Thomas Paine Statue
Thomas Paine Statue
Prince St. and Courtland St.
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Thomas Paine (February 9, 1737 — June 8, 1809) was the author of important pamphlets during the Revolutionary War. The first of these pamphlets, Common Sense, was published in early 1776; it helped move public opinion in the colonies towards Independence.
In July 1776, Paine joined up with the American Army, and in September became an aide to General Nathanael Greene. During this time he also acted as a war correspondent, sending his eyewitness accounts to be published in the Pennsylvania Journal.
Paine was with the American army at Fort Lee when they began their retreat across New Jersey. Traveling with the army as they retreated, he began writing the first of what would become a series of pamphlets titled The American Crisis (also known as The Crisis), which began with the now famous phrase, "These are the times that try men's souls." [12]
In 1783, Paine bought a house in Bordentown, where he lived at times until he died. (See Thomas Paine House entry below.) This statue, which was erected in 1997, pays tribute to Paine as a resident of Bordentown. It is one of two Thomas Paine statues in New Jersey; the other is in Morristown. The text on the four sides of this statue's base reads: [13]
Thomas Paine 1737-1809
Father of the American Revolution
"I had rather see my horse Button in his own stable, or eating the grass of Bordentown,
than see all the pomp and show of Europe." — Letter from Europe 1789Paine's words and deeds put the concepts of independence, equality, democracy, abolition of slavery, representative government and a constitution with a bill of rights on the American agenda.
Paine considered Bordentown his home; it is here he invented his bridge.
