KNTV PHILOSOPHY

THOMAS PAINE (1737-1809)

Freedom fighter and one of the founders of the United States, Thomas Paine made himself a lot of enemies by standing up for what he believed to be right.

PROGRAMME OUTLINE

00:00-03:26

Thomas Paine is a great role model, because he wasn't afraid to speak his mind.

03:27 – 06:50
WHAT was Paine's big idea?

Paine's book Rights of Man said that all human beings deserved equality and liberty. He believed in democracy and freedom of speech, thought society should look after its older members, and found war and slavery abhorrent. Paine disliked organised religion, and declared himself a deist, one whose faith is founded on reason. He was a hero for the common people.

06:51 – 11:50
WHO was Thomas Paine?

Paine was born into a farming family in 1737. At 19 he went to sea, but returned home and worked as a corset-maker before becoming a customs officer – and then being sacked. Debates in the Headstrong Club shaped his ideas, and in 1774, after meeting American thinker Benjamin Franklin, he travelled to America and supported the American Revolution. Later, he was a great influence on the French Revolution and narrowly escaped execution. He died in America in 1809 and his bones were returned to England, but were lost.

11:51 – 16:11
WHEN Paine was around, what else was going on?

In the mid 18th century, Americans were disenchanted with British rule. The Boston Massacre in 1770 and the Boston Tea Party in 1773 both fuelled the anti-British feeling that led to the American Revolution. The Americans won, and celebrated the first Independence Day on 4 July 1776. The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of violent political upheaval against the French monarchy. Thomas Paine was involved in both of these far-reaching events, and his words roused men to take action against repression.

16:12 – 19:38
WHY did Thomas Paine's ideas happen?

Paine witnessed political corruption and inhumane treatment of criminals as a young man, and these injustices influenced his philosophies. In America he was inspired by the revolutionary ideals of democracy, liberty and independence. He was influenced by John Locke, and clashes with rival Edmund Burke also helped cement his ideas.

19:39 – 24:00
WHERE have Thomas Paine's ideas left us now?

Paine was a driving force behind the values of liberty, equality and justice, which underlaid the formation of the United States of America. He believed that society should help its weaker members, and most developed countries now have some kind of welfare system. Paine supported women's rights, but although equality has improved, women are still treated as second-class citizens in some areas of society.

Paine's ideas were accessible to all. He believed in people's right to express their views freely, a cause for which human rights organisations are still fighting. He opposed powerful monarchies, and today many monarchies have little real political power.

Paine spoke out for his beliefs, and his ideas were popular with society's underdogs, but they also made him many enemies. When he died, only six people came to his funeral.