As the results of the recent American presidential election continue to shape global discourse, we are preparing to celebrate the historical ties that bind Sussex and the United States.
The second annual Thanksgiving Evensong will take place on Thursday 28th November 2024, offering an opportunity to reflect on these transatlantic connections and explore fascinating artefacts that highlight our intertwined history. But few may know that one of the key figures in shaping American democracy has a lasting connection to Sussex.
Thomas Paine, a revolutionary thinker born in Thetford, Norfolk, spent a significant portion of his life in Lewes, East Sussex. Paine’s writings, particularly his pamphlet ‘Common Sense,’ were instrumental in inspiring the American colonies to break away from British rule. Published in January 1776, Common Sense sold hundreds of thousands of copies and became the rallying cry for American independence. Paine’s sharp arguments for liberty, social justice, and the rights of the individual, ideas once radical, remain central to modern democratic societies.
Paine’s path to becoming one of the most influential figures in American history is equally fascinating. According to the West Sussex Record Office, he was introduced to Benjamin Franklin by the Duke of Richmond, often referred to as the “Radical Duke", for his progressive views and support for the American colonists during the Revolution. This connection led to Paine’s emigration to America, where his writings would forever alter the course of history. Notably, Paine himself had initially been a loyalist to Britain, but the battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775 transformed his views. As Paine later wrote, "No man was a warmer wisher for reconciliation than myself, before the fatal nineteenth of April 1775, but the moment the event of that day was made known, I rejected... the hardened, sullen tempered Pharaoh of England." Before Paine’s polemic, the general sentiment in the colonies was one of reconciliation with Britain, not rebellion. Paine’s pamphlet ignited the collective consciousness of the colonies, cementing his legacy as a catalyst for American independence.
Paine’s fiery prose not only swayed public opinion but also served as a beacon of hope during the darkest days of the American Revolution. General George Washington reportedly had passages of Common Sense read aloud to his troops to keep their spirits up during the bitter winter of 1776. As General Charles Lee observed, Common Sense was nothing short of a "masterful performance," convincing many of the necessity of separation from Britain.
Of course, Chichester’s own connection to American democracy doesn’t end with Paine. The Sussex Declaration, one of only two known handwritten parchment copies of the American Declaration of Independence, is preserved in the West Sussex Record Office. The other, of course, is situated in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. This rare document serves as a powerful reminder of the deep transatlantic ties that exist between Sussex and the birth of American democracy.
For more information on Thomas Paine and the historical artefacts on display, you can explore the American Patrons here. If you have any questions about the service, you’re welcome to contact Jake Parke at jake.parke@chichestercathedral.org.uk.