The Forgotten Founder: Why Thomas Paine’s Long Road to Washington Is Really About America’s Soul

More than two centuries after his death, Thomas Paine — the pamphleteer whose “Common Sense” ignited the American Revolution — is finally being granted the honor of a memorial in Washington, D.C.’s Area One, the nation’s most sacred commemorative ground. On September 15, 2026, the House Committee on Natural Resources unanimously advanced the Common Sense 250 Act (H.R. 9600), introduced by Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Victoria Spartz (R-IN), moving the Thomas Paine Memorial Association one step closer to its goal.

But Paine’s story carries a spiritual lesson that transcends patriotism. He wrote of a Creator revealed through reason and creation itself, declaring in “The Age of Reason” that “the world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.” His faith was universal, undogmatic, and rooted in conscience rather than creed.

The memorial’s journey — from a 2022 congressional authorization to this latest milestone — invites a deeper question: whom do we honor, and why? Paine reminds seekers that wisdom often comes from those the establishment forgets.