Thomas Paine was a champion in both hemispheres of human liberty; one of
the founders and fathers of the Republic; one of the foremost men of his
age. He never wrote a word in favor of injustice. He was a despiser of
slavery. He abhorred tyranny in every form. He wast in the widest and
best sense, a friend of all his race. His head was as clear as his heart
was good, and he had the courage to speak his honest thought. He was
the first man to write these words: "The United States of America." He
proposed the present federal constitution. He furnished every thought
that now glitters in the Declaration of Independence. He believed in one
God and no more. He was a believer even in special providence, and he
hoped for immortality.