Paine’s revolutionary temperament was not restricted to matters of politics. His 1794 book The Age of Reason: Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology extended his critique to theology and religion, questioning key tenets of the Christian faith, criticizing the institutional dimensions of religion more generally, and espousing Deism as the only faith compatible with human reason.
Fifteen years after the publication of Common Sense, Paine published the first part of his Rights of Man, a defense of the French Revolution. Rights of Man celebrated the French Revolution as heralding a new dawn of liberty and reason, and critiqued Edmund Burke’s 1790 Reflections on the Revolution in France, which had criticized the French revolutionaries, defended traditional, established political norms and institutions, and endorsed gradual reform over wholescale political change.
This page offers a snapshot of the reactions and responses to Common Sense, and Paine more generally, that make clear how much controversy he and his work aroused. Both visually and textually, Paine was lionized and vilified as he became an icon synonymous with the ideas he advocated for.
In 2026, “going viral” refers to a piece of content spreading rapidly across the Internet and into common parlance, becoming a widespread sensation or defining a cultural moment. In 1776, Common Sense did just that – without the Internet.
The William L. Clements Library holds 58 editions of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense: Addressed to the Inhabitants of America. Upon the 250th anniversary of its January 1776 publication, one might ask: Why so many?
Explore collections from the Manuscripts and Graphics Divisions made available this month!
The Manuscripts Division has published one final batch of finding aids for 2025! These materials span a variety of subjects including the Civil War and military history, automobiles, crime, tailoring, and newspaper advertising. As always, these collections are available for anyone to research!
Welcome to the very first edition of “A Day in the Life at The Clements Library!” Today, we meet with Jayne Ptolemy, Associate Curator of Manuscripts.
