I’m excited to announce the eleventh in the Freethinker’s series of free online seminars for all those interested in freethought history and its enduring relevance. The webinars, hosted by me and lasting around one hour, will feature expert guest speakers, to whom you’ll have a chance to ask your questions. There is no set schedule for these webinars; the best way to stay informed about when they are happening is to sign up for our free fortnightly newsletter, which will also keep you updated on all other things Freethinker.
The webinars will be recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel. (This post will be updated and the video of the webinar—on which more in a moment—will appear below once the recording is available. All posts about these webinars will be accessible here, and all such posts will also be updated in due course when the webinar recordings are available, thus forming a complete catalogue of the series).
Register for Freethought History Webinar #11: A New Vision of Thomas Paine. With Gary Berton and Scott Cleary.
The webinar will take place on 20 June 2026 at 7 pm UK time (2 pm ET/1 pm CT/12 pm MDT/11 am MST/11 am PT) via Zoom.
About the webinar: The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the American Republic is approaching. But the world’s oldest secular democratic republic is facing an onslaught of authoritarianism and Christian nationalism. So it is especially appropriate that a new edition of the radical democrat and secularist Thomas Paine’s works is about to be published by Princeton University Press. Managed by the Thomas Paine Historical Association, this groundbreaking project will include nearly 400 newly discovered works of Paine’s and promises to revolutionise our understanding of arguably the greatest Founding Father.
In this webinar, two of the editors of the new collection, Gary Berton and Scott Cleary, will discuss the project and the enduring importance of Paine 250 years on from the publication of his revolutionary pamphlet Common Sense and the founding of America. What new vision of Paine emerges from this ambitious project? And what can we learn from Paine today, as America teeters on the brink? Register now and find out.
About the speakers: Gary Berton is President of the Thomas Paine Historical Association, and Scott Cleary is a Board Member of the Thomas Paine Historical Association and Professor of English at Iona University.
You must register to secure your place at the webinar. To do so, click here or on the image below.
With thanks to Bob Forder for suggesting these seminars and helping to organise them.
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