Kmflett's Blog

No King in the US & the UK linked by Tom Paine

There have been events to mark the 250th anniversary of the US’s declaration of independence on 4th July. Meanwhile true to form Donald Trump held his own event.

A founding point of the US Constitution in 1776 was the principle of republicanism, breaking from the British system of monarchy. It remains a matter of historical debate but one influence on that was Tom Paine’s Common Sense. Paine born in Thetford in 1737 had landed in America in 1774 and his political writings were influential.

He later went on to become an important figure in the French Revolution from 1792 with his best known work the Rights of Man.

Paine was prosecuted in his absence in the UK but his ideas were also influential in the country of his birth.

E P Thompson notes in the Making of the English Working Class (1963) radical activity in Bernard (Barnard) Castle in Durham

In the autumn and winter of 1792 Wilberforce the MP for Yorskhire (in the pre-1832 Unreformed Parliament’ was advised of the disposition of the lower people in the County of Durham’

Considerable numbers in Bernard Castle have manifested disaffection to the constitution and the words ‘No King’ ‘Liberty’ and ‘Equality’ have been written upon the Market Cross. During the late disturbances amongst the keelmen  at Shields and Sunderland, General Lambton was thus addressed, ‘Have you read this little work of Tom Paine’s? ‘No’ ‘Then read it- we like it much. You have a great estate General; we shall soon divide it amongst us’