PBS falls on the sword ... of Washington

AND on the "Pen of Thomas Paine."

Returning to Thomas Paine and past history, as opposed to current:

The online PBS educational platform has a installment devoted to Thomas Paine [the link is posted below these comments]. This is a good thing of course … as far as it goes. It may have been P. T. Barnum who said “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” The short video does Paine some justice, but it is marred — like so much written about Paine — with shallow and/or erroneous history. In a short three minutes + it manages to include just about every major error in Paine biography. Oh, the mediocrity of it all …

PBS is correct that Paine never took a penny for RIGHTS OF MAN (1791, not 1787 as the PBS video claims) and they fail to note, moreover, that his practice of repudiating copyright dates all the way back to COMMON SENSE (1776). The latter pamphlet was a stupendous best-seller; perhaps the best selling work up to its time. Delighted with its success, Paine tried to collect his share and donate it to purchase mittens and supplies for the Continental troops. But when the printer Bell's accounts were audited, they somehow showed zero profit. A furious Paine ordered Bell to cease publication and approached the Bradford brothers for a second edition. Bell ignored Paine and immediately printed a "new edition.” He claimed an agreement with Paine for publication. Paine denied it and gave away the copyright to every printer who inquired thereafter, both domestically and internationally, a practice he followed for the rest of his life.

The PBS writers also repeat the old Federalist lie that Paine died impoverished. He was in fact quite prosperous. He owned a 300 acre farm in New Rochelle, New York and had liquid assets that would be worth perhaps $300,000.00 today. He left handsome bequests for his executors and the children of Madame Bonneville for whose education and care he had paid from their arrival in America. The old lies told about Paine circulate endlessly and shamelessly.

And then there’s the quote, "Without the pen of Thomas Paine, the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain." PBS repeats it in their video, credits it to President John Adams, but gives no source. There is no source for the very good reason that Adams never said it nor can it be found in any of his writings. There is, however, sound evidence that the author was Joel Barlow (1754 —1812) - American poet, diplomat, politician, and personal friend of Thomas Paine. The earliest appearance of this quote is in an unsigned introduction to a rare 1793 London edition of RIGHTS OF MAN. Adams played no part in the edition and it is known that Barlow did. Upon reflection, it seems to me that it was Jefferson who wrote in a private letter that the introduction was said to have been written by Barlow. In any event it appears nowhere in Adams’ writings or his speeches. Better historians than PBS have attributed it to Barlow for some time now. But not PBS and, like all lies, it circles the world endlessly.

Nor did Paine die alone. He was visited by all of his associates in New York and cared for by Madame Bonneville. His former roommate, the eminent American painter John Wesley Jarvis, visited him shortly before his death. Better historians have pointed to the epidemics of yellow fever that carried off thousands of New Yorkers for the explanation of the quick and sparsely attended internment. Paine’s political and religious enemies missed no opportunity to blacken his name … even at the moment of death.

And Paine’s works were far from forgotten at his death. AGE OF REASON had sold so well in the United States that it scared the hell out of Yale president Timothy Dwight who wrote that every student was reading it. Between COMMON SENSE, RIGHTS OF MAN, and AGE OF REASON Paine was perhaps the best known author of his period. And ALL of Paine’s works continue to be printed, read, and influential.

Here’s a link to the PBS video. It’s just three minutes long, but they manage to cram in all six errors highlighted here:

Yes, PBS received a courteous and measured message about the video But a reply would border on the miraculous. These things seem to have a life of their own and many author/creators have one hell of a time admitting and correcting mistakes.