In short, the people’s revolution was a fight for ideals — not so much for themselves, but for their posterity.

Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” may have persuaded the American colonists of the need for independence, but it is one thing to favor independence and quite another to pick up arms ...

This administration is moving America ever farther from its core values. The Founding Fathers would recognize this governance ...

What does it mean to be an American? That question lies at the heart of a debate between Vivek Ramaswamy and Vice President ...

This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present. Sign up here. Reading it now, Paine’s words are a kind of portal back to the ...

Daily perspectives on culture and politics from voices that matter. Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” faced enough challenges getting published in its own time. Its call for American independence in 1776 ...

The Thomas Paine Memorial Association (TPMA) and a coalition of leading secular, historical, and humanist organizations invite the public to the annual celebration of the birth of one of America’s ...