"Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain."
— Thomas Paine

January 1, 1970

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Activists from the United StatesEssayists from EnglandPolitical activistsActivists from EnglandPolitical authors from England
Original Language: English

Sources

Attributed to John Adams since at least its appearance in the Annual Report of the Attorney General (1957) by New York Department of Law; in Religion and Political Thought‎ (2006) by Michael Hoelzl and Graham Ward it quoted as a statement of 1805; conflicting attribution is made in Thomas Paine and the Promise of America‎ (2006) by Harvey J. Kaye, p. 5, where it is attributed to Joel Barlow. The earliest incident of it yet found in internet searches is The Tragic Patriot: A Drama of Historical S