431 Common Sense at 250: The Pamphlet That Sparked a Revolution

431 Common Sense at 250: The Pamphlet That Sparked a Revolution

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense turned a colonial rebellion into a full-blown revolution. But how did one pamphlet move so many minds in 1776—and why does it still matter 250 years later? To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Common Sense, historian and Director of the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies at Iona University, Nora Slonimsky, joins us to explore Paine’s life, the pamphlet’s explosive impact, and what this revolutionary text still teaches us about democracy, communication, and civic life. ITPS Website Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/403 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:06 Thomas Pain's Early Life and Influences00:05:53 The Institute for Thomas Paine Studies00:07:51 Thomas Paine as an English Excise Man00:13:34 Paine's Ideas for Reform of the British Government00:19:27 Reception of Paine's First Pamphlet00:21:48 Paine's Intellectual Life in England00:27:30 Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin00:31:44 Paine's Migration to Philadelphia00:35:55 Paine's View of the American Revolution00:39:15 The Story of Common Sense00:50:34 Measuring the Reach of Common Sense00:59:34 The Legacy of Common Sense and Thomas Paine01:02:54 Time Warp01:05:02 Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of Common Sense01:08:17 ConclusionRECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 127: American Enlightenments🎧 Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft🎧 Episode 144: The Common Cause🎧 Episode 156: The Power of the Press in the American Revolution🎧 Episode 243: Revolutionary Print Networks🎧 Episode 394: The Pursuit of HappinessSUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.comWHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community🌍 Join the History Explorers ClubTAKE THE QUIZ🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes)👉 https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/quizLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episoder(491)

BFW Revisited: The Common Cause

BFW Revisited: The Common Cause

Before Common Sense could ignite a revolution, colonists had to be convinced they shared a cause worth fighting for. So how did Revolutionary leaders turn thirteen very different colonies into “Americ...

20 Jan 58min

BFW Revisited: The Power of the Press in the American Revolution

BFW Revisited: The Power of the Press in the American Revolution

Common Sense didn’t just make an argument for independence—it moved through a world of newspapers, pamphlets, and personal networks that carried revolutionary ideas from one doorstep to the next. So h...

6 Jan 1h 24min

430 The Founding Father of American Medicine: Benjamin Rush

430 The Founding Father of American Medicine: Benjamin Rush

Benjamin Rush was one of early America’s most fascinating figures. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a leading Philadelphia physician, and a thinker who believed that a healthy body ...

30 Des 20251h

BFW Revisited: Smuggling and the American Revolution

BFW Revisited: Smuggling and the American Revolution

British officials had a problem: Their American colonists wouldn't stop smuggling. Even after Parliament slashed tea prices and passed laws to make legal imports cheaper, colonists kept buying Dutch a...

23 Des 20251h 24min

429 Coffee in Early America: Why Americans Really Drink Coffee

429 Coffee in Early America: Why Americans Really Drink Coffee

Think the Boston Tea Party made America a coffee-drinking nation? Historian Michelle McDonald reveals the truth: colonists were already choosing coffee over tea because it was cheaper. Michelle Craig...

16 Des 20251h 3min

428 America's Forgotten Quest to Link Two Oceans

428 America's Forgotten Quest to Link Two Oceans

In the 1820s, American entrepreneurs, engineers, and politicians dared to dream big. They believed they could cut a canal, not through Panama, but through the wild, rain-soaked terrain of Nicaragua. T...

9 Des 20251h 1min

427 How States Are Planning the 250th: Commemorating the American Revolution in 2026

427 How States Are Planning the 250th: Commemorating the American Revolution in 2026

As we look ahead to the 250th anniversary—the semiquincentennial—of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, communities and commissions across the United States are asking big questions: How should w...

2 Des 202551min

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