Today in History: James Polk Born
Today in 1795, future United States President James Polk was born. A Tennessean protégé of Andrew Jackson, he was one of the most influential politicians of his era, and arguably the most successful president in terms of actualizing the agenda he set forth to...
Thomas Paine’s Declaration of War Against Monarchy
Thomas Paine was likely the most ardent and radical republican of his time, transcending virtually all of his peers. Even so, he tended to separate his trademark disdain for hereditary monarchy in general with attacks against specific monarchs. As he believed, such...
Thomas Paine’s Sedition: The Rights of Man, Part 1
After Thomas Paine released the first part of the Rights of Man, it flew off the bookstalls in England, and printers could not meet the demand it received. It was soon distributed throughout Europe and the United States, and about 50,000 copies were sold within 2...