, Thomas Paine's dream was the establishment of a new nation governed by the people for the people. His passion was the total independence of America, and the declaration of it to the world. Paine's goal was democracy.
By way of contrast, John Adams' scheme was just the opposite. Adams worked to build an overriding national governing body, separate from the common people. His idea was governance by an elite ruling class patterned after the British system. Because Thomas Paine wrote in opposition to Adams' intrigues, Adams detested Paine. Yet, later in his life, Adams would admit that "History is to ascribe the American Revolution to Thomas Paine."
It is the author's firm conviction that by reading The Real Thomas Paine, teachers of American History and anyone who is interested in learning about the formation of the United States and Thomas Paine's role in its establishment will derive a much better understanding of America's birth.
