Thomas Paine & the Syllabub Shake
Thomas Paine. I don’t honestly remember learning too much about this man in school. Before reading “The Rights of Man,” I vaguely recalled Thomas Paine as one of the Founding Fathers. Before delving into his work, “The Rights of Man,” I must admit my knowledge of him was hazy, partly because I ditched history class in high school for other, uh, less educational endeavors that only made any recollection of him more hazy.
Until recently. In honor of America’s birthday, I kicked off this section in my blog appropriately titled “Boozy Book Club” by celebrating the man whose words planted the seeds of democracy in the New World and France, sparking revolutions in both countries, empowering the lower classes to rise against the monarchy, and instilling that every man and woman is born with inalienable, natural rights – liberty, property, and security. His writings resonate even today, reminding us that governments should exist solely to protect these rights.
Before our trip down memory lane with America the Beautiful, let’s fill our glass with a little libation that Thomas Paine was known to indulge in – the Syllabub.
A Very Brief History of Thomas Paine
From dropout to sparking a revolution
Now let me fill your cup with some knowledge and background on T. Paine if you’re like me and only remember a little bit about him.
Thomas Paine was a man born of modest means to a humble family in England. His mom was an Anglican: his dad was a Quaker and a corset-maker.
Paine dropped out of school at 13 to learn the family trade. Beyond this, there isn’t much on record about his early life except he grew up in poverty.
He wasn’t a learned man in terms of traditional schooling but rather a worldly man who took it upon himself to constantly seek knowledge from some of the greatest minds of that century.
He was direct and plain speaking, and his words spurred the masses to overthrow conventional monarch rule and establish democracy.
Because his father wasn’t wealthy, his access to education was limited, which made Paine insecure – and most likely, why Paine never stopped learning as an adult.
His business went under, his wife and child died during childbirth, and he wasn’t very good at his job as an excise collector, hunting smugglers and collecting taxes on liquor and tobacco.
It didn’t help that he published a pamphlet and distributed roughly 4,000 copies to members of Parliament and the general public, outlining why excise officers should get paid more for their work.
Needless to say, he wasn’t very popular with his superiors.
Common Sense
Journey to America and dropping “Common Sense”
He eventually met with Ben Franklin, who told him to F-it and move to America.
“Join or Die”
Political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin calling on the colonies to unite against the French and Indians in the French Indian War. It was later used to encourage colonies to unite to overthrow the British government during the American Revolutionary War.
So he did. He arrived penniless and nearly dead on November 30, 1774. He took up work as an editor for The Pennsylvania Magazine. He would publish articles anonymously or under pseudonyms; one of his first works was a scathing commentary on the African slave trade entitled “African Slavery in America.”
Besides being anti-slavery, he was pro-women’s rights, for accessible public education, and took a strong and loud stance against the monarchy, aristocracy, and hereditary privilege.
He believed the government should serve the people and not vice versa.
Using his no holds barred approach, he got to work penning ‘Common Sense’ in which he argued that the early colonists demanded freedom from Britain’s oppressive rule and established their own form of a democratic government.
‘Common Sense’ was so provocative at the time historians have referred to it as “the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era.”
Paine had mobilized the colonists, who were clearly the underdog compared to the British navy’s might and strength.
Yet, he inspired confidence in their uprising and eventual overthrow of British rule. And as a result, we can trace America’s democratic beginnings to ‘Common Sense.’
Franklin, B. (1754) Join or Die. United States, 1754. [May 9] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2002695523/.
It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies; yet our present numbers are sufficient to repel the force of all the world.
Thomas Paine, “Common Sense”
Rights of Man
Paine’s Literary Smackdown
Paine’s most famous work was “The Rights of Man,” written in 1791. To give a little context of that time, France was going through societal unrest at the time.
Much like what was happening in America with Britain, the French were preparing for their revolution. Paine supported the cause, as he would have since he was against the defunct and oppressive bourgeoise ruling class.
Paine had a friend, Edmund Burke, who supported America’s revolution. Because of this, Paine and Burke got along swimmingly. Until the French Revolution, that is. It seemed Burke thought the French should continue being ruled by the elite class and was staunchly and famously against the revolution.
Paine, confused and quite frankly pissed about his friend’s usage of the term “swinish multitude” when referring to the non-ruling classes, wrote what would be considered a modern-day diss track to Burke’s book entitled “Rights of Man.”
In this book, Paine argues that all people are born with natural and civil rights, including the right to life, liberty, and property. He also argues that governments exist to protect these rights and that when a government fails to do so, the people have the right to overthrow it.
Paine had no intention of making a profit from this book, and he never did, ever. His publishers priced the book at three shillings, roughly the equivalent of a few bucks today, but it was a very high price point at the time. It was the same price that Burke’s book was selling for.
The government at the time didn’t intervene with the publication of Paine’s book, thinking it was priced too high that it would limit its circulation and keep it out of the hands of the poor. Except it didn’t.
Within weeks, “The Rights of Man” sold over 50,000 copies. Meetings in farm villages were held where passages were read out loud and memorized like a Bible verse.
Paine had made a provision that profits from the sale of his book go to support The Society for Constitutional Information and other liberal organizations in Britain.
“The Rights of Man” was controversial when first published and banned in Britain. But it was widely read and inspired many people to think about the nature of government and the rights of individuals.
It is still considered one of the most important works of political philosophy ever written.
To put it in context, Burke’s book sold roughly 30,000 copies and was widely distributed among the elite classes, while Paine’s book sold over a million copies and was widely read by the “Swinish multitude.” Turns out the so-called swine weren’t too happy with being called, well, swine.
The British government at first tried to ignore the murmurings the book was causing among the working classes. They figured if they paid no attention to it, the fuss would die down on its own.
But it didn’t. Then the government tried to intimidate and bribe the printer/publisher. That didn’t work, either. So they went after Paine.
The government launched a full-fledged smear campaign against Paine and set out to arrest him. Luckily a friend tipped him off, and Paine set off for France and never returned to England.
We have it in our power to begin our world all over again.
– Thomas Paine, “Rights of Man”
FINAL YEARS
Cheers to you, T. Paine
He was an old man when he was finally released from prison in France. And the revolution had happened, and everyone moved on.
In 1802, Thomas Jefferson invited Paine back to America, where he spent his final days as a drunkard, ill, and vilified due to the publication of “Age of Reason,” where he denounced organized religion.
He died poor and alone in New York City. It has been recorded that only six people attended his funeral, and half of those attendees were formerly enslaved.
He was concerned with the rise in poverty, the degradation of the working class, the mistreatment of criminals, and the humiliation of the aging population. He called for income tax to support social welfare, laws that protect workers, just to name a few.
Paine’s ideas about the rights of man were radical for his time, but they helped to shape the world we live in today. They inspired the American and French revolutions and continue to inspire people worldwide who believe in democracy and human rights.
Thomas Paine may be gone, but his legacy lives on. So cheers to you, Thomas Paine, for stirring the pot and challenging the status quo. For bravely using your voice to empower others. But most of all, thank you for sticking it to the man.
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