Labour History News
Thomas Paine: Obama's muse?
Thomas Paine: Obama's muse?
The Working Class Movement Library is celebrating the bicentenary of the death of revolutionary writer and radical political thinker Thomas Paine with an exhibition at Salford Museum and Art Gallery. The exhibition is based on the Library's holdings of Paine material, which the Thomas Paine Society has called 'the finest private collection of books by and on Paine in Britain'.
The exhibition, 'Thomas Paine: the Voice of the Common People', tells the story of Paine's adventurous and eventful life, his narrow escapes from death and his involvement in both the American and French Revolutions. The main focus of the exhibition however is the very modern ideas in his three key publications, 'Common Sense', 'Rights of Man' and 'Age of Reason', early editions of which will be on display. The exhibition will also contain political cartoons, radical pamphlets and rare editions of books by and about Paine and his followers.
Paine's ideas have inspired radicals and shaped government policies for over 200 years. Barack Obama quoted him in his presidential inauguration speech. Many of the reforms which Paine advocated such as universal suffrage, the abolition of slavery, retirement pensions and free education have been put into place, while others such as a written constitution for Britain are still being hotly debated.
The Library has been awarded a grant from the Lottery scheme 'Awards for All' for a film-making project, working with local school students studying media, politics or citizenship to produce short multimedia works looking at the modern relevance of Paine's ideas. The results will be presented as part of the exhibition.
The Museum where the exhibition takes place is situated in Peel Park, an ideal setting to celebrate a man who dedicated his life to making complex ideas accessible to ordinary people. This is where, almost fifty years after Paine's death, people flocked to enjoy the country's first free public Library.
Although Thomas Paine has been dead for 200 years, his ideas are still very much alive and his writings are still an inspiration to anyone who wishes to change society for the better. As Veronica Trick, volunteer co-ordinator at the Library, says: 'If our Library had a patron saint it'd be Thomas Paine. He's very much our starting point, both chronologically and ideologically, for working class history'.
For more information contact Lynette Cawthra, Library Manager on 0161 736 3601 or email
- The exhibition, 'Thomas Paine: the Voice of the Common People', runs from 15 August to 22 November at the Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Peel Park, Crescent, Salford M5 4WU. Exhibition opening times: Monday to Friday 10am-4.45pm, Saturday & Sunday 1-5pm
- The Library's Paine collection was amassed by Adrian and Christopher Brunel and presented to the Working Class Movement Library after Christopher's death. It is freely available to researchers to use.
- The Library contains books, pamphlets, personal archives, photographs, plays, poetry, songs, banners, posters, badges, cartoons, journals, biographies, newspaper reports and more. They tell the story of Britain's working classes from the earliest days of industrialisation to the present day.
- Admission to the library is free. It is a reference library, material cannot be borrowed but all material can be studied on site, and a photocopying/scanning service is available.
- The WCML started life in the 1950s as the personal collection of Edmund and Ruth Frow. It became a Charitable Trust in 1971 and moved to its present home in 1987
Go to the Working Class Movement Library's website at www.wcml.org.uk/