maintain hierarchies and oppression.”
Brazilian Scholar Discusses Age of Reason and Democracy Read Post »
Foley Square now wears the name of a corrupt politician while Paine Park has a lightpost marker with no statue of the great man. New York should recognize Paine’s achievements and give him the place of honor at Civic Center, even at the risk of insulting “Big Tom.”
The Paradox of NYC’s Thomas Paine Park in Foley Square Read Post »
When most founding members of the Thomas Paine National Historical Association no longer served on the TPNHA board, others joined the association and took active leadership roles. They reflected the founding philosophy and ideas that prevailed at the turn of the century.
Imagine Thomas Paine as a “raw and adventurous” youth, scurrying up a ship’s rigging in storm-tossed waters, overwhelmed by the booms of two dozen cannons fired in unison, the clouds of choking smoke, and the violent lurches of a shuddering ship.
The Thomas Paine Memorial Association (TPMA) won congresional and presidential approval for a Paine memorial in Washington, DC. Unsettled is the exact location of the memorial. TPMA reported on the site selection process as of October.
Paine Memorial Association Seeking Washington Site Approval Read Post »
Responding to assaults on civil liberties under the 1873 Comstock Act, freethinkers played central roles in the social reform movement opposing abuses of the rich and powerful in the Gilded Age. They were guided by Thomas Paine and Enlightenment Age ideals of democracy, equality and natural rights.
The Comstock Act and the Founders of the Thomas Paine National Historical Association Read Post »
I believe it’s no accident that current social beliefs and trends uncannily reflect those in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many Americans still believe that assistance to the poor encourages sloth. Meanwhile, there is little interest in funding public K-12 education or in making higher education more affordable.
historian Yannick Bosc wrote, “Behind the smoke from the censer, there are always sulfurous fumes floating around Thomas Paine.” 200 years of historiographical inquiry still leaves us with too many questions. We can only look forward to the new, impartial, unbiased, and well-researched works that are yet to come.
Starting in 1872 and completed in 1873, the Comstock Act brought the weapon of religion against these groups. It was named for Anthony Comstock, a zealous Christian anti-“vice”fanatic who was put in charge of using the Act against the democratic forces emerging.
Celebrating the 2024 bicentennial of Lafayette’s visit to New Rochelle, the Thomas Paine National Historical Association (TPNHA) and the Huguenot & New Rochelle Historical Association (H&NRHA) in cooperation with the American Friends of Lafayette (AFL) and the City of New Rochelle will offer free events.
Bicentennial of the ‘Farewell Tour’ by the Marquis de Lafayette Read Post »
Paine’s Agrarian Justice most resonates with my own personal sensibilities. He says, “Civilization, therefore, or that which is so called, has operated two ways, to make one part of society more affluent, and the other part more wretched, than would have been the lot of either in a natural state.”
