Thomas Paine’s Lonely Radical Funeral

Thomas Paine, one of America's founding fathers, argued for the separation of church and state, universal suffrage, the abolition of slavery, and ideas that resembled early socialism. His radical positions and fierce criticism of organized religion made him controversial in both America and Britain during his lifetime. By the time he died in 1809 in New York, many former allies had distanced themselves from him. Only six men came to his funeral.

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