Gary Berton, the president of The Thomas Paine Historical Association, joins Scott Cleary, co-editor of New Directions in Thomas Paine Studies and author of The Field of Imagination: Thomas Paine and Eighteenth-Century Poetry, to discuss the revolutionary life, ideas, and legacy of Thomas Paine in celebration of the 250th anniversary of his famous pamphlet, Common Sense. Julie Silverbrook, vice president of civic education of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
This conversation was originally streamed live as part of the NCC’s America’s Town Hall series on February 9, 2026. It is generously sponsored by Citizen Travelers, the nonpartisan civic engagement initiative of Travelers.
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This episode was produced and mixed by Bill Pollock. With production support from Scott Bomboy and Lisa Marie Patzer. Research was provided by Anna Salvatore, Trey Sullivan, and Tristan Worsham.
Participants
Gary Berton is President of the Thomas Paine Historical Association and an editor of the new six-volume "Thomas Paine: Collected Writings", a groundbreaking collection of Paine’s writings including almost 400 newly discovered and previously unknown works that will revolutionize Paine studies. The project will be published in 2026 by Princeton University Press.
Scott Cleary is professor of English at Iona University in New Rochelle, NY. He is the co-editor of New Directions in Thomas Paine Studies and author of The Field of Imagination: Thomas Paine and Eighteenth-Century Poetry. He authored the most recent Oxford Bibliographies and Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism entries on Thomas Paine, and is currently writing a chapter on American revolutionary poetry for the Oxford History of Poetry series. He works as a senior editor for Thomas Paine: Collected Writings, a new 6-volume scholarly edition of Paine's works and correspondence to be published by Princeton University Press in 2026. He serves on the board of the Thomas Paine Historical Association, and is currently working on two related projects: a survey and analysis of literary references throughout Paine's works, and representations of Paine in the late eighteenth-century novel.
Julie Silverbrook is vice president of civic education at the National Constitution Center where she oversees the Center’s civic education strategy and the development and distribution of all educational products and programs.
Additional Resources
- Scott Cleary, New Directions in Thomas Paine Studies
- Scott Cleary, The Field of Imagination: Thomas Paine and Eighteenth-Century Poetry
- Thomas Paine, Common Sense
- Richard Rosenfeld, American Aurora: A Democratic-Republican Returns
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