ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the invention and reinvention of Paine in the United States in the century or so following his death. It demonstrates that although Paine's ideas, words, and image were a source of inspiration for many, his legacy was also appropriated and abused by others. The book argues that Paine's name and reputation were used to both defend and challenge traditional Christian beliefs in nineteenth-century America. It explores the ways in which various groups and individuals have sought to apply Paine's ideas to different contexts and chronologies, and for diverse ends. The book considers the ways in which Paine was remembered and revisited in the first half of the twentieth century. It offers an engaging take on the direct influence of Thomas Paine on popular, leftist politics among some of those Southern European immigrants who journeyed to America.
