WASHINGTON, D.C.—Representatives Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Victoria Spartz (IN-05) introduced bipartisan legislation to direct the U.S. Department of the Interior to place the forthcoming memorial honoring the indispensable American political writer and philosopher Thomas Paine in “Area 1” of the National Mall, which is reserved for memorials of the highest national significance.
The Common Sense 250 Act would require Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to place the memorial in the central section of the National Mall between the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. Raskin previously introduced and secured passage of legislation to create this national memorial to the often unsung patriot and the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission (NCMAC) recommended that the memorial be placed in “Area 1” in 2024.
“Tom Paine, the extraordinary and indispensable patriot of the American Revolution and spellbinding exponent of democratic freedom, catalyzed our emerging nation to rise up against tyranny, monarchy and taxation without representation to conceive of a new nation based on religious liberty, freedom of thought, and democratic self-governance in service of the common good,” said Rep. Raskin. “On the 250th anniversary of the publication of Common Sense, our legislation finally brings the great Tom Paine from the attics and libraries of history to a place of shining prominence on our National Mall, establishing the dazzling national memorial he deserves.”
“As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, we remember Thomas Paine’s timeless words: ‘These are the times that try men’s souls,’ which helped rally General Washington’s army before the crossing of the Delaware - a pivotal moment that changed the course of the Revolution,” said Rep. Spartz. “Their sacrifices should remind us of the price so many Americans paid to secure our freedom - a precious gift we have a solemn duty to preserve for future generations.”
“Thomas Paine gave the American Revolution its voice,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president, Freedom From Religion Foundation. “Without 'Common Sense' there is no independence, and without 'The American Crisis' the Continental Army may not have survived Valley Forge. As the nation celebrated its 250th anniversary this Independence Day, we owe a debt to the man whose words helped make that first Fourth of July possible. Every American inherits the world Paine set in motion. A monument to Paine in the heart of the nation's capital is 250 years overdue. This is the right moment to welcome Paine home among the founders.”
“Thomas Paine gave this country its argument for independence and then took up a musket in the Continental Army to help win it,” said Margaret Downey, president, Thomas Paine Memorial Association. “He sold half a million copies of 'Common Sense' when the nation was still an idea, and George Washington had 'The American Crisis' read aloud to the troops before they crossed the Delaware. Paine opposed slavery, called for the education of every child, and imagined a brotherhood of free nations long before the world was ready for it. Paine was a hero to Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. For 250 years the capital he helped bring into being has had no memorial to him. We intend to correct that, and Area 1 is exactly where he belongs.”
The lawmakers’ legislation requires that the previously approved Paine memorial be placed in “Area 1” of the National Mall. “Area 1” is perhaps the most iconic section of the National Mall, including the Lincoln Memorial, the Tidal Basin and the Washington Monument. “Area 1” also contains monuments and memorials honoring significant American figures and events, like the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and the World War II Memorial.
Rep. Raskin’s 2023 law authorized the Thomas Paine Memorial Association to establish a memorial to Paine in the District of Columbia. Rep. Spartz cosponsored the 2023 law. In September 2024, NCMAC recommended that the memorial be placed in “Area 1” of the National Mall.
The Paine memorial is fully funded with private contributions from admirers of Paine and his work. The Thomas Paine Memorial Association plans to commission renowned sculptor Zenos Frudakis to build the memorial.
Paine is best known for writing the pamphlet Common Sense in 1776 which galvanized support for the American revolution. His ideals of democratic self-government, guarding human rights and the application of reason and science are still enshrined in society today.
The legislation is endorsed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Thomas Paine Memorial Association and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science/the Center for Inquiry.
Read the full bill text here.
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