435 Common Sense at 250: The Unfinished Work of Democracy, A Live Conversation

Ben Franklin's World

Liz Covart

History, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 3 March 2026

⏱️ 85 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In January 1776, Thomas Paine told the American colonies to break free from their king. But what was supposed to come next? 250 years later, that question still doesn't have a good answer. To mark the anniversary of *Common Sense*, we traveled to Lewes, England, the town where Paine lived before he ever set foot in America, and recorded our first-ever LIVE episode inside Bull House, the building where Paine honed his ideas about citizens and their government. Joseph Adelman chairs a panel with scholars Leanne O'Boyle, Nicole Mahoney, and Jeanne Sheehan Zaino as they dig into the legacy of *Common Sense*: democracy's "day two problem," the women Paine wrote out of his own story, why "the law is king" keeps showing up on protest signs, and what a 15th-century building in a small English town can teach us about where democratic ideas actually take root. Recorded live in partnership with the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies at Iona University.Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/435 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:06 What Happened After the Revolution?00:02:59 Live from the Bull House in Lewes, England00:04:49 A Template for Common Sense and Civic Life00:07:12 Thomas Paine's Legacy in Lewes, England00:10:24 Thomas Paine's Legacy in New Rochelle, New York00:16:04 Democracy's "Day Two Problem"00:22:50 Local Civic Engagement in Lewes00:27:46 Women and Common Sense00:34:54 Paine's Family Life in Lewes00:35:31 Reconstituting Government00:42:44 Violence and Change00:49:31 "No Kings" Protest and 'The Law is King'00:56:29 Thomas Paine's Legacy00:58:10 Audience Q&A01:18:20 Episode Wrap-UpRECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 144: The Common Cause of the American Revolution🎧 Episode 156: The Power of the Press in the American Revolution🎧 Episode 243: Revolutionary Print Networks🎧 Episode 287: Elections in Early America: Presidential Elections & the Electoral College🎧 Episode 431: Thomas Paine's Common Sense at 250SUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.comWHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community🌍 Join the History Explorers ClubTAKE THE QUIZ🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes)👉 https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/quizLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The French Revolution set Europe ablaze. It was an age of enlightenment and progress, but also
0:06.1	of tyranny and oppression. It was an age of glory and an age of tragedy. One man stood above
0:12.0	it all. This was the Age of Napoleon. I'm Everett Rummage, host of the Age of Napoleon podcast.
0:19.1	Join me as I examine the life and times of one of the most fascinating and enigmatic characters in modern history.
0:26.1	Look for the age of Napoleon wherever you find your podcasts.
0:29.4	No one hates history. They just haven't found the right teacher yet.
0:32.4	Or in this case, a nerdy best friend who loves to tell you all about world history, women's history, and weird
0:37.5	history. Hi, I'm TK., the creator of For the Love of History Podcast, a place for people
0:42.4	who want to learn more but don't know where to start, and history lovers who want to break
0:46.5	from the mainstream. From rat trials to warrior women, we cover topics from every country
0:51.1	and era. Whether you're a history expert or just starting out, there's a place for you here in the time machine.
0:56.8	So join me every Friday on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube for a brand new topic. See you there. Bye.
1:05.4	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast. Ben Franklin's World is a production of Cleo Digital Media, and this episode was made in partnership
1:14.2	with the Institute for Thomas Payne's Studies at Ionia University.
1:18.4	I love his hyperbole, but for me, again, that line we have it in our power to begin the world
1:22.5	over again, hold the mirror up to ourselves.
1:25.4	Like, he's a starting point, and then it's not move on and move away necessarily, but we've got stuff to be dealing with. It's a kick-up the backside. So for me, his legacy is or should be a challenge. What are we going to do with it? It's on us. He's already told us what he thought about his time, and quite clearly it's about us taking responsibility and owning it. So we've got to do better.
1:54.3	Hello and welcome to episode 435 of Ben Franklin's World. The podcast dedicated to helping you learn more about how the people
2:03.8	and events of our early American past have shaped the present day world we live in. And I'm
2:08.9	your host, Liz Covart. What happens after the revolution? In common sense, Thomas Payne made
2:16.2	the case that the 13 British North American colonies
2:18.7	should be independent, but Payne himself understood that breaking free from the British Empire
	...

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