Iona College has established the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies, the first Paine studies program at an academic institution.
The announcement follows the recent approval by the New York State Supreme Court of a petition by the Thomas Paine National Historical Association to transfer permanent custodianship of its Thomas Paine collection to Iona College.
The “Common Sense” author”™s cottage is a quarter-mile north of the college. Paine was buried on the property until his remains were exhumed, taken to England in 1819, and then lost.
Comprising some 300 varied items created from the late 18th to early 19th centuries, the Thomas Paine collection is nationally and globally significant.
The institute (ITPS) will house one of the world”™s most significant Paine collections, including multiple first editions and early copies of “Common Sense,” “Age of Reason,” and “Rights of Man.” The collection also contains more than 100 texts, pamphlets and letters written or published by Paine, as well as personal artifacts. This combination of Paine”™s writings and possessions with the ITPS will constitute one of the only places in the world a person can see both at the same time.
Inspired by the gift of the collection, the ITPS was established to be “the premier academic center for the preservation, study, and dissemination of Thomas Paine”™s life-story, work, and global legacy through stewardship of related archival material and development of educational programming.”
“The establishment of this Institute creates a first-of-its-kind academic affiliation for a long-neglected yet influential founding intellect of our country,” said Brian Nickerson, provost and principal founder of the institute. “Paine”™s writings have influenced and continue to influence the political, social, and economic debates of our era. One cannot understand the fundamental principles of democracy or the American experience without understanding Paine.”
